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Press Release:
12th ANNUAL CREEKSIDE BLUES & JAZZ FESTIVAL BRINGS OLD AND NEW TRADITIONS FOR VISITORS
The 12th Annual Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival is only a matter of weeks away, and the Gahanna Convention & Visitors Bureau (GCVB) has a wide variety of fun in store for the whole family from June 18-20 in Gahanna’s Creekside Plaza. Along with spending three days listening to more than 90 hours of the best blues and jazz music on the Festival’s four stages, locals and visitors alike will be able to participate in many of the Festival’s annual traditions, and even begin some new ones.
“The Gahanna CVB and the Festival Planning Committee have put together another terrific program of music for our Festival stages this year,†Laurie Jadwin, Festival chair, said. “We’re also thrilled to be able to offer some new elements to the Festival, which will not only enhance the experience of Creekside, but also give visitors an interactive experience with music as well.â€Â
The Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival will launch an inaugural Pub Crawl on June 12, to provide a sampling of some of Central Ohio’s great musical acts. Plus, during the Festival, beginning musicians will have a chance to learn how to develop their talents with a pair of clinics on Saturday, June 19.
Blues Headliner Brings Sound of the Bayou
Saturday night’s blues headliner Tab Benoit is a nationally-acclaimed blues guitar player hailing from Louisiana. He is known for bringing his brand of bayou blues to fans more than 250 days a year, as a solo guitarist, and as a member of the Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars. He focuses a bit on small-town venues, as a tribute to his own small-town roots. As a musician, he has won the Blues Music Association’s Contemporary Male Artist of the Year Award in 2007 and 2008.
Beyond his work on stage, Benoit is an advocate for Louisiana’s wetlands. He is a co-founder of Voice of the Wetlands, an activism organization dedicated to the preservation of the Gulf Coast. He currently serves as the organization’s president. Benoit was also a major part of the 2006 documentary Hurricane On The Bayou, the McGillivray Freeman film chronicling life in Louisiana after Katrina. Last month, he appeared on an episode of HDNet’s Dan Rather Reports, in which he discusses the environmental changes in the Gulf Coast over the past few decades, including the disappearance of the wetlands behind his parents’ house. He recently took time out of his schedule during the New Orleans Jazz Fest to discuss the extent of the recent Gulf Coast oil spill and called for immediate action to be taken. He performed at Gulf Aid this month, and was just inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
Additional Blues headliners include:
The Jimi Vincent Band – Friday, June 18, 9:30 p.m.
The Sonny Moorman Group – Saturday, June 19, 7:15 p.m.
Sean Carney Band – Sunday, June 20, 4:30 p.m.
From Pickerington to Paris… And Back Home Again
Critically-acclaimed jazz trombonist and Pickerington, Ohio, native Sarah Morrow will headline the Jazz Stage on Friday, June 18, with fellow Central Ohio native and hometown jazz favorite Bobby Floyd and his trio. Morrow began playing trombone at the age of 12, and discovered jazz music as a senior at Pickerington High School, when she first heard the Columbus Jazz Orchestra. “I was hooked,†Morrow said. “I became a regular concert attendee, and knew then that this was what I wanted to do.â€Â
After getting her communications degree at Ohio University and working in arts administration in Philadelphia, Morrow returned to Ohio in 1993 to begin pursuing her jazz music career. Two years later, while she was playing lead trombone for the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, then-guest artist Ray Charles heard Morrow play, and hired her to play with his band, making her the first female instrumentalist to become a member of the Ray Charles Orchestra. She toured with Charles from November 1995 through May 1997. She has traveled the world with acclaimed jazz artists such as the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Dee Dee Bridgewater, the David Murray Octet and most recently pianist and singer Dr. John. She returned from her latest tour in Europe just last month. Friday night, she will take the stage with central Ohio native Bobby Floyd and his trio. Much like Morrow, Floyd’s musical prowess has taken him across the United States and around the world.
“I'm thrilled to be playing with Bobby and his band at the Creekside Festival,†Morrow said. “I'm really looking forward to seeing old friends and to sharing our music with new friends and fans!â€Â
Additional Jazz headliners include:
Urban Jazz Coalition – Saturday, June 19, 9 p.m.
Columbus Jazz Orchestra (CJO) – Sunday, June 20, 3 p.m.
Inaugural Pub Crawl
In a new feature for 2010, locals and visitors alike will have a chance to sample the many flavors of music in Gahanna the week before this year’s Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival, during the inaugural Creekside Pub Crawl on Saturday, June 12, presented by the GCVB and Columbus Blues Alliance.
Four Gahanna bars will take part in the Pub Crawl: Gatsby’s Bar & Grille (151 N. Hamilton Rd., Gahanna), Signatures Bar & Grille (94 Mill St., Gahanna), Dolphin Lounge (345 Agler Rd., Gahanna) and Old Bag Of Nails Pub (63 Mill St., Gahanna), which will all feature live music June 12. “This Pub Crawl will involve some of the great blues, rock, and crossover bands in Central Ohio,†said Bob Thomas, Crawl organizer and past Chariman of the Board of the Columbus Blues Alliance. “This preview to the Festival will get people in the mood to spend all three days at the Festival the weekend after the Crawl.â€Â
All four venues will also feature live “after hours†music on the Friday and Saturday nights of the Festival.
