The Countdown Continues…
10 Reasons to Attend the Jazz Festival

The Healdsburg Jazz Festival kicks off officially on Friday June 4, and continues for a week and two weekends with headliners and sidelights, events large and intimate. Some of our stars are flying in from the Big Apple, some from L.A., but some are our friends and neighbors. Which brings us to another of 10 Reasons to Attend the Healdsburg Jazz Festival…

Reason No. 8: Local Talent

Who would have thought that a small agricultural town on the north end of the Santa Rosa Plain would turn into a hotbed of jazz talent? And we’re not just talking about your friendly neighborhood Dixieland band or barbershop quartet, either. Our local talent includes singers, guitarists, horn players of professional calibre who taken the stage and recorded CDs with the biggest of names.

Saturday June 5: One of our favorite places in town is Flying Goat Coffee, a laid-back, roasty hang-out with legendary lattes. They have hosted occasional music shows for us, and this year we have two Saturday night concerts in this cozy café featuring the Bennett Friedman Quartet. Friedman is a hard-swinging saxophonist who has been a mentor and mainstay at Santa Rosa Junior College, where he’s taught music for over 30 years. When he plays the Goat he’ll be backed by Sonoma guitarist Randy Vincent and area bass ace Chris Amberger, as well as Lorca Hart on drums. It’s sure to be an education — and a celebration of local talent. Tickets are only $10 for the 7 pm and 9 pm shows, and they’re going fast!

Monday June 7: Now that Windsor’s own Julian Lage is well into his Grammy-nominated career, it’s time for another young buck to assume the mantle of local jazz prodigy. We didn’t have to wait long: Kai Devitt-Lee showed up less than 2 years ago and has come to epitomize the local jazz scene: youthful, energetic, aggressive, with talent to spare. The 16-year old guitarist holds down multiple area gigs every month, and for the Festival he’ll be featured at the Michelin-starred Dry Creek Kitchen for a Jazz and Wine dinner on Monday night. There’s no cover, but the Charlie Palmer menu and the popular Kai Devitt-Lee Trio means that advance reservations are strongly recommended.

Wendesday June 9: Another local guitarist has been workshopping his talent hereabouts for years, but this Festival is the first time he’s fronted his own band at the Raven Theater. Christian Foley-Beining brings a quartet to the stage as the opening act on Wednesday night, but don’t be late: the German-born guitarist (and local leathersmith) has begun a fruitful association with legendary woodwind virtuoso Paul McCandless, whose fusion band Oregon was one of the leading improvisational groups of the 1970s, blending Indian ragas, Western classical, space music and jazz into a unique sound.

But Christian’s not the only local talent on the Raven stage that night. The George Cables Trio headlines, and the piano-driven threesome will be enhanced by vocalist Shea Breaux Wells, another Healdsburg resident. She was a surprise hit at the 2008 Festival, and turned her local debut into opportunity by burning the CD “Blind Date” with George Cables, Billy Hart, Craig Handy and other musicans she met at the Festival. With the expressive improvisations and evocative colorations of Cables and his trio, Shea is sure to shine again. Tickets for this Wednesday June 9 show are a real bargain — just $15 general, $10 for students and seniors.

Saturday Afternoons: You don’t have to get all dressed up for the Raven Theater to see our local legends-in-the-making. Just stroll downtown to one of the winery tasting rooms that have partnered with us to present Jazz & Wine Pairings on both Festival Saturdays, June 5 and June 12. You’ll find Herb Gibson at Murphy-Goode, Gary Johnson at Topel, and Bay Area duo Mad & Eddie Duran at Ferrari-Carano.

It’s part of what makes the Healdsburg Jazz Festival the biggest little jazz festival in the West. Watch out, Reno!