This free festival will be filled with multiple stages of entertainment. Art in the Heart Downtown Art Show & Sale, Wine Down Tasting Experience, Generation Next Youth Talent Competition, Jazz Juniors educational activities, jazz exhibits and more will be there. Other festival highlights includes the Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition, ‘Round Midnight Jazz Jam, Jazz Talks, Sunday Jazz Brunches and other exciting activities.

This year the Jazz Festival offers free performances from renowned artists such as the Sonny Fortune Quartet, Basia and Tito Puente Jr. and his Orchestra.

The parade will be on Sunday, May 30 at 1:30 p.m. The parade in the streets led by JB Scott’s Swingin Allstars! Festival attendees are encouraged to bring their instruments and parasols to participate in this spirited celebration through downtown Jacksonville!

The City of Jacksonville is once again presenting Starry Nights which was well-known as one of Jacksonville’s most popular outdoor events for more than a decade, combining the wonderful sounds of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and an exciting variety of top entertainers. This event creates a festive downtown atmosphere in Metropolitan Park with the beautiful St. Johns River serving as the perfect backdrop.

Here are some of the concert dates and performers.

April 10 – Styx

Styx transformed from a suburban Chicago basement in the early 1970s to the virtual arena rock prototypes by the late 1970s and early 1980s, due to a fondness for big rockers and soaring power ballads.  Styx’s mainstream success began with “Lady.”  Most of their subsequent releases throughout the late 1970s earned at least platinum certification and spawned such hit singles and classic rock radio standards as “Come Sail Away,” “Renegade,” “Blue Collar Man,” and “Fooling Yourself.”

April 24 – Idina Menzel

Featuring Broadway powerhouse Idina Menzel, the Tony award-winning “Elphaba” from the international blockbuster “Wicked.”  With a diverse repertoire of classic pop, musical theater favorites (including hits from “Wicked” and “Rent”) as well as songs from her album “I Stand,” Idina Menzel demonstrates why she is one of the great vocal performers of our time.  Catch her this spring on the FOX television series “Glee!”

April 24th – Conductor Matthew Kraemer
Recognized for his “musical sensitivity” and “energized sense of interpretation”, conductor Matthew Kraemer begins his tenure as associate conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in September 2009.  In this role he will appear on each of the orchestra’s major series, including subscription weeks, Pops, and Family concerts.  He will play a vital role in the BPO’s award winning education and community engagement programs, in addition to assisting Music Director JoAnn Falletta during her Kleinhans Hall weeks, recording sessions and on tour.  The 2009-2010 season will also mark his third and final year as associate conductor of the Virginia Symphony.  Upcoming season highlights include an all Mozart program and The Music Man with the BPO, Strauss’ Don Juan and Stravinsky’s Firebird with the VSO, and performances with Philippe Quint, Ben Folds, and Chris Botti.  He will also debut with the Jacksonville Symphony and the Baltimore Symphony orchestras in the spring of 2010.

It’s time for Savannah to “Go Green” and celebrate its Irish heritage and culture. On Saturday, March 13, 2010 it’s time for the annual Irish Celebration in Emmet Park – Tara Feis.

This is a great event for the whole family with irish music, dance food and fun. This year, Cathie Ryan Band will be performing.

For more information about the event, visit http://http//www.savannahga.gov/arts

Click here to read more about St Patrick’s Day in Savannah

We went to the songwriter contest/music festival in Jacksonville at Treehill Nature Center. Nashville producer Michael Knox, who was part of the jury, was there as well.

Below is the list of the winners. The talented Kelty Shellhorn is only 14 years old! Watch the video for more.

Top 3 Songs:
1) Bryan Fogle
2) Kelty Shellhorn
3) Craig Hand

Top 3 Artists:
1) Kata Rhe
2) Kelty Shellhorn
3) Rebecca Hewitt

Best Green Song:
Al Monte

Upcoming Star:
Kelty Shellhorn

The 28th Annual Savannah Jazz Festival is held September 20 – 27, 2009 and if you love jazz, you have to come to Savannah for this special festival. Every year the festival takes over the city with a colorful musical celebration of all genres of jazz, from Dixieland, traditional swing, straight-ahead and bop to melodic standards, Latin rhythms and funky down-home “gutbucket” blues.

