“People often ask me if jazz is dead, meanwhile the past Center City Jazz Festivals have sold out in advance. Good music is alive and well in Philly. We benefit from having a great number of talented musicians in the area, and many attendees return yearly to see them,” said Center City Jazz Festival founder and artistic director Ernest Stuart.
Some of the notable performers – many of whom are from, or live, in the Philadelphia area – at the sixth annual Center City Jazz Festival 1 to 7 p.m. April 29 will be Eric Wortham II, who toured with Adele; drummer George “Spanky” McCurdy, who has toured with Lady Gaga and Lauryn Hill; The Landham Brothers; Odean Pope; Monnette Sudler; Beats and Brew; Josh Lawrence & Color Theory; the Adison Evans Quintet; the James Santangelo Trio; Shakera Jones; and the John Yao Quintet.
Can you give me the when and the where so I can plan ahead?
We broke it down by location for you.
Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom St.
1 to 2 p.m. Larry McKenna.
2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Gunshow.4 to 5 p.m. Shakera Jones.
5:30 to 6:30 p.m. John Yao Quintet.
Time Restaurant, 1315 Sansom St.
1:45 to 2:45 p.m. Matt Cappy.3:15 to 4:15 p.m. James Santangelo Trio.
4:45 to 5:45 p.m. Beats and Brew.
6:15 to 7:15 p.m. Eric Wortham II.
Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom St.
1:15 to 2:15 p.m. Kimmel Center Creative Music Program.
2:45 to 3:45 p.m. Puzzlebox.4:15 to 5:15 p.m. Adison Evans Quintet.
5:45 to 6:45 p.m. The Landham Brothers.
Milkboy Philadelphia, 1100 Chestnut St.
1 to 2 p.m. Ensemble Novo.2:30 to 3:30 p.m. ACE – Abadey, Claffy, Eunson.
4 to 5 p.m. Below Zero.5:30 to 6:30 p.m. George “Spanky” McCurdy.
Franky Bradley’s, 1320 Chancellor St.
1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Norman David and The Eleventet.
3 to 4 p.m. Josh Lawrence & Color Theory.
4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Monnette Sudler’s Ladies Night Out Quartet.
6 to 7 p.m. Odean Pope.What’s the ticketing situation?
One ticket provides access to all performances. It’s $20 in advance and $25 at the door. It’s best to go to www.ccjazzfest.com.
There’s more
Since April is Jazz Appreciation Month, you should know the 2017 Philadelphia Jazz Festival is happening right now.
One standout is concert is “Schoolhouse Rock” songwriter Bob Dorough with Bucks County’s Eric Mintel Trio “In Honor of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Day” at 7 and 9 p.m. April 30 at South, 600 N. Broad St., Philadelphia. Tickets range from $7.50-$15.
Another is Jaguar Wright and Gerald Veasley performing “The Music of Nina Simone” at 6:30 p.m. April 30 at Ardmore Music Hall, 23 E. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 the day of the show.
All the information’s at your fingertips at www.thephiladelphiajazzfestival.com.