2007 Elkhart Jazz Festival Pulls Out All the Stops for 20th Anniversary

Elkhart, IN.  The Elkhart Jazz Festival – one of the Midwest’s premier jazz events of the summer – will celebrate its 20th anniversary in downtown Elkhart, from June 22nd through the 24th.  During this spectacular three-day weekend, the sweet, hot sounds of jazz will transform the heart of Elkhart into the swinging spot “where jazz lovers meet jazz legends.” 

Commended time after time for offering one of the best jazz festival lineups in the country, the Elkhart Jazz Festival committee is again bringing in crowd-pleasing favorites – including The Four Freshmen, Rob Parton’s Big Band, the United States Army Jazz Guardians, and many more. More than 150 world-class musicians will take to the stage to help the committee throw its annual giant jazz party for the 30,000 jazz fans and attendees who are expected to fill downtown Elkhart over the festival’s landmark anniversary weekend.

Says Glenn Holtz, now serving his 11th term as festival committee chair, “The Elkhart Jazz Festival is a crowning achievement for our community, not only in terms of the caliber of talent on our stages, but also because the average lifespan for a jazz festival is only one to three years. Ours is a success story made possible only through the efforts of dedicated volunteers and the generosity of corporate citizens such as longstanding anchor sponsor JP Morgan Chase and our newest anchor sponsor, the Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau.” 

Each year, more than 500 volunteers help bring the Elkhart Jazz Festival to life, giving their time, talents, and energy during this enormous undertaking. Many area businesses extend vital assistance to these volunteers throughout the weekend by providing food, water, and equipment – while numerous other companies support the festival itself by sponsoring stages, musicians, transportation services, and premium ticket packages.

The 20th anniversary event will open at 5:00 p.m. with the U.S. Army Jazz Guardians taking the free-to-the-public CivicPlaza stage on Main Street. This year’s lineup is an extraordinary mix of the past, present and future of jazz, as legends like clarinetist Ken Peplowski, trombonist Bob Havens, and drummer Butch Miles are joined by a new generation of extraordinary musicians. Peplowski will receive the festival’s 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award during his Saturday evening performance at the ELCOPerformingArtsCenter.

Among the “youngsters” featured at the festival this year are the Mighty Aphrodite Jazz Band – a group of young women taking the West Coast jazz festival scene by storm – and 23-year-old clarinetist Dave Bennett, appearing this year with Wally’s Warehouse Waifs and also performing Benny Goodman tunes in a special Saturday evening set with the Paul Keller Quartet. 

Though most of the Elkhart Jazz Festival’s invited artists have traveled overseas and received worldwide acclaim, this year’s lineup also offers a distinctively international flair, with Yoshimi and Carolina Shout, a classic jazz band from Japan led by jazz pianist Yoshimi Fukasawa.

The Elkhart Jazz Festival also welcomes back saxophonist Tim Cunningham; clarinetist Chuck Hedges, drummer Ed Shaughnessy; and the Shelly Berg Trio – which on Sunday afternoon will treat the audience to a special set offering an entertaining glimpse inside the mind of a jazz improv artist. Cornetist Ed Polcer will bring his “Swingtet,” featuring Butch Miles, Vince Giordano, Tom Fischer, Judy Kurtz, and Johnny Varro. Other festival favorites from previous years include Bill Allred’s Classic Jazz Band; jazz violinist Cathy Morris & Collage; the Latin jazz band, Orquesta de Jazz y Salsa Alto Maiz; pianist Eddie Higgins; and The Roger Harris Trio.

In keeping with its commitment to educating younger audiences and aspiring musicians about jazz – America’s original art form – the Elkhart Jazz Festival is opening several stages on Saturday morning to offer instrumental clinics to young musicians in the area. Four clinics will be conducted, with three of them running from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. – a rhythm section clinic sponsored by Pearl Drums and the Woodwind and the Brasswind, held at the RiverWalk stage, led by the Shelly Berg Trio (Steve Houghton, drums; Shelly Berg, piano; Lou Fischer, bass); a trumpet clinic sponsored by the Elkhart Jazz Festival, led by Rob Parton at the Curtis Pavilion; a saxophone clinic, sponsored by Conn-Selmer and Blessing Music Company and led by Mark Colby, held at the Knights of Columbus. The fourth clinic will be a jazz violin master class conducted from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. by Cathy Morris; it is sponsored by the Elkhart Jazz Festival and will be held at the NewLifeCommunityChurch stage.

The 2007 festival venues include five paid-admission stages plus the free-to-the-public CivicPlaza stage, sponsored by Elkhart GeneralHospital. The RiverWalk Pavilion, sponsored by Gaska Tape, has moved to the west bank of the ElkhartRiver due to construction on the east bank. Now featuring air conditioning, this stage will be located on the grassy area just east of the CivicPlaza, at the corner of Waterfall Drive and High Street. The other stages remain the same as in years past: the NewLifeCommunityChurch, sponsored by Monaco Coach; the ELCOPerformingArtsCenter, sponsored by Key Bank; the Knights of Columbus, sponsored by MFB; and the Curtis Pavilion, sponsored by Conn-Selmer. Though the festival offers six stages this year instead of seven, additional sets have been added to each stage to ensure an abundance of great jazz throughout the festival weekend.

