The San Diego Troubadour

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Front Porch #2

Jazz88 Ocean Beach Music & Art Festival

Jazz88.3 and the Ocean Beach Mainstreet Association will make waves with its newly expanded Jazz88 Ocean Beach Music & Art Festival, Saturday, September 11, beginning at 10am on Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach featuring 28 bands on seven stages.

            "We're excited to bring back the festival in full force, expanding it to include more jazz and blues acts than ever before," said Jazz88.3 station manager Mark DeBoskey.

            Jazz88.3, San Diego's original jazz station broadcasting from San Diego City College, will bring an impressive lineup of 26 jazz artists and bands to perform on seven stages throughout the day, including saxophonist Maceo Parker, New Orleans brass band Bonerama, Charlie Hunter Trio, saxophonist Justo Almario, Geoffrey Keezer Trio, Ernie Watts Quintet, Holly Hofmann/Mike Wofford Trio, and the Four Queens of Boogie Woogie featuring Sue Palmer. In addition to nationally acclaimed acts, local student bands, including San Diego State University All Star Big Band, Mission Bay High School Dixieland Band, and San Diego School for the Creative and Performing Arts Jazz Ensemble will strut their musical talent.

            "Expanding the festival allowed us to present more music styles, including Latin jazz, funk, blues, swing...many different elements," said Claudia Russell, Jazz88.3 program director and festival advisor. "The newly designed festival will offer three all-ages stages, as well as student musicians. After all, part of the jazz tradition is sharing and passing down the sound."

            Music stages will be located at various Ocean Beach bars and venues, including Winstons, Gallaghers, the Harp, and Hodad's parking lot, plus the Main Stage at the foot of the Ocean Beach Pier, a Community Stage in the grassy area near lifeguard Tower 2, and a private Patron's Stage in the courtyard of the Ocean Beach Hotel. Also along Newport Avenue, between Bacon and Cable streets, 60 fine artists will display and sell their work.

            In commemoration of 9/11, there will also be a musical tribute to the U.S. military.

            Tickets are $30 general admission (plus $2 service charge) and $200 for VIP Patron tickets/seats, which include hosted food and beverage, complimentary valet parking, and a commemorative festival gift bag. Children age 12 and under are free. Tickets are available online: www.obmusicfest.org.

            Being a huge fan of the event, and extremely happy about it being in Ocean Beach, I was sad to see the event sit out last year. I kept thinking, "How did THAT happen?" Alas, it looks like the folks at Jazz88.3 performed a serious review of their prior few years while exploiting the potential of the integrated Ocean Beach music scene hardware. Attendees will be able to cover all the stages in a short walk and wrist-band, while taking in the very best of the surf-ish Ocean Beach atmosphere.

            The San Diego Troubadour had the opportunity to ask Jazz88.3 program director and jazz host, Claudia Russell, about their view of the festival in general as well as the specifics about how they've updated the event.

San Diego Troubadour: The Big Change. In years past, the event utilized only one stage. You went bigger this year, to include more venues and stages as well as other elements such as fine art. Please tell me about the changes.

 

Claudia Russell: There are several big changes. The first is the expansion of the festival in size. We wanted to add more stages and open up the festival area so more people could come out and enjoy the day. Also, it gives us an opportunity to show the wide range of styles Jazz88.3 offers to listeners and concert-goers in southern California. This also fosters more of a relationship with the great businesses in Ocean Beach. The new Ocean Beach Restaurant and Entertainment Group (OBREG) has stepped forward to ensure our musicians, VIPs, and guests have a variety of delicious food to enjoy, we're including some major music venues in OB. Plus, we've got a craft beer garden. It's a real celebration of the good vibe OB has to offer. I'm also very happy that we've been able to add all-ages venues this year and offer free admission to kids under 12. Kids dig music and a lot of times, they miss out on great artists because those people are playing 21 and up clubs or more expensive festivals or theaters.

            The fine art is a real plus, I think because our guests can not only check out a great art show just by walking through Art Row, but can also take home some unique pieces. It's a nice break between music sets, or to have a show in the parking lot at Hodad's, for example, as the backdrop to a nice shopping experience.

SDT: You seem to like Ocean Beach for this event. I'm very happy about that. Please, why Ocean Beach?

