New Orleans and New York City have long been the major metropolitan meccas for jazz musicians and aficionados. However for 10 days every spring the center of the jazz universe shifts to Berks County, as the Berks Jazz Fest is celebrated.
This year will be very special indeed, as the festival commemorates the 25th anniversary as one of the premier jazz events in the world April 10 to 19.
It is an immense undertaking. Featuring more than 120 performances, staffed by 400 volunteers, the 2014 festival drew an estimated 50,000 jazz lovers and pumped $5 million into the Berks County economy. The mastermind is John Ernesto, who has been General Manager for 22 of the festival’s 25 years.
“Our goal is to put together a festival that the entire Berks County community can be proud of. To make the festival a success, it has to be unique. You have to constantly try to take it to a different level and adjust to the times. We’ve put together a very diverse lineup of artists exploring the many styles of jazz – straight ahead, contemporary, blues, and gospel.”
John’s mantra: “Take care of the artists, take care of the fans, and everything else will take care of itself.”
He has a core group of stellar musicians who come back year after year.
“If I were to sum up the Berks Jazz Fest in just one word, it would be family,” states keyboardist Brian Culbertson, who returns for the fourteenth time.
A few of the returning virtuosos who you can see at their shows and the jams include bassists Gerald Veasley and Brian Bromberg, guitarists Pat Martino and Chuck Loeb, Saxophonists Andrew Neu and Boney James, trumpeter Rick Braun, and vocalist Dianne Reeves.
Most festivals are centered in one location with one or two main stages. Berks Jazz Fest is unique in that many performances are taking place simultaneously at multiple venues throughout the county.
In Boyertown, the festival is happening at the Other Farm Brewing Company, which is hosting four Jazz Fest events. The fest kicks off on Friday, April 10 with a performance by guitarist Frank DiBussolo. Nominated eight times for Grammy awards, Frank has accompanied Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Diana Ross, and has been featured in the bands of Buddy Rich, Art Blakey, and Bucky Pizzarelli. He is excited about his quartet joining forces with saxophonist Dave DePalma at the Other Farm.
“It’s very gratifying to be part of Berks Jazz Fest. We’re bringing big city jazz to Boyertown.”
To see an artist of Frank DiBussolo’s caliber in Boyertown is a rare treat, and my group, the Steve Walker Jazz Experience, has the honor of opening this exceptional show.
On Saturday, April 11, there will be a special performance by the Cider House Band, led by local sax sensation Henry Frecon. Henry is a longtime supporter of jazz in the area, and his saxophone and flute skills have been featured at Berks Jazz Fest events.
“We’ll be doing standards by Miles, Dizzy, and Grover Washington, to the contemporary classics of Billy Joel, Steely Dan, and Tower of Power.”
In addition to the stellar Cider House band, some of the finest musicians in the area will be sitting in. Rounding out the schedule at the Other Farm will be the urban organic jazz of Drive Time on April 17 and Sara and the Arrows on April 18.
Jazz Fest comes to Pottstown with a free community concert at the Sunnybrook Ballroom by the U.S. Army Jazz Ambassadors and the Pottstown High School Jazz Band on Tuesday, April 14, and on Saturday April 18, a Celebrate Sinatra Show with the Sounds of Sunnybrook Dance Band.
All these local events are just the icing on the cake, as the hottest acts and biggest names in the genre are performing at the Jazz Fest main venues. You can see the big boys mix it up at the Berks Bop and All Star Jams, and catch the shows of Billy Cobham, Wynton Marsalis, Larry Coryell, Joe Lovano, and many other major artists at Building 24, Scottish Rite Cathedral, Crowne Plaza, and the Santander Performing Arts Center.
It’s not often that the music this fantastic comes to you, but with the shows at the Other Farm and the festival centered just a few miles away in Reading, that is exactly what is happening. If you’re a lover of fine music, or just want to find out what jazz is all about, you owe it to yourself to experience the Berks Jazz Fest firsthand. Full concert and ticket information can be found on the website: www.berksjazzfest.com.
Steve Walker is a Berks County musician, teacher, and journalist. He can be reached at stevewalkermusic@gmail.com.
