Jazzfest 2010: July 15–17, 2010

The twentieth JazzFest is just around the corner, and we hope you’re ready as we are for a big-time celebration. With twenty festivals, you may ask yourself: How many people have taken advantage of this larger-than life, free outdoor event? How many musicians have rocked out on stage?  You might also ask yourself: How many gallons of water have been drank on those steamy July days? Or, how many hours of music have filled the air of Yankton Trail Park?  Good news. We’re now able to enlighten you in an imaginative, artistic, and memorable way.

Our friends at 9 Clouds designed an infographic to give you a vivid idea of the enormous success JazzFest has had in its last 19 celebrations.

Limited edition infographic prints will be for sale exclusively at the JazzFest 2^nd stage.  20 percent of the proceeds will benefit the Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Education Fund.

Whether you’re a JazzFest enthusiast or a first-time festival visitor, make your way down to the 2^nd stage area this JazzFest, because these prints will go fast.

JazzFest Infographic

1st Annual JazzFest Jazz Camp set for July 12-16; students scheduled to perform on the main stage at JazzFest

Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues will sponsor the 1st Annual JazzFest Jazz Camp which runs July 12-16 at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD.

Thirty talented student musicians of the JazzFest Jazz Camp band will perform a finale concert on the Main Stage at JazzFest 2011, which is also the festival’s 20th celebration. Campers will get a backstage visit with JazzFest artists and will be featured on South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s “Best of JazzFest” TV show.

During camp week, JazzFest Jazz Camp will spend time working with faculty, guest clinicians, a guest solo artist and others to enhance their talent as both ensemble and solo performers. Students will be engaged in performances such as big-band rehearsals, guest lectures, guest artist master classes, and improvisation classes. And of course, students will also have fun activities thrown in to make camp memorable.

A public performance be given by the Dakota Jazz Collective and the Jazz Diversity Project on July 12 at 6:30 pm in the Humanities building of Augustana College. Friday, July 15, the students will visit JazzFest to listen to the music and will be rewarded with a pizza party at Yankton Trail Park.

“We want kids to know they are a part of the JazzFest and so having them come out the night before to see the size of park, the stage and of course all the people should be pretty exciting,” Executive Director Robert Joyce said. “The whole idea of the camp is to give young musicians in our region a chance to learn more about jazz and have the chance of a lifetime to perform at one of the biggest festivals in the country. I think they’ll have a lot of great memories from this week of camp.”

At JazzFest Jazz Camp, student musicians will have the opportunity to work along side world renowned trumpet player, guest clinician and artist, Allen Vizzutti. Vizzutti has performed on over 100 movie soundtracks, and his music can be heard on television programs, commercials, and video games. He will be featured with the JazzFest Jazz Camp Big Band and the Augustana College Northlanders Jazz Band on the main stage at JazzFest, Saturday, July 16 at 1:30pm.

Dr. Paul Schilf, Director of Jazz Studies at Augustana College, is the Musical Director for the camp. Other faculty from Augustana College will specialize in areas of jazz instrumentation – brass, saxes, and rhythm section.

“This jazz camp is designed to enhance the student’s school experience by performing high quality literature with detailed, quality instruction,” Schilf said. “As a bonus, the students will have an amazing experience performing with Allen Vizzutti, one of the world’s finest trumpet artists.”

Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues has been awarding music scholarships to outstanding young musicians for the past 11 years and bringing jazz into middle schools through its Jazz Diversity Project for the past 6 years. The addition of the JazzFest Jazz Camp to the list of educational programs organized by Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues gives local students yet another opportunity to learn and grow from the music itself and the rich culture and history behind jazz.

The JazzFest Jazz Camp is sponsored by: CorTrust Bank, Midcontinent Communications, South Dakota Arts Council, Jasper Stone Company, Augustana College, Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues and the Sioux Falls Community Foundation.

For more information, please contact Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues at 605-335-6101 or info@sfjb.org.