It’s time to get your groove on! The 2015 DeMiero Jazz Festival is bringing some terrific jazz and jazz clinics to Edmonds this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 5, 6 and 7.
Vocal artists include Dee Daniels, Greta Matassa, Groove for Thought and Lauren Kinhan. Clinicians are Matassa, Brennan Baglio, Dave Barduhn and Kelly Kunz.
Instrumentalists include guitarist Bruce Forman, Dave Tull on drums, bassist Jay Leonhart and pianist Josh Nelson. In addition, there will be special guest appearance by the Seattle Jazz Singers on Friday night and Soundsation on Saturday night.
Along with these legendary jazz artists, the festival will feature more than 60 school and community jazz choirs.
And as a very special treat, this year’s festival will include a special Saturday night tribute to the late Tim Hauser, one of the founding members and the creative force behind the Manhattan Transfer.
Hauser, a personal friend of festival namesake Frank DeMiero, and the Manhattan Transfer gained worldwide recognition for their vocal style and arrangements. A seminal force in vocal jazz for more than 40 years, the group took home an array of honors including 10 Grammy Awards, numerous gold and platinum records, and the 2007 JazzTimes Readers Poll for best vocal group. In 1993, Hauser was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from The Berklee College of Music.
“Hauser was a good friend and an amazing person who had a vision,” DeMiero said in an email. “He passed away about three months ago, quite unexpectedly.” According to family members, Hauser died in a Pennsylvania hospital while touring with Manhattan Transfer after battling a difficult strain of pneumonia.
The festival is headquartered at the Edmonds Center for the Arts. Get tickets at the ECA box office or online. All evening performances start at 7 p.m. at the ECA; daytime performances will be at the ECA and other downtown Edmonds locations. Check out the festival website for more information.
The DeMiero Jazz Festival is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation whose team is comprised of dedicated volunteers committed to making the festival an exceptional opportunity for music students of all ages to gain the esteem of their peers and to work one-on-one with world-renowned jazz artists.
— By Larry Vogel
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