YOUR AD HERE »

Summer of jazz not without a price

April E. Clark
Post Independent Staff
Post Independent Photo/Kelley Cox
ALL |

Summer of Jazz is celebrating 20 years of free music, but that doesn’t mean the outdoor concert series hasn’t come without a price.

“People have to understand the cost. It’s at least $10,000 a concert,” said event organizer Mary Noone. “We have 180 sponsors, which is a ton, but we also depend on the crowd for support.”

Noone said the weekly jazz series, funded by community sponsorships and individual donations, is distinctive for its high-dollar quality of music at no cost to the audience.



“We offer the same caliber as music as some of the big jazz festivals down the road, but without the $50 ticket,” she said. “We really need people to open their wallets. If everyone gave a dollar, we would be in good shape.”

Albeit important, funding Summer of Jazz can be more controllable than the weather, which has had some effect on attendance this year, Noone said.



“We’ve been a little weather-challenged,” Noone said. “We live in Colorado, and we have to be hearty. The music has been outstanding, and we’ve had really good crowds. We’re going to do it rain or shine.”

Summer of Jazz continues at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Vintage T-shirt Night, at Two Rivers Park with the smooth, improvisational Charles Lloyd Quartet. Concerts in the series, which has reached its midpoint this summer, take place at 7 p.m. Wednesdays through July 20.

“This guy is legendary,” Noone said. “He is very mellow and straight-ahead, and his band is outrageous.”

Lloyd, whose latest CD is titled “Jumping the Creek,” is well known in the jazz world for playing the tenor and alto saxophone, flute, taragato (a Hungarian clarinet) and piano.

“In this lifetime I have been on a spiritual quest, and I have always heard that in the music ” even in Howlin’ Wolf and Bobby Blue Band ” there was something earth-moving and angelic,” Lloyd said on his Web site. “Through music I was able to find a world that made sense to me. I was able to find my home.”

Following Lloyd on the eight-week lineup is jazz vocalist Rachael Price, who hails from Nashville, Tenn., and recently released her independent debut CD, “Dedicated To You.”

“Charles Lloyd is like the establishment of jazz, and Rachael Price is the up-and-coming jazz artist,” Noone said.

For more information on this week’s performer, visit http://www.charleslloyd. com. The audience is encouraged to wear their favorite Summer of Jazz T-shirts Wednesday, and vintage shirts will be available at a reduced price.

Contact April E. Clark: 945-8515, ext. 518

aclark@postindependent.com


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Glenwood Springs and Garfield County make the Post Independent’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.