June 1-10 lineup featuring music masters and all-star retrospectives
Looking through the pages of photo galleries and press clippings from 19 years of Healdsburg jazz festivals is like thumbing through a family album where youthful faces gradually grow older, friends keep popping up and sad passings of many elders take place.
Such is the story of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, first staged in 1999 by founder Jessica Felix and the Healdsburg Arts Council, and now set to open June 1-10 for its 20th annual run.
Gone are jazz drummer Billy Higgins, pianist Cedar Walton and vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson who all played at the inaugural festival at the Raven Performing Arts Theater in June 1999.
Very much grown up and returning this year is guitarist Julian Lage, who started his career at the festival at age 12. Pianist Fred Hersch, who performed at the second festival in 2000 and has returned many years to play in his father Henry’s hometown, is headlining a special opening weekend performance at Sonoma Country Day School’s Jackson Theater.
Many other of Healdsburg Jazz Festival’s closest friends will perform over the 10 days of concerts and events, including George Cables, Charles Lloyd, Billy Hart, Dave Holland, Chico Freeman, Ravi Coltrane, Bill Frisell, Azar Lawrence and Victor Lewis — all jazz greats who have performed here multiple times.
The 20th annual festival takes place at various venues with single event tickets now on sale. A Tuesday, June 5 performance in the Healdsburg Plaza by Latin jazz percussionist John Santos is free to the public. Other performance ticket prices range from $30 to $75 per seat.
The Healdsburg Jazz Festival scrapbook contains many moments of jazz history and peerless musical collaborations and ensembles.
Last year’s festival paid special tribute to Hutcherson who died the year before. In 2013, jazz pioneer and bassist Charlie Haden joined his own tribute on the Healdsburg stage for one of his last performances — a moment captured by Downbeat magazine.
George Cables will headline this year’s historical retrospective, leading a constellation of festival all-stars including Bobby Watson, Azar Lawrence, David Weiss, Chico Freemen, Billy Hart and Babatunde Lea. Cables also will perform with his trio mates, Essiet Essiet and Victor Lewis.
A birthday moment will be shared during this year’s festival for Charles Lloyd, who is turning 80.
The Healdsburg Jazz Festival started as a one-woman vision, held by Felix, a craft jeweler and jazz fan who moved to Healdsburg from Oakland in 1997. She owned a jazz-themed jewelry gallery “Art and All That Jazz” on the plaza for many years. She closed her shop to devote full time to the festival.
The first festivals were 2-3 day affairs, staged mostly at the Raven. Felix’ vision also included youth musical education. She organized workshops by professional jazz players in the local schools, which continue now as Operation Jazz Band.
The jazz festival scrapbook is also full of young happy faces learning scat singing, drum beats, how to improvise, bop, beep and pronounce the name Thelonious.
The festival now also sponsors an all-comers Freedom Jazz Choir and a Student Jazz Combo competition and concert.
More of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival scrapbook can be viewed during this year’s festival at Healdsburg’s Flying Goat, 324 Center Street, where the festival’s “house photographer” George B. Wells is displaying his images.
Fittingly, it was at The Flying Goat where Felix produced her first local jazz event, a solo performance by Cables. (A no cover opening reception will be held at the coffee house from 7 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, May 27, featuring the Ricardo Peixoto Quartet.)
While the artistic lineup and formative friendships that have shaped the festival remain those of its founder Felix, the staying power and growth of the Healdsburg springtime event has been fueled by hundreds of local volunteers, a few devoted winery sponsors, hospitality partners and government and nonprofit foundation grants. The festival organization sells annual memberships and is also supported by a roster of jazz patrons.
This year the festival, a nonprofit organization led by a volunteer board, hired its first executive director to assist Felix. She is Gina Riner, who previously was with the Healdsburg Arts Center.
“I’m looking forward to having the extra help,” said Felix. “Twenty years is enough of carrying the responsibility on my shoulders. I want to focus on what I do best — music programming and continuing our outstanding music education programs.”
To view the full Healdsburg Jazz Festival “scrapbook,” or for more information about this year’s festival visit, www.healdsburgjazzfestival.org.