The bars and artists for the Pub Crawl and the Festival “After-Hours†are below:
Saturday June 12
Gatsby’s: 9pm The Jack (6pm acoustic opener TBA)
Dolphin Lounge: 9pm Red House
Signatures: 9pm Blood Sweat and Beers
Friday June 18
Gatsby’s: 9pm The Hypnotics
Signatures: 9pm Wrong Sauce
Dolphin Lounge: 9pm Greg Hale and Friends
Old Bag of Nails: 11pm Creekside Jam w/ Mike Dudley
Saturday June 19
Gatsby’s: 9pm The Reunion band from Cleveland
Dolphin Lounge: 9pm The Train
Signatures: 9pm My Kid Sister
Old Bag of Nails: 11pm Creekside Acoustic jam with Damian Knapp
Sunday June 20
Dolphin Lounge: 6pm – Rick Boals and the Soals with Rod Cave
Blues & Jazz Clinics
Another new offering this year is a pair of music clinics at Creekside on Saturday, June 19, for aspiring musicians who want to learn the craft. Central Ohio blues man Sean Carney will handle the blues side of music with a Blues Guitar Clinic at the Old Bag of Nails Pub, 63 Mill St., Gahanna. On the jazz side, vocalist and Jazz Arts Group faculty member Rachel Sepulveda will lead a one-day class at Mezzo Italian Kitchen & Wine, 130 Creekside Plaza, Gahanna. Each clinic costs $25, and space is limited. The registration deadline for both is May 31. For more information, visit http://www.columbusblues.com and http://www.jazzartsgroup.org .
Families Helping Families
Early arrivals to the festivities on Sunday, June 20, will have an opportunity to take in a full day’s worth of music and fun for free, while also helping others. In a new joint effort with Mid-Ohio Foodbank called Families Helping Families, the Festival will offer free admission to people who bring non-perishable food items between noon and 1 p.m. The food will go toward the Mid-Ohio Foodbank’s mission to provide food for food pantries across Central Ohio.
Jog For Jazz Moves To Saturday
This year’s Festival features the third annual Jog For Jazz 5K Run and Walk. This year’s Jog moves to Saturday and steps off at 10 a.m. in downtown Gahanna. The route will take joggers and walkers along the Big Walnut Creek past Friendship Park to Price Road. Participants will then turn north onto James Road and return to the heart of the Festival as Saturday’s events and music get underway. All race participants will receive a free T-shirt and refreshments after the race, and there will be prizes for the top three finishers in the Adult Men’s and Women’s categories and Young Adult Boys’ and Girls’ categories. Registration for the Jog for Jazz is available at http://www.secondsoleracing.com/races/jogforjazz.html .
Annual Jazz Brunch
Also in its third year, the Jazz Brunch give families the opportunity to spoil Dad with brunch before spending the day at the Festival. This year, Mezzo Italian Kitchen & Wine will host the family-friendly Jazz Brunch Buffet from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., complete with jazz music. Plus, all fathers will receive free admission to the Festival with a Brunch purchase. Brunch tickets are available at the GCVB, 181 Granville St., or online at http://www.creeksidebluesandjazz.com/events .
Children’s Activities
As always, there are plenty of activities for children at the Festival. Kids will have a chance to discover music on their own in the Musical Discovery Zone, presented by the Columbus Blues Alliance and Jazz For Kids program. They can also enjoy entertainment and face painting from Bug-A-Boo the Clown and Luke the Juggler, sample instruments provided by Music Go Round, and participate in fun craft activities presented in part by Kya’s Krusade. Sunday’s festivities will also include cooking for Dad with the Young Chef’s Academy of Gahanna.
During the past 12 years, Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival has evolved from a half-day event into a three-day family friendly event, with four stages of entertainmentâ€â€Creekside Community Stage, Jazz Stage, Blues Stage, and Acoustic Alley, more than 50 musical groups and much more. The festival location spans the area from the eastern banks of Big Walnut Creek with its Creekside Park and Plaza into historic downtown Olde Gahanna. The park and plaza areas feature beautiful views of the creek, boardwalks, a lagoon, two waterfalls, waterside dining, retail shops and more.
General admission is $3.00. Children under 12 are free. Members of the military will also receive free admission, ID required. The Festival is presented by the Gahanna Convention & Visitors Bureau and is made possible with help from a corps of dedicated local volunteers. Photos are available upon request.
For more information, visit http://www.creeksidebluesandjazz.com or call the Gahanna Convention & Visitors Bureau at 614-418-9114 or 1-866-GAHANNA. You can also find the Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/creeksidebluesandjazz .
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