The North Carolina Jazz Festival Education Program has expanded in yet another direction.  We are sponsoring a jazz vocal workshop, conducted by well-known jazz singer and recording artist Stephanie Nakasian,  during the UNCW Department of Music’s Summer Jazz Workshop for high school jazz musicians on July 16th.  This will be their first time offering a jazz vocal session, and we are pleased to be its sponsor. www.stephanienakasian.com

Later that evening there will be a concert given by the UNCW Jazz Faculty Big Band,  at which Stephanie and her husband, jazz pianist  Hod O’Brien hodobrien.com, will be guest performers.  This will be held at the UNCW Cultural Arts Center’s Beckwith Recital Hall at 7:30pm.  Tickets are $6.00 (tax included) for the public, free to students with valid UNCW ID.  Box office opens at 6:30pm.  For more information on this event go to… www.uncw.edu/music

Later that week, on Friday July 18th, Steph and Hod will be performing at Delphina dos (5 S. Water St., Wilmington) from 5 – 7 pm.  The cover charge will be $10 per person.  Make your reservations early, as this will be a sell-out!  Phone 762-0700 for reservations.  For more on Stephanie and Hod go to www.stephanie nakasian.com and  www.hodobrien.com

Listen to some live JAZZ and pick up information on our 34^th Annual NC Jazz Festival @ Wilmington.
 
FREE FOR ALL!

The Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Association and Better Living Magazine host the inaugural 50+ Coastal Lifestyles Expo at the Convention Center in historic downtown Wilmington, NC. This  day-long EXPO will feature over 40 booths and free seminars. Throughout the day fitness demos and health screenings will be available as well as information on financial planning and retirement options. This will be the one-stop shop for all your age 50+ Coastal Lifestyle needs! HOURS: 10am-4pm.

Grenoldo Frazier returns, by popular request, for his third appearance at the North Carolina Jazz Festival.  His set on Thursday night will be “Interpreting Louis Armstrong” – piano and vocals.

Grenoldo is a Wilmington native who moved to NYC in 1972 as a pianist for two touring shows.  He played Barnaby Tucker on Broadway and the national tour of Pearl Bailey/Billy Daniels’ hit “Hello Dolly”.   For two years Grenoldo was the pianist/singer at Windows on World atop the WorldTradeCenter.  For the past 14 years he has been artist in residence at NC State University, HarvardDivinitySchool with Dr. Gavin Moses, and Penn State/Harrisburg.  Touring in clubs and theaters around the country, he is Wilmington’s most sought after entertainer.

For those traveling in North Carolina this summer, Grenoldo Frazier “From Tobacco Barns to Broadway” an evening with North Carolina’s own musical sensation will be presented at the prestigious Washington Duke Inn in Durham, on August 10 at 8 pm. 

www.grenoldofrazier.webs.com

Grenoldo will be honored on Sept. 15th at 3:30 pm, when the world premiere of the documentary “The Piano Entertainer:  Stompin’ Grenoldo Frazier” will be presented at the CameronArt Museum here in Wilmington. The documentary is by Dr. Maurice Martinez of  the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Celebrating 33 years of America’s favorite music! The 33rd annual North Carolina Jazz Festival will be held February 7, 8 and 9, 2013 at the Wilmington Hilton Riverside Hotel in Wilmington, NC.

Jazz enthusiasts from around the country will return to experience performances by world-class musicians including Adrian Cunningham, Banu Gibson, Bria Skonberg, Bucky Pizzarelli, Chuck Redd, Dan Levinson, David Boeddinghaus, David Sager, Ed Polcer, Frank Bongiorno, Jonathan Russell, Kerry Lewis, Kevin Dorn, Nicki Parrott, Randy Reinhart and Rossano Sportiello.

Get tickets today!

General Admission Tickets: Thurs. Evening (3 hr. concert) $35.
Fri. & Sat. Evenings (4 hr. concert) $50.
Military $25 – Students $15 each night

It is a marvelous happening when an artist in one medium volunteers his or her art to help support an art form in another medium!  This is exactly what happened when a gentleman from Vermont attended the North Carolina Jazz festival. 

Paul Stone, a visual artist who creates beautiful images in both watercolor and oil, lives in Grafton Vt. And Topsail Island, NC.   After attending a performance of the NCJF, he contacted one of our board members and volunteered to donate a painting for our annual festival raffle.  This would be an oil painting created especially for the 2013 North Carolina Jazz Festival!

Mr. Stone has titled his artwork “Collaboration…an improvisation on a photograph by the late, great William Claxton”, 1927-2008, one of jazz’s most dedicated photographers.

Our North Carolina Jazz Festival patrons are the backbone of our jazz festival—the extra that they contribute to our finances make it possible for us “to go out on a limb” and hire the finest of traditional jazz musicians for our festival each year.

The price of a patron ticket is $200 or $225.  The $200 Patron Badge allows you entry to Friday and Saturday night’s 4 hr. concerts with preferred, reserved seating, name in the program and the Patron’s Musical Brunch on Saturday morning.  This brunch is a unique part of the North Carolina Jazz Festival, as not only are the patrons treated to a delightful brunch, while listening to all of the invited Allstar Musicians play their favorite music, but an extra added attraction is the Patron Jam.  During the last hour of the brunch the patrons, who are also musicians, are invited to sit in with the Allstars for a rousing musical treat enjoyed by all!  This is also a time when patrons and musicians have the opportunity to socialize and get to know each other. The $225. Patron Badge buys you all of the above plus admission to the Thursday evening Special Event concert where we feature different styles of jazz with some very special guest artists along with some of the invited Allstars.

Patron Bob Troxell on trombone

We invite you to be an integral part of the festival family by becoming “part of our backbone”.  With your support we can continue to bring to Wilmington top jazz musicians from across the country and around the world! Help us “Jazz it up”!

NCJF is a non-profit organization, staffed solely by volunteers.

Photos on this page taken by George Ball –to see more of his NCJF photos go to www.BALLGL.COM

Photo courtesy of The StarNews/Paul Stephen

For the fifth year The NC Jazz Festival worked with New Hanover County Schools to bring  jazz  to enthusiastic students.  Roland Grise Middle School once again was chosen to host a concert and workshop with the 2011 Allstar Musicians;  Jonathan Russell, Herman Burney, Bob Alberti and Ed Polcer on Friday February 18th.

Later in the afternoon, Jonathan and Bucky Pizzarelli gave a jazz string clinic for some of our local violin and guitar students and Bria Skonberg presented a similar sesssion to some trumpet students.   The Wilmington Hilton graciously provided the space for both of these events.

During the 2012 NCJF weekend we plan to continue our practice of bringing some of our all-star musicians to the middle school for a concert/workshop on Friday morning.

Later that afternoon Bucky Pizzarelli will conduct a guitar workshop for local guitar students and Bria Skonberg will again conduct a workshop for young trumpet students from the local high schools.  This will again take place in the Bellamy Room of the Wilmington Hilton Riverside.