(UPDATE: organizers have cancelled Saturday’s activities due to rain)
Every spring in Rutherford County, JazzFest is held the first weekend in May, with high school jazz bands performing on Friday evening, May 4, and the pros taking over on Saturday, May 5.
It all happens on Murfreesboro’s beautiful downtown Public Square. Bring a chair and stay a while. It’s free, a gift from Main Street to the community.
Friday night kicks off at 6 p.m. with local “Future Jazz Greats.”
The Saturday event kicks off at 11 a.m., with the action on the Bob Scales Main Stage getting underway at noon. The performers will include Yamil Conga’s Nashville Latin AllStars, Cosmic Collective and Jennifer Bruce and DejaNu.
Yamil Conga’s Nashville Latin AllStars are a perfect mix of Old San Juan and Nashville. A native of Puerto Rico and a current resident of Nashville, Conga has benefited from an array of musical influences. Salsa runs in Conga’s blood, and this versatile drummer and percussionist learned from the salsa greats like La Fania All Stars, Ray Barretto, Tito Puente and Roberto Roena. Yamil Conga toured for six years with the Centricity Music band, Unspoken, and is now the conguero for the Nashville Salsa Machine, Roland Barber, Souvenir, Lalo Davila and Friends and jazz pianist Tyron Hamilton. He’s also backup drummer for the country band Reckless. His out-of-the-box, emotional and heartfelt approach to drumming is contagious. Yamil will also conduct a jazz clinic at 3:30 p.m. at The Center for this Arts, and this free event is open to the public.
Yamil Conga
When the Cosmic Collective met in a jazz combo at Middle Tennessee State University, the members quickly discovered their collaboration was something that needed to continue past the semester. Every performer in the ensemble adds a particular element to the sound, resulting in a blend that is dynamic, smooth and refreshingly unpredictable. Band leader and vocalist Nikki Michelle attributes their success to the chemistry they share as friends. “Having fun together and doing something we love is what makes this project work and keeps us coming back to create something beautiful,” she says. Their fusion of electric jazz and modern sounds has been described as “refreshing and vintage at the same time.”
Cosmic Collective
Jennifer Bruce and DejaNu are brilliantly weaving the classic songbook with a new spin of songs that were originally recorded in the pop style. They have given songs written by such acclaimed artists as Paul Simon, Carole King, Stevie Wonder, Burt Bacharach, Hall and Oats and the Everly Brothers new life. It’s a New American Songbook. Bruce, the power behind the microphone, is a multi-talented song stylist who has the chops to cover the great tunes of all time and has been influenced by many musical genres. She has a rich, sultry, soulful voice and excels at song interpretation reminiscent of many classic torch singers. Jennifer Bruce and DejaNu will release their second album of New American Songbook classics this spring.
Jennifer Bruce & DejaNu
JazzFest, presented by Main Street, is for families, featuring food vendors and the always-popular Kids Alley. From noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, kiddos will enjoy inflatable jump houses, tumbling and gymnastics, a musical petting zoo and more.
JazzFest isn’t Main Street’s only contribution to the community. The Saturday Market, the summer Friday Night Live concerts, Trick or Treat on the Square and the Christmas Tree Lighting are all thanks to Main Street, a local nonprofit organization. The Main Street program is affiliated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s National Main Street Center and follows the tenets of that program. Main Street capitalizes on the unique character of the courthouse square and the surrounding business district with the goal of transforming it into the cultural, social, professional and retail center of Rutherford County . . . in essence, the hub of community life.
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Main Street JazzFest 2018 Schedule:
Friday, May 4
6 p.m. Siegel High School Jazz Band
6:30 p.m. MTCS Jazz Band
7 p.m. Siegel High School Lab Jazz Band
7:30 p.m. Riverdale High School Jazz Band
8 p.m. Oakland High School Jazz Band
8:30 p.m. Blackman High School Jazz Band
9 p.m. Smyrna High School Jazz Band
9:30 p.m. LaVergne High School Jazz Band
10 p.m. Central Magnet School Jazz Band
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Saturday, May 5
Bob Scales Main Stage
12 p.m. Seymour High School Jazz Band
12:45 p.m. Run For Cover: A Tribute to David Sanborn
2 p.m. MTSU Jazz Ensemble #1
3:15 p.m. 129th Army Band
4:30 p.m. MTSU Jazz Faculty
5:45 p.m. Yamil Conga’s Nashville Latin AllStars
7 p.m. Cosmic Collective
8:30 p.m. Jennifer Bruce & DejaNu
Kroger (west) Stage Schedule
11 a.m. Rockvale Middle School
11:30 a.m. Stewart’s Creek Middle School
12 p.m. Stewart’s Creek High School First Period Jazz Band
12:30 p.m. The Swingin’ Storm of Rocky Fork
1 p.m. Oakland Middle School
1:30 p.m. St. Rose Middle School
2 p.m. Siegel Middle School
2:30 p.m. Stewart’s Creek High School Seventh Period Jazz Band
3:10 p.m. Scales Elementary Jazz Band
3:50 p.m. Blackman Middle School
4:30 p.m. All-Rutherford County Jazz Band
5:10 p.m. Steel De Boro
Center for the Arts
3:30 p.m. Jazz Clinic with Yamil Conga
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Food Vendors Participating in the 2018 JazzFest:
Ace’s Kettle Corn
DH&H (sno-kones)
Fresko Grilled Sandwich and Ice Cream Shop
Hot Dog Guy
Mother Shuckers
Repicci’s Italian Ice
Off the Hook
Papa Doo and Mama D
Sunshine Oasis
Tennessee Subs
