Festival season kicks off!
September 13
Silver Spring Jazz Festival runs the gamut, from smooth jazz to hard bebop
Blake High School Jazz Band returns to the Silver Spring Jazz Festival to compete in the music competition.
Come downtown on September 13th and join an expected 20,000-plus music lovers for Silver Spring’s Fifth Annual Jazz Festival.
The headliner will be Mingus Big Band, a 14-member ensemble that is dedicated to keeping alive the music of the late composer and bassist Charles Mingus, known as the “angry man of jazz.” Under the direction of Charles’ widow, Sue, the band has been nominated for six Grammy Awards and has headlined other festivals including the United Kingdom’s Coventry Jazz Festival last year.
The festival will begin at 4 p.m. in downtown Silver Spring on the corner of Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road. The main stage will be located in the parking lot behind the Lee Building.
Vocalist Gail Shipp kicks off the festival.
Also performing are the Samambaia Quintet, Yaron Eyashiv and Washington, D.C.’s own Marcus Johnson.
The festival will be a one-stop shop for everyone, showcasing local as well as international eclectic sounds. The Samambaia Quintet features Latin jazz via vocals accompanied by the Spanish guitar; composer/ saxophone specialist Yaron Eyashiv will cross a taste of Israel and straight-ahead jazz; the Marcus Johnson Project intertwines contemporary jazz with R&B and hip-hop.
Beginning at 2 p.m., Montgomery County schools and other local teen jazz bands will kick off the event by playing throughout the streets of Downtown Silver Spring as they are carried away on floats. The New Orleans-styled caravan will begin at Colesville Road and end on Fenton Street, which is the actual site of the festival.
The various teenage bands, playing two songs each for a panel of judges, will compete against each other for the Silver Spring Jazz Festival trophy and a year’s worth of bragging rights. Last year’s champion, the Albert Einstein High School Jazz Band, will be battling to defend its title against the James Hubert Blake High School Jazz Band and the Jazz Academy of Music.
For more information, contact Montgomery County’s Silver Spring Regional Center at 301-565-7300, or visit www.silverspringdowntown.com.
SPECIAL SECTION
Countdown to the Folk Festival...
Ruthie returns with her Wranglers on September 14. Download the Folk Festival program PDF to see the complete line-up. |
Takoma Park Folk Festival goes greener than ever
The 31st annual Takoma Park Folk Festival is shaping up to be the greenest yet. Festival organizers have made arrangements for everything from reducing use of individual bottles of water, to recycling of cooking oil, to facilitating bicyclists who want to visit the event.
In the latest development, PEPCO announced that it will be giving away several thousand free compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs during the Festival day. PEPCO is the sponsor of the Festival’s Abbott Stage.
Read more... |
Crafts are an integral part of the Folk Festival
 |
| Phyllis Alden returns to the folk festival this year with her palmcats, feline portraits painted on smooth stones. |
by Laurie Summers
A 30- to 45-year career as an artisan has given Bryon Williams many rewards. He makes baskets and gourds, combining his talents with nature’s gifts.
His love of basketry began with an Easter basket he made for his son. With his creativity unleashed, Williams began experimenting with different styles. For a while, he made pottery, and then he decided to focus on baskets. Because many basket makers were also making gourds, Williams decided to try that as well. Over time, his work with both mediums evolved into two rewarding art forms, reflecting elements of nature through a wonderful mix of innovative design and creative genius.
Read more... |
The New Grove Stage is set in concrete.
Photo by Emmett Adler.
Tell me that it's evolution...!
Young performers to rock the 2008 Takoma Park Folk Festival
Middle School students Ben Miller and Michael Untereiner—both formerly of blahblahblah—will be rocking the festival with their new group, High Definition. Photo by Sue Katz-Miller.
When the Takoma Park Folk Festival started 31 years ago, the Grassy Nook Stage was established as a family stage. “But,” says Kevin Adler, Chair of the Festival, “there’s been an evolution. We’ve always had the aim to entertain kids, but now we’re showcasing kids as entertainers.”
Read more...
Takoma Park to host an eclectic line-up
Lea returns to the Takoma Park Folk Festival with brand new songs (and plenty of old favorites). Photo by Julie Wiatt.
by Kevin Adler
Organizers of the Takoma Park Folk Festival like to say that it’s the “festival of the folk of Takoma Park.” It’s a true statement, and it’s at the heart of the Festival’s special appeal. After all, there are many wonderful cultural events throughout the year; Montgomery County and the greater DC area is blessed with an immeasurable variety of musicians, dancers, artists, and artisans. But few events are embraced as deeply by performers, volunteers, participants, and visitors.
“I think of the Folk Festival as a giant block party,” said Robbi Kimball, a local Realtor and member of the Folk Festival Committee. “It’s a community event with a genuine homegrown flavor. Plus, I see just about everyone I know in Takoma Park.”
Read more...
Check back for more Folk Festival articles and interviews.
Updated weekly! |
Folk Festival builds new Grove Stage
Visitors to this year's Takoma Park Folk Festival will see an unfamiliar sight at a familiar location. Performances at the very popular Grove Stage will be on a permanent concrete structure instead of a plywood platform.
The Folk Festival will be held on Sunday, Sept. 14, at the 31st annual Folk Festival. Performances begin at 11 a.m. and continue until 6 p.m.
"The Grove Stage is a great venue for our audience because the hill that faces the stage is a natural amphitheater," said Kevin Adler, Festival chair. "We wanted to make the most of that opportunity for the audience and the performers. Over time, we hope that more trees are planted on the top of the hillside to add more shade during the the afternoon of the Festival."
Takoma Park Middle School teachers will be encouraged by the Principal Renay Johnson to use the 12' x 16' platform for their classes during the year.
"We appreciate the way that the school’s staff has welcomed the Festival for many years, and we felt this was a nice way to give back to them," said Adler.
The project was partially funded by a grant from the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County. Design services were donated by Landis Construction, a member of the Old Town Takoma Business Association. Construction services were provided at a significant discount by Concreto Plus.
Adler said that numerous staff members in the City of Takoma Park provided advice and assistance, as the platform is built on a city right-of-way.
|
Below the fold
Scroll down for more news and views of Takoma Park (and Silver Spring
|
