Rhythm is reverberating throughout the Indianapolis area.
Free-flowing bebop is pouring into the streets from big theaters and small clubs. The smooth sounds of contemporary jazz, the fiery buzz of Latin influences and bluesy roots music will get feet moving, heads nodding and hands tapping to the beat.
A celebration of everything jazz will be unfolding throughout central Indiana for the next week. The Indy Jazz Fest, now in its 20th year, has brought national award-winning performers, emerging artists ready for their time in the spotlight and beloved local musicians together to pay tribute to the region’s jazz heritage.
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Concerts are scheduled for eight different venues throughout the city, not including the massive block party in Broad Ripple.
The event will be a party until the final trumpets, saxophone and guitar quiet down on Sept. 22. But for those who put the festival on, its impact will resonated throughout the community year-round.
“It grows out of a desire on the part of those who are most active in the foundation to continuing to support the strong jazz legacy of Indianapolis and central Indiana, that’s been a feature of our cultural life for almost a century,” said Chris Scanlon, president of the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation.
Since it was founded in 1999, the Indy Jazz Fest has been dedicated to promoting jazz and music education throughout central Indiana. Indianapolis has its own noteworthy jazz heritage, dating back to when the Indiana Avenue neighborhood served as an incubator of great musicians on the same level of Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans.
In this vein, the jazz festival has tried to celebrate the legends of jazz seen through the prism of Indiana. The 10-day event helps support jazz education programs in local schools and youth outreach events throughout the year, Scanlon said.
“It’s a part of our history and a part of our culture, and I think it’s worth celebrating and having an understanding of,” he said. “We’re really trying to provide what we think is a valuable resource to the community in the educational programming.”
The theme of the Indy Jazz Fest this year is “The Big Beat,” a nod to jazz giant Art Blakey and his album of the same name. Blakey helped nurture the talents of artists such as saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Bobby Timmons and Indianapolis’ own master trumpeter Freddie Hubbard.
“Art Blakey nurtured a lot of musicians, and when we look at the festival, we value the ability to present both the notable names in jazz alongside musicians who deserve greater notoriety,” said David Allee, festival director, in a press release.
Hubbard will also be a main focus of the festival. A free tribute was held at the University of Indianapolis Thursday to kick off the Indy Jazz Fest, and on Sept. 21, an all-star event will further celebrate Hubbard’s hard bopping style.
“It would have been his 80th birthday, and he’s really one of the premier jazz musician from Indianapolis,” said Steve Allee, an Indianapolis jazz pianist. “For many people, Freddie really broke the musical barriers. He was an amazing, phenomenal musician and composer.”
Steve Allee, a mainstay on the scene for more than 35 years, is set to bring his Big Band to town for the show. He’ll be joined by Sean Jones, one of the most in-demand trumpet players in the world.
“(Jones) is just at the top of the game now. He’s almost like a current-day Freddie Hubbard, touring the world with his band, teaching at Berklee School of Music, and playing in New York City,” Allee said.
While the festival allows people to look back at Indianapolis’ jazz legacy, it also provides a glimpse into the exciting artists performing currently, both locally and worldwide.
Four-time Grammy Award winner Larry Carlton is considered an all-time guitar great, having worked with musicians such as Steely Dan, Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones in the past.
Anat Cohen, a superstar on the clarinet, will performer with Trio Brasileiro to explore Brazil’s traditional Choro music, as well as how it is reflected in modern music.
Cory Henry, a Brooklyn native, is well known for his role in Snarky Puppy, the critically beloved instrumental jazz-pop orchestra. But he’s also carved out an impressive career on his own, recording with everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Diddy. He’ll take the stage with the band Funk Apostles.
“It really covers all styles of jazz and funk and straight-ahead, world music, blues. It’s going to be something for everyone,” Steve Allee said.
And the entire festival closes with the traditional block party on Sept. 22. The party will include 13 performers — many of them Indy natives — performing inside the Jazz Kitchen and outdoors on College Avenue. Favorites such as Charlie Ballantine, Bashiri Asad & Xenobia Green and Clint Breeze and The Groove will perform.
What makes the festival unique is the way it creates varying experiences with the different performers. Some will take the stage in grandious theaters such as The Cabaret and the Athenaeum. The Jazz Kitchen, Indy’s preeminent jazz club, will host a number of concerts in its sleek interior.
But shows will be held in more accessible venues too, such as the IUPUI Campus Center, Shortridge High School, the Indianapolis Central Library and Daredevil Brewing Co. in Speedway.
“We include many of the cultural venues around the city. Our tagline for the festival is ‘10 Days Around Town,’ and we bring jazz into venues all around the city,” Scanlon said. “It’s become an event we hope knits together the community and community arts organizations and venues, all together with jazz.”
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When: Through Sept. 22
Where: Concerts held throughout Indianapolis
Schedule
Today
Howard Lopez-Nussa Trio and the Oscar Micheli Trio double bill, 7:30 pm, the Jazz Kitchen, 5377 N. College Ave., and Yats, 5363 N. College Ave., Indianapolis; tickets $35 to $45.
Saturday
- IUPUI Jazz ConNEXT, 3 to 7 p.m., IUPUI Campus Center, 420 University Blvd.; free, all-ages event featuring IUPUI Jazz Ensemble, Indy Jazz Fest Jazz Futures, Indiana All-State Jazz Band featuring saxophonist Tim Warfield and Heartland Trio.
- Billy Childs Quartet featuring Steve Wilson, 7:30 and 10 p.m., Jazz Kitchen; tickets $40 to $50
- Cory Henry and The Funk Apostles, 8 p.m., Shortridge High School, 3401 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis; tickets $40 to $60, all-ages event.
Sunday
- Pavel & Direct Contact, 3 to 4:30 p.m., Indianapolis Central Library, 40 E. St. Clair St., Indianapolis; free all-ages event
- WOW featuring Tim Warfield, Eddie Bayard, Rob Dixon, Kendall Carter and James Gaiters, 7 and 9 p.m., the Jazz Kitchen; tickets $25 to $35.
- Anat Cohen & Trio Brasileiro, and Amanda Gardier double bill, 6:30 p.m., The Cabaret, 924 N. Pennsylvania St., Indianapolis; tickets $40 to $60.
Tuesday
- Rayford Griffin’s Reflections of Brownie, 7 and 9:30 p.m., the Jazz Kitchen; tickets $25 to $35
Wednesday
- The Blue Side and Charlie Ballantine double bill, 6:30 p.m., the Jazz Kitchen; tickets $20 to $30
- Larry Carlton, 7:30 p.m., The Athenaeum, 401 E. Michigan St., Indianapolis; tickets $50 to $75, all ages event
Sept. 21
- Jazz in Speedway, 6 to 10 p.m., Daredevil Brewing Co, 1151 N. Main St., Speedway; free all ages
- Mindi Abair & The Boneshakers, 7:30 and 10:00 p.m., the Jazz Kitchen; tickets $40 to $50.
- Tribute to Freddie Hubbard with the Steve Allee Big Band featuring Sean Jones, 8:00 p.m., The Cabaret, 924 N. Pennsylvania St., Indianapolis; tickets $40 to $60
Sept. 22
- Indy Jazz Fest Block Party, 3 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., the Jazz Kitchen and Yats, 13 bands on two stages; tickets $25 in advance, $30 at the door.
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