Jazz Festival adds small band venues

As part of the new look of the Sisters Jazz Festival, small bands featuring local and regional musicians will perform at several locations in town during meal hours on Friday and Saturday of the September 13-15 festival.

The festival's main venues will shut down during the dinner hour on Friday and Saturday nights, and at lunch time on Saturday.

"This is part of the boards' attempt to bring the festival to the people as well as bring people to the festival," said Tom Worcester, board chairman.

Jazz groups that will be featured in the "mini-venues" include the Michelle VanHandel Trio with Steve Allen on bass and Dillon Schneider, guitar.

Jazz guitarist Rich Hurdle will also perform. He is known for his fluent melody/accompaniment style.

The vocal/piano duo of A.J. and Elise Cohen who perform regularly at venues in Bend will be featured, as will the Shirley VanPaepeghem Trio, featuring Shirley on vocals and her husband Quinn on guitar, with bassist Michael Scott.

The Benjamin Scharf Trio, featuring Sisters musicians Ben Scharf on piano and bassist Michael Kurtz, joined by their instructor, trumpeter Jody Henderson, will also play.

Worcester noted that some groups would be placed in restaurants and others in open locations in the core area in order to have music going throughout the city.

The festival will kick off Friday noon, September 13, with an open venue on Cascade Avenue, and will keep touring bands in that venue until late afternoon Friday as a way to introduce residents and visitors to the jazz varieties that will be heard during the weekend.

The Sisters High School Jazz Band will be featured also at performances in the main venues during the three-day festival.