Scranton Jazz Festival 2011 » Scranton Jazz Festival Blog

The 2011 SJF takes place at the Radisson Hotel

administrator — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 11:57:26 +0000

The Main Stage of the Scranton Jazz Festival, featuring WAR, Jazz Legend Bob Dorough and Schoolhouse Rock, and The Four Freshman will take place at the historic Radisson Hotel at 700 lackawanna Ave., Scranton, PA 18503

Introducing the 2011 Jazz Festival Headliners

administrator — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 02:08:01 +0000

WAR ( American Funk Greats, known for “Low Rider, Spill the Wine and Why Can’t We Be Friends”) The Four Freshman ( Legendary Jazz Vocal Quartet)
Bob Dorough and “School House Rock” ( Jazz Legend and multi award winning creator of the School House Rock series)
The Royal Scam ( the ultimate Steely Dan Tribute)
Zak Brock Trio ( jazz violin virtuoso)
The Festival Big Band (17 piece large ensemble playing in the classic jazz big band style)
The 7th Annual “Jazz Walk” including over ten downtown Scranton Venues and much more

Sixth Annual Scranton Jazz Festival

administrator — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 05:06:21 +0000

Downtown Scranton is the place to be this weekend, especially if you love jazz. The sixth annual Scranton Jazz Festival kicks off Friday night. Thousands of music fans are expected and businesses are ready to welcome them to the Electric City. If you are looking to stay at the Hilton in downtown Scranton, you won’t be able to get a room. The manager said the place is booked this weekend. A manager at the nearby Radisson said it will also be hard to get a room there this weekend. “We are booked up on Saturday, Friday we have 15 rooms and Sunday too, that’s great compared to last year and the year before,” said worker Sameer Ali. The festival includes a jazz walk, featuring live music at downtown bars and other businesses. The owner of the Cigar Club on Spruce Street will be part of the event. He said the jazz festival is one of his busiest weekends of the year. “I’d say a 10 to 20 percent increase of business. It’s kind of like fine wine and jazz and a good cigar it mixes very well with jazz,” said Peter Castelline. The owner of 130 Brixx Grille and Tavern on North Washington Avenue doesn’t know what to expect. This is his first year participating in the festival, and he is getting his staff ready in hopes of a big crowd. “We are hoping that they come in and do spend money and from what I understand it’s a lot of out of town money, again coming into our area, our area is so inexpensive compared to the bigger cities, in anticipation of that that they will spend a little more money,” said John Kerzetski. Scranton’s Jazz Festival starts Friday night and runs through Sunday. Organizers said there are tickets still available in Scranton.

Medeski Martin and Wood to Headline the Scranton Jazz Fest

administrator — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 23:20:27 +0000

The trio of keyboard/organ/piano player John Medeski, drummer/percussionist Billy Martin, and bassist Chris Wood formed in a neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, known as D.U.M.B.O. (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) in 1991. By 1995, Medeski Martin & Wood were touring the world, as their performance circuit spread out and around the entire United States, and into Europe and Japan. Their sound ranges from soulful organ-groove basics to a more expansive world of snappy beats and backbeats, eerie atmospheric effects, post-lounge riffing, and the occasional jazz overture. In early 2007, the band released Let’s Go Everywhere: a disc of children’s music, including instruments and vocals (some including their own children). They are all involved in their own individual, creative outlets, while collectively also established their own record label, Indirecto Records: releasing their own music, their own way, in its own time.

SJF Jazz Walk Schedule

administrator — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:46:45 +0000

The Radisson Hotel Trax Bar ,700 Lackawanna Ave- Friday and Saturday French Jazz Vocalist Ilona Knopfler with the Steve Rudolph Trio 9:30PM-1AM The Hilton Out Door Patio, Adams Ave.- Friday-Jim Buckley and Friends …Saturday-The Dan Yoder Jazz Quartet 9:30PM- 1AM The Hilton Out Door Patio Happy Hours 5:30pm til 8:30 Friday-TBA Sat…Jim Buckely and Jim Tigue The Banchee, Penn Ave. Friday The Marko Marcinko Latin Jazz Quintet, Saturday- Rouge Chimp 9:30PM-1AM The Bog- Adams Ave- Friday Indigo Moon Brass Band…Saturday- The Bog Swing Band 10PM-2AM Merts, Penn Ave and Linden St.- Friday -Jazz Juice…Saturday- Music For Models;10PM-1:30AM The 500 Block Plaza, Lackawanna Ave Friday The Dixieland All Stars….Sat The Dixie Gents 9:30PM-12AM The Cigar Bar, Spruce St. Friday- TBA…Saturday- Tony Costa Trio 9:30PM-12AM Jean and Betty’s Coffee Shop , Lackawanna Ave. Friday-Wayne Smith…Sat The Washer,Rostock and Carlucci Trio 9:30PM -12AM Brixx, N Washington Ave Friday- Erin Malloy and Ton Kozic…Sat- Spencer and Nancy Reed 9;30-1AM The Vietnamese Palace Cuisine, N Washington- Friday Only The Tyler Dempsey Jazz Group 9:30-12am Outrageous/Marqui Art and Frame, Center St.- Friday Only TBA 9:30-12am The Vintage Theater,Penn Ave-Saturday Only Aurelien Budynek 9:30pm-12am Lavish, Adams Ave-Friday Only Aurelien Budynek 6pm-8pm ADDITIONAL Sunday-Carmen’s Restaurant, The Radisson Hotel, Jazz Brunch 11:30am – 2pm Sunday-The Jazz Jam at Trax Bar, The Radisson Hotel 9:30pm-12am