Savannah Jazz festival offers the best in international, national, regional and local jazz talent. There are many live performances, jam session and also film screenings.

This festival offer free concerts.

For a detailed schedule visit the website www.savannahjazzfestival.org or call 912-675-5419.

Summer is here and the heat is on. Savannah is becoming hot, hot, hot when when the Fiesta Latina festival returns to Rousakis Plaza on Saturday June 20th.

Live DJ’s and bands will bring salsa, merengüe, cumbia, norteño, bachata, reggaetón and more to the river front. Featured artists include the popular “Serenata Band” from Atlanta, who visited last year, as well as many other local and regional artists. Besides music and dance, the festival also offers arts, crafts and food from different countries.

For more information about the event call 912.238.2032

Cool Down this Summer With the Hot Sounds of Reggae Nights

Looking for a cool end to that hot day at the beach? Let the sounds of Eclectic Roots Ensemble take away the sting of the summer sun with Reggae Nights, the Summer Concert Series of the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission.

First formed in 2001, ERE is a classical, yet progressive reggae band with a unique touch for moods and lyric in their vibes.
Based in Atlanta, they’ve been home to many musicians from around the world.

Cortez Paschal keyboards, bass, vocals
Denis Isaacs featured vocals
David Canis guitars
Rob Williams bass
Reggie Vickers drums

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The event takes place on Saturday July 18th, at James Island County Park. The gates open at 7:30 pm and music starts at 8:30 pm.

Admission is $8.00 or 5 books of Greenbax. Children 12 and under enjoy free admission. Annual Gold Passes will be honored.

For more information and detailed schedules and locations visit www.ccprc.com or call 795-4FUN.

Every summer in St. Augustine you can enjoy the free Concerts in the Plaza series. This event has been called “the best way to spend a Thursday night in St Augustine”. This is without doubt a wonderful opportunity to spend time outdoors and enjoy a free concert in the park with friends and family. This event offers a wide selection of music to the Old City all summer long. On Thursdays you can enjoy everything from Bluegrass and blues, jazz and country, swing and folk, to old time and popular rock.
All Thursday night concerts are free. The concert begins at 7 p.m, bring your own chair and maybe even picnic dinner.

The event takes place at The Plaza de la Constitución, located in the heart of St. Augustine between Cathedral Place and King Street, west of the Bridge of Lions. The band performs from The Gazebo in the center of the Plaza. Since this is usually a popular event, come early to get a good spot.

Parking
There are several places to park. Parking is available in the Historic Downtown Parking Facility (HDPF) located at the St. Augustine & St. Johns County Visitors Information Center. This is usually where we choose to park when visiting. It’s convenient and easy. We don’t enjoy wasting time looking for parking when we’re visiting for a day. There’s just too much to see and do in St Augustine. The parking place is about a ten minute walk from the Plaza. Parking is $1.25 per hour with a $7.50 per day maximum.
On street parking is also available near the Plaza de la Constitución and is free after 5:00pm.

This year we celebrate the Johnny Mercer centennial. Johnny Mercer was born in Savannah in 1909. He wrote lyrics to 1,700 songs – out of those 100 or so were hits and four nominated for awards. His most famous are probably “Moon River” and “Days of Wine and Roses”. He was a cofounder of Capital records just to mention a few of his achievements.

Mercer in the Squares is a free concert at lunch-time in the squares of Savannah lasting all summer. Bring your sandwich or picnic lunch and enjoy a musical adventure with R&B, jazz, Wednesdays and Fridays 11:30 and 1:30 in Johnson and Wright squares.

The events are presented by New Arts Ensemble and the City of Savannah in conjunction Enjoy Mercer favorites in a summer-long tribute to Savannah’s acclaimed songsmith.

June 3: Johnson Square
June 5: Johnson Square
June 10: Wright Square
June 12: Wright Square
June 17: Johnson Square
June 19: Johnson Square
June 24: Wright Square
June 26: Wright Square
July 8: Johnson Square
July 10: Johnson Square
July 15: Wright Square
July 17: Wright Square
July 22: Johnson Square
July 24: Johnson Square
July 29: Wright Square
July 31: Wright Square

City of Savannah’s Department of Cultural Affairs 912-651-6417
www.johnnymercercentennial.com