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A roundup of Southern Vermont Jazz destinations
The Vermont Jazz Center is not the only source in the Green Mountain State for fans of the genre which the drummer Art Blakey said “washes away the dust of everyday life.” One of the important new jazz hubs in Vermont was founded two years ago and is located in the same building as the Vermont Jazz Center, the Cotton Mill in Brattleboro. With an emphasis on education and training, the Open Music Collective offers classes, workshops, faculty and student concerts and a monthly jazz jam on the second Sunday of every month. It also offers a week-long summer intensive jazz camp. Though the OMC reaches into other genres, it is rooted in the history and practice of jazz. Artistic Director Jamie MacDonald is a noted bassist and teacher in the tri-state area and had a 10-year connection with VJC as teacher and performer. He continues to play jazz with many people in the region, including the intriguingly named Jazz Demolition Project and teaches the Jazz Workshop at Brattleboro Union High School. Visit http://www.openmusiccollective.org.
Illustration: Linda Marcille, Jazz Band, painting on silk, http://www.crowhousestudio.com
Travel from Brattleboro up Route 9 and into the mountains and you’ll find, for one week every summer anyway, the Jazz Vermont summer camp for grownups, which celebrated its 27th birthday this year with a session at Mount Snow‘s Grand Summit Resort in West Dover, featuring saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi as artist in residence. Visit http://www.jazzcamp.com.
Following another picturesque road out of Brattleboro, a 10-mile jaunt up the West River Valley along Route 30 brings you to Rick’s Tavern in Newfane, which has for years hosted live jazz music on Thursday nights from 7 to 10 pm. Visit http://www.rickstavern.net.
Longtime host of jazz at Rick’s is guitarist Draa Hobbs, one of southeastern Vermont’s true jazz treasures. A guitarist who was a student of VJC founder Attila Zoller, Hobbs honed his chops in countless small group settings and solo performances all over the area. Samples of his music can be found at http://www.draahobbs.com or on YouTube.
New Orleans is the cradle of jazz, and a major influence on at least sources of jazz in Vermont. Singer Samirah Evans was a mainstay of New Orleans’ music scene for many years. When Hurricane Katrina struck, she relocated to her husband’s hometown of Brattleboro and began to build a musical career and a large following here. This year, she released a live CD, “Hot Club,” with her band, the Handsome Devils. She also began leading what she hopes will be monthly jam sessions titled Sam’s Set and Shed. Visit http://www.samirahevans.com.
Honoring the Crescent City’s role in the birth of jazz, the New Orleans Brass Band Project of Southern Vermont meets regularly in Brattleboro to play old-time New Orleans parade music.
Mixing jazz with other genres, including Americana, folk and soul, the Dysfunction-al Family Jazz Band features vocalist and songwriter Patty Carpenter, her ex-husband Scott Shetler on sax, their daughter Melissa Shetler on vocals, and Patty’s son Travis Light on bass. Carpenter studied jazz at Umass-Amherst with Archie Shepp and Max Roach. Visit http://www.dfjbmusic.com.
Out in the hills of Whitingham resides another artist with roots in jazz and affinity for blending in other genres. Pianist and composer Christopher Bakriges has worked with Anthony Braxton, Jimmy Giuffre, Billy Taylor and many others. In 2009, he released a very fine CD with his son, David, inspired by Henri Matisse’s famous series of jazz-inspired paper cutting. Information on that CD, titled “Teaching the Eye to Hear” is available at http://www.bakriges.com.
Heading farther north, the Rutland area is host to EnerJazz, billed as “Vermont’s high-energy big band.” This 19-piece ensemble of musicians and music educators has a busy summer schedule playing gigs in Poultney, Killington, Rutland, Fair Haven and elsewhere, even sneaking across the border in New York State.
Continuing north, Brandon Music, a summer festival, occasionally shifts its focus from classical music to present jazz artists. Check them out at http://www.brandonmusicvt.com.
In the northern part of the state, offerings are numerous, but a couple are worth singling out. The Discover Jazz Fest will celebrate its 30th year in June 2012 with top-flight musicians appearing over 10 days in Vermont’s biggest city. In 2011, the festival featured Herbie Hancock, Terence Blanchard, Roy Hargrove and Bela Fleck, among others. In Montpelier, pianist Michael Arnowitt settled in the midst of a career at the highest level of classical music. Over time, he expanded his musical palette to include jazz and now fits comfortably in both worlds.
