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JazzFest comes home to Playhouse Square

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by Mike Telin

It feels like forever since Tri-C JazzFest was last held in its customary location. During the past two years, Festival director Terri Pontremoli and her team produced one of the best online jazz festivals around, and in September of 2021 Cain Park proved to be a terrific substitute location.

Finally the wait is over. From June 23-25, the 43rd annual Tri-C JazzFest comes home to Playhouse Square. The 2022 lineup features eight ticketed concerts in Playhouse Square theatres, with a special opening night concert — dedicated to retiring Tri-C President Alex Johnson — at Cleveland Public Auditorium’s Music Hall on June 23 at 8:00 pm. That show stars legendary soul storyteller Anthony Hamilton backed up by an all-star ensemble.

“I don’t want to be too positive, but it does feel like things are getting back to normal,” Terri Pontremoli said during a telephone conversation. [Read more…]

Tri-C JazzFest 2021 (September 11-12)

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by Peter Feher

Tri-C JazzFest was back in the swing of things this summer. After a 2020 season of virtual performances, the festival returned to an all-star, in-person lineup this year, thanks to some patient planning. The date was pushed from June to September, and the venue shifted from Playhouse Square to an all-outdoor space, Cain Park.

The result was maybe a more relaxed setup but with no less serious music-making. Ten mainstage acts made up the schedule for the 42nd annual Festival, and if there was a connecting thread through this diverse lineup, it was that artistry always came first. [Read more…]

42nd Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland: live, in-person, outdoors

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by Jarrett Hoffman

Last year, viewers had to stay home while they took in the talents of Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland in a virtual, largely pre-recorded format.

This time around, for its 42nd annual edition, the festival will be back to live and in-person — and completely outdoors — when it returns Saturday and Sunday, September 11-12 at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights.

Ten acts representing both the roots of jazz and its forward-thinkers, and both young talent and veterans of the genre, will perform over two days in the covered Evans Amphitheater.

And there’s plenty going on in addition to the mainstage lineup. The Colonnade Stage will provide the setting for a series of student performances, the Jazz Talk Tent will feature artist interviews and discussions, and the free Kids Club will be held in the playground area on Saturday, offering live music, dancing, balloons, and music-related crafts. (See the festival’s full schedule here, and purchase Day Passes here.)

[Read more…]

Two nights at the virtual Tri-C JazzFest (Aug. 21-23)

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by Jarrett Hoffman

The 41st Tri-C JazzFest set a high bar for any virtual concerts to come, with excellent performances by local artists and a slick presentation. I heard the Friday and Sunday showings of the three-night festival, which ran from August 21-23.

[Read more…]

41st Tri-C JazzFest
goes virtual Aug. 21-23

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by Jarrett Hoffman

The Tri-C JazzFest kicks off its all-virtual 41st edition this weekend, August 21-23, with a focus on local acts and a schedule that’s designed like a variety show. Each night’s free 7:00 pm presentation will be made up of recent pre-recorded performances, live music, interviews, and features from the archive.

Of course, precautions around COVID-19 played a large part in how it all came together. “If we were going to try to honor our local musicians and our local scene, we needed to make something that would be as safe as possible,” director Terri Pontremoli said by Zoom.

During the month of July, one band per day recorded a short set inside the 600-seat Simon and Rose Mandel Theater on the eastern campus of Cuyahoga Community College. “Because we’re part of a big institution, the COVID safety guidelines were very serious, and the musicians felt really good,” Pontremoli said. “We got them in and out, and kept it all as clean as possible.”

Those sessions proved to be a powerful experience for everyone involved. “I have to tell you, it was so heartwarming to see the musicians play together, because it had been such a long time, and they were so grateful.” She recalled one message that bassist Kip Reed delivered backstage. “He said, ‘Playing means so much to me that I literally dream about it these days.’”

[Read more…]

Tri-C JazzFest: A celebration of the music of Tadd Dameron (June 28)

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by Rory O’Donoghue

The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz orchestra brought a lively set to the Ohio Theatre on Friday, June 28 as part of Tri-C JazzFest. Joined by the incomparable talent of Dianne Reeves and trumpetist Dominick Farinacci, the evening was a joyous celebration of Cleveland-born jazz legend Tadd Dameron.  [Read more…]

Legends share the stage at JazzFest: Béla Fleck & The Flecktones and John Scofield’s Combo 66 (June 28)

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by Rory O’Donoghue

“I wouldn’t be here without this man,” pianist/harmonica player Howard Levy said, gesturing to Béla Fleck. “I wouldn’t be here without me either,” Fleck retorted. 

With bassist Victor Wooten and percussionist and “drumitarist” Roy “Future Man” Wooten, they form the “extraordinary initial lineup” of Béla Fleck & The Flecktones. The quartet closed the night on June 28 at the KeyBank State Theatre, a Tri-C JazzFest double-feature that opened with John Scofield’s Combo 66. It was an evening of legends, only getting better with age.  [Read more…]

Tri-C JazzFest celebrates 40 years

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by Mike Telin

It’s hard to believe, but Tri-C JazzFest will celebrate its 40th anniversary from June 27 through June 29 at Playhouse Square. The 2019 edition offers nine ticketed indoor shows featuring national artists, and seventeen free performances featuring local and regional bands on the outdoor stage. Click here for single tickets and here for festival passes.

“Forty years, isn’t that something,” JazzFest director Terri Pontremoli said during a telephone conversation. “That’s why we decided to look inward at our own jazz history and our own heroes. So Cleveland is going to be well represented and I think that’s a good thing for us.”

The Festival kicks off on Thursday, June 27 at 7:45 pm at the KeyBank State Theatre with the iconic Tower of Power. “We are so excited to have them — they are celebrating their 50th anniversary, and some of them are the original members,” Pontremoli said. “If you want a hoot, get on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts and listen to theirs.” [Read more…]

Tri-C JazzFest and Terence Blanchard: a winning combination (Nov. 4)

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by Mike Telin

Art reflects society. We were reminded of that on Sunday, November 4 in a sold-out Maltz Performing Arts Center, when Tri-C JazzFest presented OUR VOICES: DEMOCRACY RE:visited. The evening celebrated the landmark passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It also provided a disturbing reminder that our nation’s fight to achieve liberty and justice for all is far from over. [Read more…]

An afternoon at Tri-C Jazz Fest: Day 3

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by Delaney Meyers & Mike Telin

The Saturday, June 30 performances at the Tri-C Jazz Fest began with a captivating set by Vinicius Cantuaria. During the 1:00 pm, seventy-minute concert at the intimate Hanna Theater, the Brazilian took the audience on a sonic journey of the enthralling world of bossa novas. There were no long introductions and no gimmicky jokes, he and his band came onstage and let their music do the talking. [Read more…]

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