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Tucson's Jazz Festival throws a swingin' party

The Tucson Jazz Festival
Multiple Venues
Tucson, AZ
January 14—24, 2016
Lizz Wright
Lizz Wright
Jimmy Heath
Jimmy Heath
Poncho Sanchez
Poncho Sanchez

Review and photos by Mary Andrews

The sophomore HSL Properties 'Jazz in January Festival' proved once again to be wildly successful with 28% attendees coming from out of town. The weather proved to be almost as appealing as the music. The average temperature was in the 70-degree range during the 11-day jazz festival. It was a stellar lineup of world-class jazz musicians.

The opening night of the 2016 Tucson Jazz Festival was a swinging affair at the Fox Theatre. Guest of Honor, Jimmy Heath, and the Tucson Jazz Institute Ellington Band headlined the show and The Kenny Werner Trio opened. 89-year old Jimmy Heath played and conducted the award-winning Ellington Band. Mr. Heath still has the vim and vigor of musicians half his age while his legendary history includes playing with jazz greats Duke Ellington and John Coltrane.

NYC's Snarky Puppy headlined the following night with opener guitarist, Nir Felder at the Rialto theatre. This attracted a young, rabid packed house of fans. The age of the fans varied from age ten to seventy. The jazz-fusion band mixed funk, soul, and traditional jazz to produce an exciting large sound. This was definitely a highlight of the festival.

UA Presents sponsored 'The Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour' at Centennial Hall featuring jazz musicians Gerald Clayton, Raul Midon, Ravi Coltrane, Nicohlas Payton, Joe Sanders and Greg Hutchinson. This all-star tour pays tribute to one of the most prestigious jazz festivals in the country. Across town, Arthur Vint was conducting a CD release party with an all-star band of his own at Club Congress. Vint is a drummer originally from Tucson who moved to NYC.

The following day delivered a MLK holiday celebration on the streets of downtown Tucson. There were two outside stages and four indoor venues that delivered some of the best local bands that included members of our best-known band, Calexico. The entertainment ran from noon until the wee-hours.

Percussionist, Poncho Sanchez with his band, headlined a show at the Fox Theatre with openers. La Voz de Tres. The spirit's of John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Willie Bobo, and James Brown permeated Sanchez's set. La Voz de Tres is a trio that features singer, Chilean native Natalia Bernal. She is a multi-lingual singer utilizing Spanish, Portuguese, and English.

The Rad Trads and Arthur Migliazza shared the stage at the Fox Theatre on the ninth day of the festival resurrecting Boogie-woogie and New Orleans Jazz. The Rad Trads are a young band having formed in 2012. They blended funk, delta blues and rock to create a lively, stellar performance. Arthur Migliazza is a pianist who has toured internationally to revived ragtime and blues piano.

Vocalist, Lizz Wright and her band spread her magic all over the stage at the Rialto Theatre. Lizz displayed her robust vocals on all types of music. Raised a preacher's daughter, gospel music runs deep in her veins and her acapella performance of "The Nearness of You" was simply stunning.

The snowstorms back East did have an effect on the last day of the jazz festival in Tucson. The opener, King Solomon Hicks, was unable to fly out of NYC. Luckily local artists, Kevin and Tanishia Hamilton were able to fill in. Kermit Ruffins and his band the Barbecue Swingers did arrive from New Orleans to conjure up the best party in town!

Related articles:

Tucson Jazz Festival 2015 - Tucson, AZ January 2016

Jimmy Heath
Jimmy Heath
Jimmy Heath
Jimmy Heath
Arthur Vint
Arthur Vint
La Voz de Tres
La Voz de Tres
La Voz de Tres
La Voz de Tres
Kermit Ruffins
Kermit Ruffins
Kermit Ruffins
Kermit Ruffins
Kermit Ruffins
Kermit Ruffins
The Rad Trads
The Rad Trads
The Rad Trads
The Rad Trads
The Rad Trads
The Rad Trads
The Rad Trads
The Rad Trads
Lizz Wright
Lizz Wright
Lizz Wright
Lizz Wright
Lizz Wright
Lizz Wright
De Pedro
De Pedro
De Pedro
De Pedro
Poncho Sanchez
Poncho Sanchez
Nir Felder
Nir Felder
Poncho Sanchez
Poncho Sanchez
Nir Felder
Nir Felder
The Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour
The Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour
The Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour
The Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour
The Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour
The Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour
The Kenny Werner Trio
The Kenny Werner Trio
Snarky Puppy
Snarky Puppy
Snarky Puppy
Snarky Puppy

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