Single-session and weekend passes are available for the 2007 Elkhart Jazz Festival. Each session features from 20 to 30 different sets and jam sessions, and ticket holders have access to all five paid venues for the duration of their ticket – so they are free to wander in and out of performances to catch all the jazz they can. Patron Tickets, which provide support for the festival, are $195; they include entry to all venues with preferred seating, admission to the Patron/VIP reception and reserved parking. A JazzPass, good for entry to all performances during the festival, is $120, with group rates available for 10 or more (JazzPasses or Patron tickets only). Session tickets are $50 for evening sessions and $30 for afternoon sessions. Student tickets – available for afternoon sessions only – are $10. For ticket information or details about group rates, call the Elkhart Jazz Festival Hotline at 1-800-594-7627, or visit the festival online at www.elkhartjazzfestival.com.

Patron ticket holders, sponsors, and other VIPs will enjoy tantalizing pre-festival appetizers and beverages at the Patron Reception, held Friday evening from 5 – 7 p.m. at 121 West Franklin Street, with music provided by festival favorite, The Shelly Berg Trio. The Patron/VIP Reception is sponsored by Lake City Bank and Coachmen Industries.

The clinic registration fee for students is $5.00, and participants will receive not only instruction from some of the very best jazz musicians playing today, but will also get a Saturday afternoon pass that gives them access to all venues and the opportunity to see dozens of jazz greats perform. For more information, contact the Elkhart Centre at 574-295-8701.

This year’s Elkhart Jazz Festival headquarters will again be located indoors at 319 S. Main St., across from the CivicPlaza. There, jazz fans will find ticket sales, the information table, musicians’ CDs for sale, souvenir sales, and “will-call” tickets being held for pick-up.

Throughout the festival, jazz fans can satisfy both their taste in jazz and their taste buds with on-site food vendors serving everything from iced coffees and smoothies to steak sandwiches, gyros, Polish sausage, elephant ears, ice cream and more. The Elkhart Jazz Festival stages are also within close proximity to a variety of unique downtown dining establishments offering fine and casual dining experiences and jazz festival specials.

The Elkhart Centre is a nationally accredited Main Street program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, dedicated to revitalizing downtown Elkhart. Produced by the Elkhart Centre, the Elkhart Jazz Festival is just one of the ways the Centre supports downtown Elkhart, along with providing economic restructuring assistance, design guidance, and partnering with other downtown-focused economic development organizations. For more information about the Elkhart Jazz Festival or other Elkhart Centre programs, visit www.elkhartjazzfestival.com or call 1-800-597-7627 or 574-295-8701.

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Life-size Bronze Hoagy Carmichael Statue Featured at Elkhart Jazz Festival

Elkhart, IN – The world’s only life-size bronze tribute to Hoosier composer/musician Hoagy Carmichael will be featured at the 2007 Elkhart Jazz Festival – June 22 – 24 – as one of the stops in its travels to various cities throughout Indiana. The tribute portrays Hoagy composing at a life-size Steinway grand piano – also in bronze. Accompanying the sculpture will be a display chronicling Carmichael’s legacy, including kiosks, archives, and various items highlighting his life and career. Indiana University is the major underwriter of this “Hoosier Re-education” tour concerning one of its most illustrious alumni. The display will be housed in the Elkhart Jazz Festival’s indoor headquarters at 319 S. Main St.

At the conclusion of the Hoagy Carmichael Tribute and Educational Tour, the statue will be dedicated and installed at Hoagy’s hometown of Bloomington, Indiana. “I can think of no figure more deserving of a statue in Bloomington than it’s greatest native son, Hoagy Carmichael,” said John Edward Hasse, curator of American Music at the Smithsonian Institute.

Hoagy Carmichael was born in Bloomington, Indiana, and achieved a degree in law from Indiana University. Although playing piano from an early age, his passion for music truly ignited at the beginning of the American Jazz movement. He composed numerous songs, including Stardust and Georgia on My Mind – two of the most recorded songs in the history of music. Hoagy was one of America’s great songsmiths and the very first of the American singer-songwriters. In 1951 he won an Oscar for his song In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening. Later Hoagy was given his own television show and gained 14 film credits with actors such as Kirk Douglas and Humphrey Bogart, among others. He was one of the first 10 songwriters inducted into the nation’s Songwriters Hall of Fame. In becoming a household name, Hoagy’s popularity was so widespread he was given the very first caricature appearance of any animated cartoon.

The Hoagy Carmichael Tribute Tour committee considered the creation and immediate permanent installation of this sculpture lost opportunity, and decided a traveling exhibit could provide an excellent way for Hoosiers to learn more about this fascinating man. Hoagy represents the casual, likable, mid-west Hoosier whose success is leveraged by an innate work ethic. We should take pride in being reminded these are positive attributes to possess. John W. Ryan, President Emeritus of Indiana University and original member of the statues’ committee, believed  Hoagy was a positive reflection of ourselves. He stated, “Hoagy Carmichael epitomizes the character of Hoosiers. In the lore of Hoagy, he is the fulfillment of the American dream achieved by imagination, tenacity and hard work – all while maintaining a likable and straight-shooting disposition.”

