Main Street JazzFest, set for May 3 and 4 on the Murfreesboro Public Square, has announced its 2019 main stage schedule for Saturday.
The annual Murfreesboro tradition features a mix of local school jazz bands and professional touring jazz musicians, along with food, kids’ activities and more. Attending the concerts is always free for the public.
The 2019 festival will feature Jennifer Bruce and DejaNu, the Cosmic Collective, Yamil Conga’s Nashville Latin AllStars, Music City Swing, First Fruit Jazz Project and other acts.
This year, WQJZ, downtown Murfreesboro’s jazz and community FM radio station, plans to broadcast Saturday’s concerts live. Listen in at 103.9 FM or at wqjz-lp.com.
The Cosmic Collective is a transmuting ensemble of jazz musicians anchored on multi-instrumentalist bandleaders Nikki Elias and Tyler Enslow. The group’s effervescent chemistry evolves from performance to performance contingent upon the accompanying sidemen and the setting, making each show a unique and personal experience.
The Cosmic Collective has been featured on Greg Pogue’s ACME Radio Nashville Jazz Show, headlined several festivals, and frequently performs at Rudy’s Jazz Room and Gray’s on Main, among various other venues.
Jennifer Bruce and her jazz quartet DejaNu provide a new spin to songs from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. The group gives a jazzy twist to pop songs from Paul Simon, Carole King, Stevie Wonder, Burt Bacharach, Hall & Oates, the Everly Brothers and many more.
Bruce, a self-proclaimed old soul, has a rich, sultry, soulful voice with a blues-influenced power. She started her career at the age of 10 performing at Disneyland and on USO tours in California. She has done extensive work in the recording studios of Nashville and has toured the country with a variety of groups. She was a featured vocalist for three years aboard the General Jackson Showboat.
Jennifer Bruce and DejaNu released their second album, Old Wine in New Bottles, in 2018, and band members have worked with a wealth of notable musicians over the years including Boots Randolph, Engelbert Humperdinck, Sandi Patti, Michael W. Smith, Brenda Lee, Steven Curtis Chapman, Crystal Gayle, Tony Orlando, the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Brian Setzer and Lorrie Morgan.
Nashville percussionist Yamil Conga will bring his Nashville Latin AllStars to the JazzFest stage. Conga has also agreed to lead a clinic at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Center for the Arts. Conga said that ever since he was a young boy he wanted to perform music on stage, performing with other talented musicians in front of an enthusiastic audience.
Friday, May 3:
6 p.m. – Central Magnet School Jazz Band
6:30 p.m. – Siegel High School Jazz Band
7 p.m. – MTCS Jazz Band
7:30 p.m. – Siegel High School Lab Jazz Band
8 p.m. – Riverdale High School Jazz Band
8:30 p.m. – Oakland High School Jazz Band
9 p.m. – Blackman High School Jazz Band
9:30 p.m. – Smyrna High School Jazz Band
10 p.m. – LaVergne High School Jazz Band
Saturday, May 4:
12 p.m. – Rutherford All-County Band
1 p.m. – MTSU Jazz Ensemble #1
2 p.m. – Cosmic Collective featuring Nikki Elias
3 p.m. – Music City Swing
4 p.m. – MTSU Jazz Faculty Jazztet
5 p.m. – First Fruit Jazz Project
6 p.m. – Yamil Conga’s Nashville Latin AllStars
7 p.m. – Jennifer Bruce & DejaNu
Yamil Conga will also appear at an artist showcase that day at Center for the Arts at 3:30 p.m.
Vendors at the 2019 Main Street JazzFest include:
Ace’s Kettle Corn
Hot Dog Guy
MexiVen
Mother Shuckers
Papa Doo and Mama D
Repicci’s Italian Ice
Sunshine Oasis
TN Subs
DH&H
