MUSIC FESTIVAL FEATURE
Luminaries and rising stars at
Savannah
JAZZ Festival
36 years of music
BY ANNA CHANDLER
anna@connectsavannah.com
Selwyn Birchwood
Editor’s Note: This issue went to press early due to the mandatory evacuation. We urge you to double check all info here to make sure these events are still happening as planned. We will also provide updates at connectsavannah. com and on social media. FALL IS HERE, and with it, the 36th annual Savannah Jazz Festival. From September 17 to 23, folks of all ages can enjoy live, world-class music in Forsyth Park, the Westin Savannah Harbor, Trinity United Methodist Church, The Lucas Theatre, Rancho Alegre Cuban Restaurant, The Mansion on Forsyth Park, and the DeSoto Hotel.
Sunday, September 17, Westin Savannah Harbor Main Ballroom
CONNECT SAVANNAH | SEP 13-19 2017
3:00 p.m.: See the future of jazz in Savannah Arts Academy’s SkyLite Jazz Band. The band has performed numerous acclaimed shows, including a 10-day tour in China in 2004 and a performance in San Francisco for the National School Board Association in 2007. 3:45 p.m.: Armstrong Jazz Ensemble of Armstrong State University has had the honor of performing with The Count Basie Orchestra, Bob Berg, Marcus Jones, and more. The student-led ensemble has performed a variety of jazz styles in concerts around the Southeast. 4: 15 p.m.: The award-winning Parris Island Marine Corps Band, led by tenor saxophonist Sgt. Jason Knuckles, is a Festival favorite. The band has received the Col. G. Howard Citation for Musical Excellence in Military Concert Bands. 5:00 p.m.: Local jazz heroes light up the stage with Teddy Adams All Stars. Monday, September 19, Lucas Theatre 7:00 p.m.: Celebrate the legacy of Savannah bassist Ben Tucker with the 16 music of the Ben Tucker Tribute Band.
Andy Snitzer
8:00 p.m.: Learn more about Ben, his life, and his music at the world premiere if In Tune: The Ben Tucker Story. Tuesday, September 19, Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Club, Ben Tucker Pavilion 7:00 p.m.: 11-piece Latin Band Palmetto Latin Orchestra specializes in “Musica Tropical” with a repertoire that includes Salsa, Merengue, Cumbia, Bachata, and Latin Jazz.
Wednesday, September 20, Trinity Methodist Church, Telfair Square
7:00 p.m.: Armstrong alum Eric Jones brings his unrivaled piano skills to the festival. The Savannahian has worked with the likes of Esperanza Spalding, Stewart
Eric Jones
Copland of The Police, and Keith Miller of the Metropolitan Opera.
Thursday, Sept. 21, Forsyth Park
6:00 p.m.: Enjoy local sounds with Savannah State University Wesleyan Gospel Choir. 7:00 p.m.: Hometown heroes the Eric Culberson Band (Culberson, Johnathan Hill, and Larry Duff) always bring great rock energy to the Jazz Festival. 8:15 p.m.: International Blues Challenge winner Selwyn Birchwood finds influence in the stylings of Muddy Waters, Freddie King, Albert King, and Buddy
Guy. Ever since he was 13, the determined Birchwood has been dishing out raw blues for the people. 9:30 p.m.: Victor Wainwright burst onto the scene as a honky-tonk rock ‘n’ roll sensation. The 2017 BMA Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year is a composer, producer, vocalist, and piano player with contagious energy. 11:00 p.m.: Get your Late Night Jam on at Rancho Alegre Cuban Restaurant.
Friday, September 22, Forsyth Park 6:00 p.m.: Randy Napoleon has