Sisters swings to jazz festival

Blue skies, nice people and good music.

The 10th High Mountains Jazz at Sisters festival is in the books, and festival Director Ray Buselli risked a smile late Sunday afternoon.

"Well, everything worked out great," said Buselli, with a hint of relief in his voice.

This is his baby. For the last six years, Buselli has been in charge of putting together the Sisters jazz festival. It's a big job that begins even before the curtain comes down on the previous festival.

The 2000 edition of the Jazz Festival had a distinct international flavor, with the inclusion of bands from Austria and Canada.

Another group -- Old Dominion Jazz Band -- is international all by itself, with performers from the United States and Canada.

Some of the old favorites returned -- like Chicago Six, Bill Allred, and Blue Street. Gator Beat, with its catchy New Orleans/Zydeco beat, was back for the third year; and 14 year-old piano prodigy David Hull made guest appearances with six of the bands.

Another joint appearance took place on Saturday evening, when Marilyn Keller of Black Swan and Sherri Colby of Blue Street joined up with Chicago Six and Yve Evans. The three female vocalists had the crowd on their feet and singing along.

Many of the festival patrons have been coming to Sisters to hear jazz for several years. For others it was their first time.

No one came farther than Ulf and Netta Nilsson, of Helsingborg, Sweden. The couple are long-time jazz fans who have also journeyed to Preservation Hall in New Orleans.

Asked if Sisters lived up to her expectations, Netta laughed and said, "We didn't have any expectations, so we're overwhelmed."

Obviously enjoying himself, Ulf stomped his feet and clapped his hands to the beat of the music.

He was also pretty impressed with Oregon, having squeezed in whitewater rafting, horseback riding, golf and -- of course -- jazz.

"This area is fantastic," he said. "There's so much to do; and a short ride in the car, and the climate is completely different."

Other visitors from way out of town included Ron Robb and Jan Lovewell of Lund, British Columbia. Lund is about 100 miles north of Vancouver, B.C.

They came to see the Michael Kaeshammer Trio, fellow Canadians from Victoria, but became caught up in the Gator Beat enthusiasm, as well. Kaeshammer's trio was very well received and was one of the new groups that impressed quite a few people.

Another group that was new to the festival and received high marks was the Diamond B Wranglers from Tumalo, with their Western Swing-style music.

Also of note was the fact that these two groups noticeably lowered the average age of the performers.

Ten bands were rotated among four separate venues around town. The performances took place at the Village Green, Sisters Hotel, Coyote Creek Cafe, and the Mountain Shadow RV Park/Comfort Inn.

The festival, of course, would not even be possible, without the support of its many sponsors. This is an event that the entire community becomes involved in.

It's interesting to note, however, that more than one of the festival sponsors were from out of town.

Ken and Pat Hanson, for example, are from Castle Rock, Washington, and are key sponsors of jazz camps for Sisters area kids.

Buselli praised the Hansons as "great supporters of youth music and youth bands."

They provide festival raffle items, the proceeds of which are used to send kids to music camp.

"We're here to support the kids," Pat Hanson said, "and to help them learn about this kind of music."

Festival music scholarships are awarded to Sisters students from seventh grade through high school. The fund-raiser has sent local students to music camps in such places as Sacramento, Mammoth Lake, and Camp Heebie Jeebies in Montana.

Introducing youth to music has been a major focus of the Sisters Jazz Festival ever since festival founder Bob Lowery sent a band to the grade school in the festival's first year.

That emphasis on youth continues up to the present day; children under 12 were admitted free, and a three-day pass for ages 12-18 cost only $10.

Sunday morning began with a special Gospel program that was open to the general public. The festival wound up with a big finale on Sunday afternoon, that featured nearly 40 performers playing to a packed house.

Festival organizers are in the process of looking ahead to next year, and the 2001 lineup is already in the making.

The artistic and entertainment aspects of this year's festival were unqualified successes, but Buselli was cautious about making an assessment of the Festival's financial picture.

Buselli is concerned that attendance declined a bit this year. Advance sales were down, and only the Saturday evening performances were sold out.

Buselli notes that this year's mix of bands offered the largest number of non-traditional groups yet fielded, and he wonders if that could be a factor in the reduced numbers. It's a tough balancing act to keep the old-time jazz fans coming back and still attract younger music fans.

And soon the planning for next year will begin in earnest.