(May 4, 2017) The 10th annual Berlin Jazz and Blues Bash returns this Saturday with nine acts, including youth bands, local and regional touring groups and, for the first time, the U.S. Navy Jazz Band Commodores.
Sponsored by the Berlin Chamber of Commerce, the event will feature wine from Whaleyville vintner Costa Ventosa and beer from Berlin’s Burley Oak Brewing Company. Food and art vendors and a children’s art activity area will round out the event.
Organizer Steve Frene noted that the new date corresponds with Springfest in Ocean City. Jazz and Blues was held in June last year.
“That, of course, benefits us because there are thousands of people who come to Ocean City every year and it’s so easy for them to come over here in Berlin,” he said. “So, we’re back on that date and we’re excited about it.”
Frene will emcee the event with Jim Meckley of New York Connection, one of the festival acts.
New this year, Frene said, is that the festival will feature two stages of live music on the north and south ends of downtown’s Main Street. When one band finishes a set on one stage, the next can begin on the other without a break in the action.
“That was a concept I had wanted to do early on [in the event’s history] so the music never stops,” Frene said. He was one of three members of a chamber committee who started the event a decade ago.
Frene said the two-stage set up would not just benefit the audience, but also the dozens of musicians performing during the festival.
“Being a musician and a band guy and playing in these festivals all of my adult life, it’s always a drag to come to load in to a festival and you’ve gotta wait until the band’s done. And they’re always going to be late and you’re always going to be hurried to set up,” he said. “This way the other band can have a whole hour to set up and there’s already live music going on down the street at another stage.”
Along with having a larger audience pool to draw from because of Springfest, Frene said the return to May also gave festival organizers access to area student groups.
A jazz trio from Stephen Decatur High School will open the festival at 10 a.m. and the Salisbury University Jazz Band will play from 11:15 a.m. until noon.
“That was important when we started the event, to make sure we included the student bands, because a lot of those programs have jazz,” Frene said. “It’s one thing to play jazz in a classroom setting, but it’s something else to go out and perform it with an audience. It gives them a real thrill and a purpose to learn [the music].
“When we moved [the festival] to June, school was out so we couldn’t include them, but now that we’re back in May we’re happy to have them back,” Frene added. “They’ve got time to plan a program and then perform it, and their friends and family can come to see them. That brings a different audience to town as well.”
Frene is also excited to have the Navy Jazz Band Commodores for the first time.
“Several years ago at the Atlantic Hotel, the Fagers somehow brought in the Army jazz band at the last minute and it was so nice and they’re so talented. I always thought that I would want to see one of the military branch jazz bands come in,” Frene said. “And so I did a little research and found out they’re free – you just have to get on their calendar early.
“I’ve been working on it for about a year now and finally got the call in mid-January that they had the date open and would love to come,” Frene said. “Of course, we told them we’re the ‘coolest small town in America’ and the filming location for ‘Runaway Bride’ and ‘Tuck Everlasting,’ but even more importantly we’re the birthplace of Naval hero Stephen Decatur and our town symbol is an anchor.”
After a few years of what Frene called “dwindling crowds,” he hopes this year will be a return to form for the Jazz and Blues Bash. The event is expected to draw several thousand people to downtown Berlin and provide a sizeable economic boost to the shops and restaurants.
“We want to bring people to Berlin again,” Frene said. “Over the years, we’ve found that these events are really the big thing that bring people to town and they get to experience Berlin, many of them for the first time, and then they come back when there’s not a festival going on,” he said. “They come to Berlin and then they walk around and they fall in love with the town and the stores, and they almost always come back.”
For more information, visit www.berlinchamber.org/events/jazz-and-blues.
Sponsored by the Berlin Chamber of Commerce, the event will feature wine from Whaleyville vintner Costa Ventosa and beer from Berlin’s Burley Oak Brewing Company. Food and art vendors and a children’s art activity area will round out the event.
Organizer Steve Frene noted that the new date corresponds with Springfest in Ocean City. Jazz and Blues was held in June last year.
“That, of course, benefits us because there are thousands of people who come to Ocean City every year and it’s so easy for them to come over here in Berlin,” he said. “So, we’re back on that date and we’re excited about it.”
Frene will emcee the event with Jim Meckley of New York Connection, one of the festival acts.
New this year, Frene said, is that the festival will feature two stages of live music on the north and south ends of downtown’s Main Street. When one band finishes a set on one stage, the next can begin on the other without a break in the action.
“That was a concept I had wanted to do early on [in the event’s history] so the music never stops,” Frene said. He was one of three members of a chamber committee who started the event a decade ago.
Frene said the two-stage set up would not just benefit the audience, but also the dozens of musicians performing during the festival.
“Being a musician and a band guy and playing in these festivals all of my adult life, it’s always a drag to come to load in to a festival and you’ve gotta wait until the band’s done. And they’re always going to be late and you’re always going to be hurried to set up,” he said. “This way the other band can have a whole hour to set up and there’s already live music going on down the street at another stage.”
Along with having a larger audience pool to draw from because of Springfest, Frene said the return to May also gave festival organizers access to area student groups.
A jazz trio from Stephen Decatur High School will open the festival at 10 a.m. and the Salisbury University Jazz Band will play from 11:15 a.m. until noon.
“That was important when we started the event, to make sure we included the student bands, because a lot of those programs have jazz,” Frene said. “It’s one thing to play jazz in a classroom setting, but it’s something else to go out and perform it with an audience. It gives them a real thrill and a purpose to learn [the music].
“When we moved [the festival] to June, school was out so we couldn’t include them, but now that we’re back in May we’re happy to have them back,” Frene added. “They’ve got time to plan a program and then perform it, and their friends and family can come to see them. That brings a different audience to town as well.”
Frene is also excited to have the Navy Jazz Band Commodores for the first time.
“Several years ago at the Atlantic Hotel, the Fagers somehow brought in the Army jazz band at the last minute and it was so nice and they’re so talented. I always thought that I would want to see one of the military branch jazz bands come in,” Frene said. “And so I did a little research and found out they’re free – you just have to get on their calendar early.
“I’ve been working on it for about a year now and finally got the call in mid-January that they had the date open and would love to come,” Frene said. “Of course, we told them we’re the ‘coolest small town in America’ and the filming location for ‘Runaway Bride’ and ‘Tuck Everlasting,’ but even more importantly we’re the birthplace of Naval hero Stephen Decatur and our town symbol is an anchor.”
After a few years of what Frene called “dwindling crowds,” he hopes this year will be a return to form for the Jazz and Blues Bash. The event is expected to draw several thousand people to downtown Berlin and provide a sizeable economic boost to the shops and restaurants.
“We want to bring people to Berlin again,” Frene said. “Over the years, we’ve found that these events are really the big thing that bring people to town and they get to experience Berlin, many of them for the first time, and then they come back when there’s not a festival going on,” he said. “They come to Berlin and then they walk around and they fall in love with the town and the stores, and they almost always come back.”
For more information, visit www.berlinchamber.org/events/jazz-and-blues.