Jazz Festival brought wide range of music

Chicago 6 set toes to tappin' at the Sisters Jazz Festival. photo by Elise Gourguechon

The Sisters Jazz Festival held in Sisters last weekend continued to expand its artistic palette to include many other types of music than the traditional jazz for which it originally became known.

During the course of 12 events over 13 years, the festival has slowly been modified to include swing, blues and zydeco as well as Dixieland.

This year, Lily Wilde and her 14 piece "Jumpin' Jubilee Orchestra" from Portland put on a special show Saturday night, September 13, with big-band swing songs from the '30s, '40s and '50s.

The band broke across all barriers playing swing, jump and blues, but mostly stayed with the time-honored and traditional pieces from the past. The sultry singing of Wilde and the solid playing of what she calls, "the 14 best musicians in the Northwest," made for a memorable night.

The jazz festival hit a high note... photo by Elise Gourguechon

According to festival board member Tom Worcester, the effort to expand the festival's offerings was successful.

"It went exceedingly well," Worcester said.

He said it is too early to tell how successful the festival was financially, but he believes the event is moving toward the goal of bringing in a younger and more wide- ranging audience. "And, of course, we loved it when the kids were here and out on the dance floor."

Worcester acknowledged that there was some concern about attendance levels, mostly attributable to publicity about the B&B Complex fires.

"We were hurt by the fire, there's no question about it," he said.

Still, Worcester, tired but happy, was prepared to call the event a success. He was particularly proud of the large raffle proceeds and donations the festival gathered for use in promoting youth music programs.

Nathan Ketner of the Blue Street Jazz Band, from Fresno, California, takes a solo during a Sisters Jazz Festival performance at Sisters Elementary School. Blue Street is one of the top Dixieland bands in the nation. photo by Elise Gourguechon

Festival mainstay Chicago 6 (actually from San Diego) was back at the show this year, but this time without Yve Evans, their stylish vocalist and side kick to stand-up comic and three-string bass player and leader, Bob Finch.

The music was as well-received as always, even without Evans, and most of their shows were standing-room-only.

Evans was also back but with a different group. Her new outfit is called Yve Evans and Company, also from California, playing mostly blues with Evans doing the vocals.

Also appearing at all four venues again this year was the Blue Street contingent of seven classic jazz players. They, too, are from California (Fresno) and play great Dixieland jazz.

They again were selected to perform one of the two Sunday morning "Gospel Hours" at the Comfort Inn (Chicago 6 hosted the other at the Village Green).

The two gospel hour venues were again open to the public "free" -- a tradition of the Sisters Folk Festival which became so popular that the second venue was added last year.

When you get 24 teenagers playing "Alexander's Ragtime Band" in a relatively small enclosure such as Sisters Elementary School, as the expression goes, "the joint really jumps."

The young and talented musicians from The Oregon Coast Lab Band showed the local audiences why they were guests (all expenses paid) earlier this summer at the Glenn Miller festival in Clarinda, Iowa, Miller's birthplace.

As is their custom, they closed each performance with Benny Goodman's Carnegie Hall version of "Sing, Sing, Sing" ...with nine saxophones. They did it in Sisters to a standing ovation.

The Titan Hot 7 was back again, led by popular Bob Draga on clarinet. The group has changed considerably since earlier appearances here but keeps the same solid music, including the crowd-pleasing tuba, now played by Ike Harris.

From Ashland, Oregon, came another new group, the "Good Bait Quintet." They played only six sets versus eight, nine or ten for the other groups, and stayed with songs from the likes of Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk and, their apparent favorite, Miles Davis.

In addition to the regular sites at the Village Green, Sisters Elementary School, Bronco Billy's Ranch Grill & Saloon and the Comfort Inn, there were also four mini-venues Friday and Saturday during the lunch and dinner breaks with players mostly from this area.

These sites were located at Angeline's, Town Square, Depot Deli, and Barclay Park.

The local musicians were: the Michelle Vanhandel Trio from Central Oregon; Elise Franklin Cohen and Warren Zaiger, also from this area; and Mike Kurtz and Ben Scharf, Sisters High School alumni.

The Sisters High School and Middle School Bands, directed by Jody Henderson, performed on Saturday afternoon. The school programs here have received financial support from the proceeds of previous Sisters Jazz Festivals.