The North Carolina Jazz Festival was started by Dr. Harry VanVelsor and was borne out of his love of Jazz music. He was particularly into the big band sounds and Dixieland jazz, therefore it made sense for the event to mainly focus on these types of music. There's nothing quite like it in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Throughout the years the event has steadily increased in popularity to the point where artists such as Houston Person, Bucky Pizzarelli and Ed Polcer have been booked to perform there. Past artists include the likes of Bobby Rosengarden and Tony DiNicola, so it was not as though the festival has ever struggled to find talent. The organizers are not scared of using young musicians either. When Jonathan Russell performed alongside the guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli he was only 11. Russell has also performed since while aged 12, 13 and 14.
The Hilton Wilmington in downtown Wilmington is usually where the show takes place. Lately, it's tried to branch out a little from its Dixieland roots. Lately they've moved into doing a little be-hop but they probably won't stray far from their Dixieland roots. However, in for such events to expand, they do need to appeal to a broader range of tastes. The idea is to let people know that are more than one or two types of jazz out there.
The festival is noted for the numbers of foreigners that come across and play. There are too many to mention all of them but Anat Cohen from Israel and Jim Galloway from Canada are just two. It just goes to show how prestigious and event it really is.
Dr Harry VanVelsor retired from participating in the event in 2006. He handed over control to Sandy Evans, who was previously the Cape Fear Jazz Society president. The festival is a non-profit entity and is solely run by people that are not paid. Despite the loss of it's founder, the event continues to go from strength to strength and their reputation of bringing some of the best musicians to the area should remain intact.
The festival has really put the city of Wilmington on the map. Wilmington is situated along the banks of the Cape Fear River, and aside from the festival there are several other attractions such as restaurants and museums. It even has a movie studio and beaches, as well as historic Civil War sites, so it's ideal for tourists that like a bit of culture to go with their music.
The actual sets are usually split up in threes. Often you'll get a morning/afternoon set, followed by an afternoon/evening set and then a night set. A tradition of the show is that some of the individual performers will play together onstage as an ensemble. During the brunch time set the audience are often invited onto the stage to play with the ensemble, that's if they have their instruments.
Wilmington comes alive every year for the North Carolina Jazz Festival. It's not only a chance for musicians from around the world to play, it's an opportunity for tourists to enjoy the music, culture and history that the festival brings.
Throughout the years the event has steadily increased in popularity to the point where artists such as Houston Person, Bucky Pizzarelli and Ed Polcer have been booked to perform there. Past artists include the likes of Bobby Rosengarden and Tony DiNicola, so it was not as though the festival has ever struggled to find talent. The organizers are not scared of using young musicians either. When Jonathan Russell performed alongside the guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli he was only 11. Russell has also performed since while aged 12, 13 and 14.
The Hilton Wilmington in downtown Wilmington is usually where the show takes place. Lately, it's tried to branch out a little from its Dixieland roots. Lately they've moved into doing a little be-hop but they probably won't stray far from their Dixieland roots. However, in for such events to expand, they do need to appeal to a broader range of tastes. The idea is to let people know that are more than one or two types of jazz out there.
The festival is noted for the numbers of foreigners that come across and play. There are too many to mention all of them but Anat Cohen from Israel and Jim Galloway from Canada are just two. It just goes to show how prestigious and event it really is.
Dr Harry VanVelsor retired from participating in the event in 2006. He handed over control to Sandy Evans, who was previously the Cape Fear Jazz Society president. The festival is a non-profit entity and is solely run by people that are not paid. Despite the loss of it's founder, the event continues to go from strength to strength and their reputation of bringing some of the best musicians to the area should remain intact.
The festival has really put the city of Wilmington on the map. Wilmington is situated along the banks of the Cape Fear River, and aside from the festival there are several other attractions such as restaurants and museums. It even has a movie studio and beaches, as well as historic Civil War sites, so it's ideal for tourists that like a bit of culture to go with their music.
The actual sets are usually split up in threes. Often you'll get a morning/afternoon set, followed by an afternoon/evening set and then a night set. A tradition of the show is that some of the individual performers will play together onstage as an ensemble. During the brunch time set the audience are often invited onto the stage to play with the ensemble, that's if they have their instruments.
Wilmington comes alive every year for the North Carolina Jazz Festival. It's not only a chance for musicians from around the world to play, it's an opportunity for tourists to enjoy the music, culture and history that the festival brings.
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When you want information on the North Carolina jazz festival, visit the web pages online at www.rowanbluesandjazz.org today. You can see details about schedules and locations at http://www.rowanbluesandjazz.org now.
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