Sunday Jazz Brunch

administrator — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 00:14:28 +0000

Jazz Walk Map

administrator — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:58:53 +0000

WVIA is a proud media sponsor of the 2010 Scranton Jazz Festival

administrator — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 05:49:17 +0000

Jazz focus at Keystone camp

administrator — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 12:41:40 +0000

Brian Wilensky Abington Journal Correspondent LA PLUME – Keystone College will host its third annual Jazz Institute next week featuring some of the area’s leading jazz musicians. The Keystone College Jazz Institute is a weeklong day camp where young jazz players can learn from jazz artists such as Marko Marcinko, James Buckley, Tom Hamilton, Tony Marino, Eddie Severn and Bill Washer. The camp takes place in correspondence with the sixth annual Scranton Jazz Festival at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Scranton, Friday through Sunday, August 6 to 8. The Jazz Institute usually attracts high school-age students in small groups—usually 15 to 30 students. However, the smaller numbers allow individualized attention for each student. “Each year there is a wide range of experience. We always manage to match up skill levels when we put them into groups to play together,” said Marko Marcinko, founder of the Pennsylvania Jazz Alliance. “We have several students that have come back each year and then gone on to music school at Berklee, Temple, UArts and other schools,” said Marcinko. The camp will cover music theory and ear training, improvisation, performing in combos, vocal style and technique, performance and practice routines, guitar and bass technique, rhythm section technique and jazz history. The importance of improvisation in jazz is a driving proponent in the camp. “School bands usually focus on playing in a big band on stage,” said Marcinko. “It’s important to learn improvisation in small groups because there are more small group gigs. It’s even historically accurate because that’s where it all started.” “Playing in small combos gives the students a chance to stand alone,” said Jim Buckley, Jazz Institute teacher and music teacher in the Scranton School District. “But it’s not a threatening environment either. “We try to enlighten them with all the tools necessary to be a functioning musician by applying things like scales and modes to gain the ability of hearing the inner music’s inner chess game.” Groups put together by the Jazz Institute will perform at the Scranton Jazz Festival August 8. “It’s a nice prize at the end of a week’s work for the students to be able to play for a crowd on a major stage,” said Marcinko. The Keystone Jazz Institute will take place July 26 to 30, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Anyone interested can still sign up by contacting Crystal Siegle at Keystone College, 570.945.8580. Copyright: The Abington Journal/ Times-Leader

The 6th Annual Scranton Jazz Festival is proud to announce this years Headliners.

administrator — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 00:55:26 +0000

Medeski, Martin and Wood, jazz icon Dave Liebman, blues great Shemekia Copeland, The Bill Mays Inventions Trio, Steve Rudolph, French jazz vocalist Ilona Knopfler,The Marko Marcinko Latin Jazz Sextet, vibraphonist Tony Miceli, Nate Birkey, guitarist Pete McCann, The Chris Parker Band, The Keystone Jazz Institute Student Combos, The Dixieland All Stars and Many More Schedule: Main Stage at the Radisson Hotel Indoor /Outdoor Ampha Theater 700 Lackawanna Ave , Scranton ,PA Friday Aug 6th 7:30pm opening act TBA 8;30pm blues great Shemekia Copeland Friday evening 9:30pm to 1am “The Jazz Walk” downtown Scranton bars and performance venues Saturday Aug 7th 5pm French jazz vocalist Ilona Knopfler with The Steve Rudolph Trio 6pm The Bill Mays Inventions Trio with trumpet legend Marvin Stamm 7pm The Marko Marcinko Latin Jazz Sextet with vibraphonist Tony Miceli 8pm Medeski, Martin and Wood Saturday evening 9:30pm to 1am “The Jazz Walk” downton Scranton bars and performance venues Sunday Aug 8th 11am Jazz Brunch at Carmen’s The Radisson Hotel !2:30pm The Jazz Vespers with Rev Bill Carter and Presbybop 1;30pm to 4pm Break 4pm The Keystone Jazz Institute student combos 5pm The Chris Parker Band 6pm The Pete McCann Band 7pm Nate Birkey and Friends 8pm The Dave Liebman Big Band with and all star cast 9:30pm to 12am The Jazz Festival Jam session @ Trax Bar, The Radisson Hotel Tickets are $30 dollar per day Jazz Walk is included in the Ticket Price