Santa Maria Jazz Festival

[Lois Gilbert]

Solvang attracts jazz festival: Inaugural event planned for late September

The city of windmills will wail with the sound of jazz this September, hoping to add its name to the list of famous jazz festival spots around the world such as the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Jazz musician “Stix” Hooper, the multitalented and diverse founder of the jazz group Crusaders, in conjunction with Real Eyes Productions owner Ron Colone, held a press conference in the Santa Ines Mission garden on Monday to announce plans to bring the Solvang Jazz Festival to the Valley, on Sept. 28-29.

“I had been visiting this area for a number of years,” said Hooper, “and it was clear to me that Solvang is a unique and vibrant city that has the character and the potential to support an annual jazz festival of international significance.”

Hooper, acclaimed jazz drummer, percussionist, composer, record producer and talent manager, brought his idea to the community, including the City Council, Chamber of Commerce and Solvang Conference and Visitors Bureau, where it was enthusiastically received.

“It’s important to me that this be a community event,” said Hooper. “When people come together in their communities, and work together with a common idea and a common purpose, it creates positive energy, and makes the world a better place.”

The festival will take place over two days. The first event, scheduled for Friday, Sept. 28, at Solvang’s Veterans Memorial Hall, will feature a top-notch big band, including alumni of great bands, such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie and other jazz icons.

“We’re going to re-create the look and feel of the great jazz night clubs that were popular during and after the Prohibition era,” said Colone.

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Following the big band concert, the festivities will move to the Royal Scandinavian Inn, the scene of what the organizers are referring to as a “hip improvisational evening of jazz.”

On Saturday, Sept. 29, the festival will continue with a free concert in Solvang Park. The finale concert event, featuring top artists, will take place at the open-air Festival Theater.

Hooper did not disclose the names of any of the musicians who would be playing at the festival except for one, renowned flutist Hubert Laws, promising to provide an array of musicians of equal calibre, “artistically outstanding.”

In addition to his desire to involve community, Hooper said the reason for putting on an event such as the Solvang Jazz Festival is to fulfill the mission of his nonprofit Universal Guild for Jazz and Progressive Music, which is to acknowledge, honor, promote, protect and preserve America’s indigenous musical art form — jazz.

Seminars, workshops and an awards competition between Santa Ynez Valley schools will also be held during the festival.

“As a jazz artist and a father of two, the things that are important to me are freedom, expression, family, community, and relationships,” said Hooper.

“I am so thrilled that we are able to put on an event that will touch on all these areas and provide awareness, appreciation and understanding of American’s only indigenous musical art form — jazz. Hopefully, it is something that will be enjoyed for many years to come.”

Colone, who, along with his sister Carole Ann are the presenters of the very successful Tales from the Tavern concert series in the Santa Ynez Valley, said, “Stix Hooper has at least as much, and quite possibly more, knowledge about virtually all aspects of music than anybody in the business.” Of the partnership to bring the festival to Solvang, Colone said, “It is really nice to work with an artist who is attempting some business endeavor instead of some business man who is trying to achieve some artistic understanding.”

“The city is really looking forward to working with Stix,” said City Manager Brad Vidro.

“Having Stix Hooper at the helm of this event not only guarantees that we’ll have great music, but it ensures the purity of vision and constancy of purpose. I know everyone on the planning committee is thrilled and honored to work with an artist of his stature and a person of his quality,” said Colone.

According to Colone, details for the event have not yet been finalized but will be available closer to the festival dates. For more information, call Colone at 688-0383.