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All about soul: Music festival infuses Salem with jazz, blues and gospel this weekend
Published: August 16, 2007
The city of Salem is about to be overtaken be soulful sounds.
After months of jazz, blues and soul teaser concerts, the main event - the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival - happens this weekend. Five local groups will take the stage at Salem Willows for Saturday's free, daylong festival of the North Shore's most soulful artists.
"Soul kind of covers a lot of things," said Matt Caruso, the festival's director of community relations. "You've got blues, soul, gospel - you can really cover a lot. Jazz and soul have a lot of energy around it. And a lot of local musicians are in this kind of music."
Saturday's lineup kicks off with Beverly jazz band Headshaft shortly before noon. Jazz, R&B and swing guitarist Bobby Keyes, blues group Jen Kearney and the Lost Onion, and Salem jazz and funk organ duo Fats Hammond will follow throughout the afternoon. And the six-piece Boston Horns with guest vocalist Barrence Whitfield will close out the day.
Caruso said organizers are shooting for a fun, summery feel to the festival.
"It's not meant to be a concert with a mosh pit; it's meant to be appealing for all ages," he says. "The genre is something that crosses a lot of demographics."
A team of 11 North Shore music-lovers started laying the groundwork for the festival last winter. Committee members suggested local artists they knew or had heard of to add to the performance roster.
To raise money for the event, a series of mini-jazz fundraising concerts kicked off in April. Local performers, including the Boston Horns, Tony Gallo and Eric Reardon, performed monthly throughout the city. These mini-concerts, Caruso said, were very successful, especially the one headlined by the Boston Horns at which more than 100 people were turned away at the door after the show sold out. A portion of the proceeds from the fundraisers will also support music education at Salem High School.
The soulful vibe of Saturday's festival will extend beyond Salem Willows and into downtown as several music venues are joining in on the jazz. The Dodge Street Bar and Grill, In a Pig's Eye the Edgewater Cafe and others will host jazz and soul musicians tonight through Sunday.
"We wanted to make sure other music venues knew about the event, so they could get bands that add to the atmosphere," Caruso said.
After months of jazz, blues and soul teaser concerts, the main event - the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival - happens this weekend. Five local groups will take the stage at Salem Willows for Saturday's free, daylong festival of the North Shore's most soulful artists.
"Soul kind of covers a lot of things," said Matt Caruso, the festival's director of community relations. "You've got blues, soul, gospel - you can really cover a lot. Jazz and soul have a lot of energy around it. And a lot of local musicians are in this kind of music."
Saturday's lineup kicks off with Beverly jazz band Headshaft shortly before noon. Jazz, R&B and swing guitarist Bobby Keyes, blues group Jen Kearney and the Lost Onion, and Salem jazz and funk organ duo Fats Hammond will follow throughout the afternoon. And the six-piece Boston Horns with guest vocalist Barrence Whitfield will close out the day.
Caruso said organizers are shooting for a fun, summery feel to the festival.
"It's not meant to be a concert with a mosh pit; it's meant to be appealing for all ages," he says. "The genre is something that crosses a lot of demographics."
A team of 11 North Shore music-lovers started laying the groundwork for the festival last winter. Committee members suggested local artists they knew or had heard of to add to the performance roster.
To raise money for the event, a series of mini-jazz fundraising concerts kicked off in April. Local performers, including the Boston Horns, Tony Gallo and Eric Reardon, performed monthly throughout the city. These mini-concerts, Caruso said, were very successful, especially the one headlined by the Boston Horns at which more than 100 people were turned away at the door after the show sold out. A portion of the proceeds from the fundraisers will also support music education at Salem High School.
The soulful vibe of Saturday's festival will extend beyond Salem Willows and into downtown as several music venues are joining in on the jazz. The Dodge Street Bar and Grill, In a Pig's Eye the Edgewater Cafe and others will host jazz and soul musicians tonight through Sunday.
"We wanted to make sure other music venues knew about the event, so they could get bands that add to the atmosphere," Caruso said.
Caruso hopes the soul fever catches on and the festival becomes part of Salem's culture.
"We'd like to see this grow and expand and we'd love to see this be a major event for the North Shore," he said. "The city's right, the locations are right. So much is happening in Salem. There's a great music scene and we're capitalizing on the moment."
IF YOU GO
r What: Salem Jazz and Soul Festival
* When: Saturday, Aug. 18, from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Rain date Sunday, Aug. 19)
* Where: Salem Willows Bandstand, Fort Avenue, Salem
* How: Admission is free. Visit www.salemjazzsoul.com for more.
Festival lineup
Headshaft, 11:45 to 12:45 p.m.
Bobby Keyes, 1 to 2 p.m.
Jen Kearney and the Lost Onion, 2:15 to 3:15 p.m.
Fats Hammond, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Boston Horns with Barrence Whitfield, 5 to 6 p.m.
More jazz and soul
Get your jazz fix every night this weekend at other Salem venues.
Tonight
* Patino Vasquez at In a Pig's Eye, 148 Derby St., 9 to 11 p.m.
* The Heavy Metal Horns at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 94 Washington Square E., 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.
Tomorrow
* Patino and Los Sugar Kings at Edgewater Cafe, 155 Washington St., 9:30 to 11:30 p.m.
* Further from Zen and the Swamptones at Dodge Street Bar and Grill, 7 Dodge St., 8 to 11 p.m.
Saturday
* Marty Rowan and Mike Mele at Bangkok Paradise, 90 Washington St., 10 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
* Brothers from Another Planet at Edgewater Cafe, 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
* Headshaft at Dodge Street Bar and Grill, 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
* Project 9 at Bay Bridge Restaurant and Night Club, 29 Bridge St., 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
* The Tony Gallo Group at Lyceum Bar and Grille, 43 Church St., 10 p.m. to midnight
Sunday
* Jazz and Soul Festival brunch with live music at In a Pig's Eye, 2:30 to 6 p.m.
* The H.D.'s, an up-and-coming North Shore band, at the Grapevine, 26 Congress St., 5 p.m.
