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Jazz Walk returns to downtown Elkins

ELKINS — An evening of outstanding jazz entertainment is in store for the community at the third annual Elkins Jazz Walk.

The Aug. 4 First Friday event will feature 20 jazz artists at four different venues in downtown Elkins. The event is a collaboration of Elkins Main Street, the West Virginia Jazz Society, Mountain Arts District and several area businesses.

A member of MAD, WVJS and an EMS volunteer, Elkins jazz artist Seth Maynard helped coordinate the event.

“I’m very proud of the team effort between community leaders and organizations, musicians, and businesses that has led to such a spectacularly enriching event for our town,” said Maynard. “I really hope these partnerships continue building and growing to help establish Elkins as a destination for jazz entertainment.”

Jazz Walk performances will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Beander’s, CJ Maggie’s, El Gran Sabor, and Jabberwock. The four performance venues are all just a short walk apart. With half-hour breaks between sets, jazz fans will have time to walk from one venue to the next and take in shows at all four.

Five jazz ensembles will entertain guests with groups performing at each of the four venues.

West Virginia’s top jazz artists will share the stage and billing with some well-known jazz professionals out of Pittsburgh, Indiana, Ohio, and New York City.

Performing at Beander’s, Seth Maynard and the Cool Cats features an all-West Virginia line-up of artists, including Rich Norwood on saxophone, Greg Thurman on upright bass, and West Virginia Wesleyan music professor Kyle Andrews on drums. Elkins native Maynard will lead the group on guitar and vocals. The band will entertain with highly improvised arrangements of jazz standards, funk, and original pieces.

El Gran Sabor will host young jazz phenoms from the Pittsburgh scene. The Funky Fly Project will perform two early hour-long sets at 6:30 and 8 p.m., to be followed by the jazz-fusion group, The Time Flies. Under the direction of keyboardist Monika Herzig and guitarist Peter Kienle, the quartet is sure to provide some energetic and modern jazz at 9:30 and 11 p.m. The Time Flies Quartet features funky bass and drums from New York City-area players.

CJ Maggie’s will set the stage for the James Moore Trio, which will perform hour-long sets at 6:30, 8 and 9:30 p.m. This jazz trumpet, organ, and drum trio’s music will be audible on the street, as they perform from the open-air Armadillo Flats. Don’t miss the masterful work of West Virginia Wesleyan’s Music Department head, Elkins native, and top-call trumpeter, Dr. James Moore.

World-class partners include the nationally-known organist from Akron, Ohio, Cliff Barnes, and drummer James Johnson III from Pittsburgh.

Based in Buckhannon, the six-piece Isaac Viars Sextet will perform at Jabberwock Bar & Grill. The band features Viars on trombone; brothers Clint and Adam Bleil of Morgantown on saxophone and trumpet; drummer Eric Cappellini, also of Morgantown; Buckhannon-based Chris McGraw on bass; and the talented guitarist and recent graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan, Hunter Hirsh. Regular performers in the Pittsburgh area jazz scene, this ensemble is sure to light a jazz fire in Elkins.

With such an outstanding line-up of fine jazz artists one might expect to pay hefty cover charges, but all Jazz Walk shows will be open to those who purchase a wristband. Wristbands may be purchased in advance at the Elkins Main Street office, 421 Davis Ave., or at the door of each performance venue.

Online tickets are also available in advance at Eventbrite.com. Eventbrite tickets may be exchanged for wristbands at the Main Street office or any Jazz Walk venue.

The Elkins Jazz Walk is supported in part by a mini-grant from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, and a community development grant from the Walmart Foundation. Generous local support is provided by Elkins Auto and Davis Health System Pain Management Center.

Additional funding and support is provided by host venues Beander’s, CJ Maggie’s, El Gran Sabor, and Jabberwock Bar & Grill. Lodging for artists is provided by Holiday Inn Express, Iron Road Inn, Elkins Inn & Suites, and Graceland Inn & Conference Center.

“We are delighted to bring these performances to Elkins audiences, and grateful for the generous support of grant programs and local sponsorships that have made it possible,” said Karen Carper, executive director of Elkins Main Street.

Carper said continuing the jazz event in downtown Elkins is an exciting and important cultural venture for the community.

“Elkins has been exposed to many kinds of art and music, thanks to the Augusta Heritage Center and the Randolph County Community Arts Center,” she said. “Our ears are tuned to the traditional sounds of Appalachian music. We are happy to expand our cultural horizons and offer a unique opportunity for people to experience music and nightlife in the community.”

Eric Spelsberg, president of the WV Jazz Society, said the Elkins Jazz Walk is a step toward a regional movement linking jazz artists and creating tourism opportunities.

“The Elkins Jazz Walk is turning into one of the best small town jazz events in the state,” Spelsberg said.

For more information on the Elkins Jazz Walk, see www.facebook.com/elkinsjazzwalk or call the Elkins Main Street office at 304-637-4803.

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