CR: First of all, OB is a very cool place. It has a certain reputation for being almost too funky, but it's that and a lot more. There are amazing antique shops, great clothing and jewelry shops, really good locally owned restaurants, and one of the best views of the sunset you could ask for. Also, the OB Mainstreet Association and the OB Hotel have been big supporters of this idea from the start and have worked very hard alongside Jazz88.3 to make this happen for the community of San Diego as a whole.

SDT: I didn't see anything on the subject in your press materials regarding broadcasting.... will there be any sort of broadcast of the event? Internet?

CR: At this point, we have no plans for broadcasting. That's a goal I absolutely have my eye on for the future. Part of it is funding, and part of it is that we want to make sure we get this festival as right as we can. This is a re-birth of a festival in a way, so we want all our musicians, artists, and music fans to have the best experience possible.

SDT: I feel the same. Please call me anytime regarding the advancement of this mission statement, if you think I can help. For now, can you embellish on the 9/11 aspect of the event?

CR: As we were looking at possible dates for the festival, making sure we didn't conflict with other community festivals, we realized our best date would fall on September 11th. After a few glances around the table, we tackled it head on and decided this gave us an opportunity to note the significance. It just seemed right that the best way was to acknowledge the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces. San Diego is an important military town and we feel it's important to note that. These people are still fighting a war triggered by the events of 9/11 and we respect what they do. It has nothing to do with anyone's politics, it's simply about honoring the human beings currently doing the job as well as the ones who have done the job in the past.

SDT: Who's participating in the music tribute?

CR: We're still settling the details, but I can tell you, I'm aiming for a military big band. Nothing like seeing all those dress uniforms on the bandstand!

SDT: Will there be any "officials" speaking on the topic?

CR: At this time, we're determining who will be speaking.

SDT: Please explain in general how the mission statement of this event embraces its own future. Are there plans to grow further from here?

CR: The mission statement of this event is three-fold: to make more people aware of the public radio music source that is Jazz88.3 and that we're a non-profit organization sustained primarily through individual and local business contributions; to give our community an affordable opportunity to hear a variety of music in a welcoming environment; and to act as outreach for San Diego City College, which offers courses that relate directly to the presentation of live jazz, as well as radio and video production. So, by offering something for almost everyone, making it a reasonable ticket price, and working with the local community, we're inviting people to come participate in the success of a musical, visual, and sensory experience that is very unique in San Diego.

SDT: Dig that! I notice the roster becoming significantly more robust. Can you offer any insight and/or comment on how the artists feel about the event?

CR: We've had nothing but enthusiasm from everyone we've invited. Some artists are even excited to see others perform! I love that. They appreciate a festival that focuses on jazz and blues, with the various flavors of those being well-represented. Many of these artists are friends of Jazz88.3; they've played our previous festivals, or appeared at Jazz Live, or just live up the road in some cases. We all know we're in this together: the business of presenting jazz to appreciative audiences.

SDT: What does jazz mean to you, personally?

CR: Wow. Tough question. It means so many things because it's brought me so many things. I grew up in a household with all styles of music imaginable: rock and pop, country, show tunes, blues, jazz, classical…everything from Sesame Street to America's top 40 to the jazz musicians we saw on TV sometimes. Jazz has brought me wonderful things. I've made friends through this music who are more precious than gold to me, real friendships that go beyond the stage introductions and on-air interviews. I'll never forget moments with people who were real musical heroes to me: sitting in a sound check next to Joe Williams and chatting backstage later before the gig is one that I treasure. But, also realizing the level of musicianship that's out there. I never really appreciated music the way I do now until I heard jazz. It's made me a better listener. Emotionally, jazz has given the world some of the most poignant music moments in history. Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit," Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," Ellington's sacred music, and many others. It helps us define our history.

SDT: How are you involved with this event?

CR: I'm the talent advisor and have helped select all the bands for the festival, as well as worked out the stage and performance schedule. I also coordinate the stage hosts (on-air personalities from Jazz88.3) and will be hosting stages the day of the festival. That's what it says on paper. Aside from that, I'm one of the ones who wakes up in the middle of the night worrying about the whole event.

SDT: With the station?

CR: I'm the program director and also host the "Jazz Ride Home" from 4-6pm Monday through Friday. I've been here since 2001 and love the individuality of Jazz88.3 in the San Diego radio market.

SDT: What is your favorite aspect of the event?

CR: When I'll look out at the audience and see everyone on their feet having a fantastic time! But, I'm also really jazzed about kids being able to see some of these artists.




Bonerama

Marcia Ball

Ernie Watts

Holly Hofmann & Mike Wofford