The Hoagy Carmichael sculpture will be first unveiled on June 15, at Indy Jazz Fest presented by Kroger and travels next to the Elkhart Jazz Festival. Other cities slated to present the exhibit include Bedford, Fort Wayne, South Bend, Jasper, Indianapolis (State Fair), Brazil, Richmond, Logansport, Kokomo, Madison, Evansville, Franklin, New Albany, and Terre Haute.

Michael McAuley, also an I.U. alum and Bloomington-born, designed and sculpted the monument and serves as the tour’s co-director. He will be traveling with the sculpture overseeing the each city’s tour set-up. He stated, “Each city electing to present this Hoagy Carmichael cultural and educational opportunity for its citizens has the opportunity to customize the event to each community’s specific character. That may include the city’s welcome center, local jazz band or orchestra, the local historical society, art groups— it can be as broad and exciting and encompassing as they wish. Once this monumental tribute is installed, it will never be ‘de-installed’ to tour again.”

More information concerning the Hoagy Carmichael Tribute and Educational Tour may be found at the official website at www.hoagylandmark.org, or by calling Elizabeth Sutton at the Hoagy Carmichael Landmark Tribute office at 812-330-8934.

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Elkhart Jazz Festival Welcomes New Anchor Sponsor

Elkhart, IN. The Elkhart Jazz Festival is pleased to welcome its newest anchor sponsor, the Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau (ECCVB). From June 22 – 24, 2007, the Elkhart Jazz Festival will bring an estimated 25,000 jazz fans into downtown Elkhart to enjoy The Four Freshmen, Rob Parton’s JAZZTECH Big Band, the Mighty Aphrodite Jazz Band and many other outstanding musicians. As a key promoter of tourism in the Elkhart County area, the ECCVB is a natural fit as an Elkhart Jazz Festival sponsor, joining long-time sponsor JP Morgan Chase in supporting the festival’s landmark 20th anniversary event.

 “The Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau is pleased to sponsor the 20th Elkhart Jazz Festival,” said executive director Diana Lawson. “This annual celebration sets the stage for great music, while promoting our destination and the wealth of hotels, restaurants and retail outlets that drive our local economy.” 

Sandra Geiser, executive director of the Elkhart Centre, noted, “The 20th anniversary is a milestone few jazz festivals reach.” For the past 20 years, the Elkhart Centre has produced the Elkhart Jazz Festival and built it into an internationally acclaimed jazz event. “This accomplishment has been made possible only by the ongoing support of our community’s corporate sponsors and the phenomenal volunteer effort we see year after year.” 

“Our goal for the festival has always been twofold,” said Glenn Holtz, chair of the Elkhart Jazz Festival now serving his 11th year. “We strive to produce an outstanding music festival worthy of the city’s heritage as the ‘band instrument capital of the world,’ and to bring people into our downtown to discover that Elkhart is a great place to live, work, and play.”  

“With the ECCVB on board as an anchor sponsor,” says Geiser, “we can combine our efforts and resources to ensure that the Elkhart Jazz Festival – and its significant contribution to local tourism – remain strong.” According to a 2003 economic impact study by Purdue University, the Elkhart Jazz Festival produces a $1.3 million impact on the local economy, generating nearly $60,000 in state and local taxes and producing the equivalent of more than 30 jobs. At its 10-year anniversary, the festival’s economic impact was approximately $500,000.    

For jazz fans coming to the area, the Elkhart County Visitor Center provides friendly travel assistance plus brochures, travel guides, maps and ideas on what to do in Elkhart County and the Great Lakes area. Located in Elkhart at North Pointe Plaza, the Visitor Center features a 24-hour vestibule. Travel counselors are on hand to provide assistance Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  

The ECCVB will also have kiosks at the Elkhart Jazz Festival Headquarters at 319 S. Main Street, where attendees may fill out a brief computerized survey. These surveys will provide the Elkhart Jazz Festival and the ECCVB with demographic data and feedback that will serve as a benchmark for future festivals.

 The 2007 Elkhart Jazz Festival opens Friday, June 22, at 5:00 p.m., when the U.S. Army Jazz Guardians take the free-to-the-public Civic Plaza stage in downtown Elkhart. Six unique downtown venues – all within easy walking distance – will feature world-class musicians throughout the three-day weekend. For the complete list of featured performers, ticket pricing, and other festival information, visit the Elkhart Jazz Festival Web site at www.elkhartjazzfestival.com.   

The Elkhart Centre is a nationally accredited Main Street program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, dedicated to revitalizing downtown Elkhart. Produced by the Elkhart Centre, the Elkhart Jazz Festival is just one of the ways the Centre supports downtown Elkhart, along with providing economic restructuring assistance, offering design guidance, and partnering with other downtown-focused economic development organizations. For more information on the Elkhart Jazz Festival or other Elkhart Centre programs, visit www.elkhartjazzfestival.com or call 1-800-597-7627 or 574-295-8701.

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