ABOUT THE EDMONDS JAZZ CONNECTION

The Edmonds Jazz Connection is a full-out jazz festival, with all the fun, music and excitement that jazz lovers have come to expect, but with an emphasis on youth.

It is held every year on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend in the heart of downtown Edmonds. The 2010 event will be on May 29th.

THE DAYTIME VENUES

• From 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM the Jazz Connection features three concurrent—and free—venues, with big bands playing at the Edmonds Center for the Arts, choral jazz at the Edmonds Masonic Center, and the smaller combos at the Edmonds Theater. Participation is by audition and invitation. Click here for Venue Map
• All told, some 27 groups from mainly local and regional schools come to perform, although we are always happy when schools from outside the area accept our invitation to appear as well. Nationally recognized Essentially Ellington finalists Edmonds-Woodway and Mountlake Terrace high schools have been mainstays from the beginning.
• Coming as it does at the end of the school year, the student musicians are at their prime. The performances are non-adjudicated; the kids and their families are willing to take time away from their holiday to play jazz simply for the fun of making good music in front of appreciative audiences.

THE EVENING GALA

• Each year the Jazz Connection also brings in a name talent to headline an evening gala, held at the Edmonds Center for the Arts, our partner in the event. This year’s star performer is Jackie Ryan (www.jackieryanmusic.com), an internationally celebrated vocal talent of whom Billboard said, she “bridges the gap between both geography and generations.”
• The evening program also features the All-Star Jazz Band and All-Star Jazz Choir, chosen from among the best student musicians at the Connection. Jim Wilke of Public Radio International’s Jazz After Hours is the emcee.

A ROTARY COMMUNITY SERVICE

• The Edmonds Jazz Connection is primarily a community event, intended to make a connection between the schools, the community and the professional jazz world. Profits, if any, are generally small and are used for music scholarships for the young musicians.
• The 50 members of the Rotary Club of Edmonds Daybreakers produce the celebration, which is now in its tenth year. The 2010 general chairman is Mike Denton. He can be reached at (425) 280-3757 or at dentonlm@comcast.net.