Entries by Vail Jazz

Behind the outlaw blues

January 9, 2018 in , , , /by

Phil Wiggins and George Kilby Jr. launch 2018 Vail Jazz Winter Series! When Phil Wiggins and George Kilby Jr. first crossed paths, they did not initially strike up a kinship over music. They originally bonded over the post-apocalyptic novel “Riddley Walker.” After one of them tossed out an off-handed reference to the obscure piece of […]

Celebrate jazz this Colorado Gives Day

December 4, 2017 in , , , , , /by

On Tuesday, December 5th, Vail Jazz will join together with more than 40 nonprofits in the Vail Valley in a celebration of philanthropy called Colorado Gives Day.  This day marks a 24-hour period in which supporters, beneficiaries, fans and followers of Colorado nonprofits give back to the organizations that they love most by making a […]

Alumni CD Releases 2017

December 4, 2017 in , , , /by

2017 was the 100th anniversary of the first jazz recording as well as the centennial of many jazz greats: Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, and Ella Fitzgerald to name a few. If the following releases are an indicator of anything it is that the jazz tradition is still going strong. All the albums below feature one […]

Preorder your 2017 Vail Jazz Workshop CD today!

October 24, 2017 in , , /by

The pre-order of the 2017 Vail Jazz All-Stars double CD is now available for purchase! CDs will be shipped no later than December 1, 2017. After 10 days of intensive study, the 12 students that are selected every year to participate in the Vail Jazz Workshop are proudly billed as the “Vail Jazz All-Stars.” This […]

At Vail, Stellar Jazz Faculty Fosters Exceptional Young Talent (Downbeat Magazine)

October 16, 2017 in , , , , , , /by

By Paul de Barros for DownBeat Magazine, 9/25/17 “It’s something you hear about a lot,” said Georgia-based pianist Clay Eshleman of the Vail Jazz Workshop, standing beside the white tent in Vail Square, where he and the other 11 Vail Jazz All-Stars had delivered a crisp performance to a cheering crowd. “It is so special […]

From the 2017 Vail Jazz Party… A fly on the wall

September 2, 2017 in , , , , , /by

A review of Friday’s performances by Shauna Farnell The 23rd Annual Vail Jazz Party is off and running, the first two nights of performances thundering forth one barrage of talent and energy after another. The highlights thus far have twinkled in a blinding array of sparkles too numerous to name. Among them though, the unblinking, […]

The Singing and Guitar Playing Miracle

September 1, 2017 in , , , , , , , /by

Born in 1915 in Cotton Plant, Ark., Sister Rosetta Tharpe (as she became known) was the child of African American cotton pickers. Little is known about her father, but her mother, Katie Bell Nubin, was an extremely important figure in her life. Katie was a congregant of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), a […]

The art of the jam session

August 28, 2017 in , , , , , /by

The Vail Jazz Party is a breeding ground for spontaneous and sometimes unlikely musical magic Howard Stone likens a jazz jam session to a fantastic conversation. Sometimes you fall into a vibrant discussion that surprises you. It not only makes you feel alive with cognitive and creative power, but introduces  ideas and perspectives you’d never […]