[Dixielandjazz] Medford Jazz Jubilee

[Steve Barbone]

Here's how one festival does it.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone


It's not just Dixieland anymore The annual Jazz Jubilee offers three days of
music plus jazz programs in area schools
 
By Bill Varble Mail Tribune October 12, 2007

The first thing Dennis Ramsden wants people to understand about Medford Jazz
Jubilee is that it's not just Dixieland.

"Not that there's anything wrong with Dixieland," Ramsden says. "But people
don't understand there's more than one kind of music here. It's zydeco and
jump-jive and big band and swing and Cajun. You go one year, you're hooked."

More than 5,000 people were hooked last year, buying more than 13,000 seats
to Medford Jazz Jubilee. The event promises three days of traditional jazz,
and lots of other stuff, beginning today, Friday, Oct. 12, and lasting
through Sunday. Sixteen bands have been lined up for this, the
longest-running jazz festival in the mythical State of Jefferson.

The 19th annual edition of the big festival kicks off at noon today in Vogel
Plaza with Michigan-based Wally's Warehouse Waifs, a band that has become a
regular here. There are 150 hours of live music on tap during the three days
of the event. Venues in addition to Vogel Plaza are the Red Lion Hotel
Ballroom, the Red Lion II (downstairs), the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater,
the Ramada Medford and Convention Center, KOBI-TV Studio C and the Lodge
Esquire Room at the Medford Elks.

Another thing Ramsden wants people to get is that the jubilee is very much a
dance event."Let's face it, everybody watches 'Dancing With the Stars'" he
says. "We're really pushing it. Every venue has a dance floor."

But the central mission of the event, Ramsden says, is education. Although
the focus of most of those in attendance is the live music played by their
favorite bands, much of the Jubilee's energy is focused on a program of jazz
in the schools that will reach more than 15,000 area students.

Two of the bands here for the jubilee, Wally's Warehouse Waifs and Mighty
Aphrodite, will perform for area middle and grade schools with the aim of
fostering an appreciation of traditional jazz. In the last 18 years, the
jubilee has contributed more than $123,000 to music education for young
people in the Valley. Ramsden says his wife has been driving Mighty
Aphrodite to their school gigs. "They're doing a super job," he says. "They
just click."

This year's event will continue a long-standing tradition of inviting local
middle and high school bands to strut their stuff on Saturday at Vogel
Plaza. Youth bands will take the stage to play 20-minute sets at 9:30, 12:30
and 5 p.m. that day.

Special events include a silent auction on jazz artworks, a jazz breakfast
from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday at KOBI-TV's Studio C, dance lessons by Follow My
Lead Studio from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, a special 5 p.m. Saturday show
by the South Medford SuitZ downstairs at the Red Lion, champagne breakfast
from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Sunday at the Elks Lodge, a gospel show from 8:30 to 10
a.m. at the Red Lion Ballroom and the grand finale at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at
both the Red Lion Ballroom and the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater.
Special Saturday events are Hot Time Jazz at 8 p.m., Louisiana Saturday
Night at 8 p.m. at the Red Lion and Dance, Dance, Dance! at 6:30 p.m. at the
Ramada Medford.

The jubilee dates from 1988, when Larry Bernard of Journey's End came back
to the Rogue Valley pumped up by what he'd seen at the gigantic Sacramento
Jazz Jubilee. Aided by then-Mayor Jerry Lausmann and Patti Bills of Medford,
he had the first Medford event up and running in October 1989 with eight
bands. The youth program was created the next year. It's grown from 500 to
15,000 participants over the years.

Jubilee organizers have put a few rules in place over the years. "I'm
Dancing" cards will save your seat (ask a volunteer), but seats may not be
saved for people who aren't present. No recording of any kind is allowed,
nor open containers outside the venues. All the venues are smoke-free.
It takes 350 volunteers to put on the event.

"The minute it's over," Ramsden says, "we'll sit down and start working on
next year's." Call 770-6972 or 800 599-0039, see medfordjazz.org or turn to
Page 8 in Tempo for a complete schedule.
Reach reporter Bill Varble at 776-4478 or bvarble at mailtribune.com