Sisters all jazzed up about festival

The Riverboat Jazz Band played patriotic music at the Sisters Jazz Festival.

The "revitalized" Sisters Jazz Festival delighted music fans last weekend. From the Sisters High School Jazz Band to the internationally acclaimed Chicago 6 there was truly something for every jazz enthusiast who attended the festival.

The Jazz Festival was cancelled last year and board members revamped the event.

"We decided to change the format and include small venues and local bands as well as returning national groups," said Kent Thie, who served as the Marketing Director for the event. "We were hoping to draw more folks from the Portland and Eugene areas. We're also trying to bring in a younger audience."

Other changes included an kick-off at noon Friday in the Sisters Market parking lot. Besides the four main venues, which were the Village Green, Comfort Inn, Bronco Billy's stage, and the elementary school (which was alcohol-free), mini-venues were set up at various local establishments.

"I'm excited about the change of venue," said board member Jody Henderson. "We have some very reputable regional musicians to play during meal breaks at the restaurant venues. Bend has a lot of talented players."

Sin Sity Suitz came not only to perform at the festival, but also to encourage the budding musicians at the high school.

"We started our day out at 7 a.m. at the high school," Suitz leader Stan Mark told the Friday afternoon crowd at the Comfort Inn Stage. "We're educating younger folks about the 'good old stuff' -- telling them that swing is still alive!"

"The High School band was my favorite," said Sisters resident, Avril Perry. Perry and her family enjoyed hearing most of the groups perform while they served up barbecue outside the Comfort Inn tent.

"They were so good, and the audience really appreciated the talent of the young people. I think they were even a bit surprised by how good the students were."

David Mann, a junior at Sisters High, plays drums in the Jazz Band.

"Jazz is my favorite form of music," he said. "Most teens don't listen to jazz, but I love it. It's like an attitude in itself -- unlike anything else I've heard. I can't get enough of it!"

Gator Beat sets toes tapping at the Sisters Jazz Festival.

The Village Green stage, the largest of the main venues, offered two dance floors, which the patrons utilized with enthusiasm.

The Bronco Billy's stage offered an intimate venue, which provided the opportunity to make some new friends--and maybe even rub shoulders with the bands.

The River Boat Jazz Band played to a tightly packed group on Friday, dazzling the audience with their Dixieland sound.

The four band members were decked out in red, white, and blue striped shirts and closed their set out with a round of patriotic songs.

"When we play 'Battle Hymn of the Republic," band leader Pat O'Neal told the audience, "you guys will know when it's time to sing along!"

Tapping her toes to the classic Dixieland licks, June Hendershot from San Diego, California, was clearly enjoying herself.

"I'm actually on the board of directors of the San Diego Jazz Festival," she said. "I've been to festivals all over Europe. I think Sisters is charming -- they do a good job putting on the festival."

"The bands are good, but the people are great," said Sisters resident Sheryl Whent, who managed all the ticket sales for the four main venues.

Whent has been a volunteer with the Jazz Festival since its inception eleven years ago.

"My favorite group, though, is Gator Beat," she said. "They relate to audiences of all ages. When they get up on stage, they enjoy themselves so much, that they just pull the crowd in."