Jazz Festival will offer fresh styles in addition to traditional fare

Jazz fans will be treated to some fresh new sounds at the Sisters Jazz Festival coming up September 15-17.

For the first time the Sisters Jazz Festival will be introducing contemporary, smooth jazz. Steve Mills, chair of the Sisters Jazz Festival, is excited about this addition to the more traditional jazz forms that have set the character of the previous events.

Mills emphasizes that this is an addition to the more traditional jazz venues and not a signal of a change in direction for the festival. Traditional jazz will remain as the focus of the event, and the proceeds of the festival will continue to benefit the Sisters High School music programs.

The venues this year will be Bronco Billy's Ranch Grill & Saloon and the Village Green, as they have been in the past. Since the festival no longer has the venue at the Sisters Inn & RV Park, they will now be using Coyote Creek Café.

Mills comments, "This will be an awesome venue for us, due to the proximity of the restaurant and lounge. The deck they have there, the overall atmosphere is really nice."

The bands that are coming will still be performing the traditional Zydeco jazz at two of the venues, the Village Green and Coyote Creek. Contemporary or smooth jazz will be sited this year at Bronco Billy's. Mills wants this to be a venue all by itself. Smooth jazz, for neophytes, is the more mellow and easier listening jazz that is common fare on the radio.

The addition of smooth jazz to the festival is an attempt to appeal to a different demographic group than those who prefers the Zydeco and more traditional forms of jazz. Mills says that he wants to attract a little younger crowd and draw in a whole new demographic group to the jazz festival. In the past,the festival hasn't really catered to that group.

Also, there will be a new venue this year just on Friday night at Sisters High School. This venue will provide an introduction to modern jazz with a concert by the Tom Grant Band, featuring well known jazz guitarist Dan Balmer.

The Friday Night concert is a special benefit concert, and all of the proceeds will be donated to the Sisters High School music programs, music scholarships and the Keys for Kids program. Last year the festival gave about $3,500 to the school programs in addition to helping sponsor the music groups that are brought to Sisters to perform at the high school. These events are open free of charge to the residents of the community.

There are a number of returning musicians, including the perennial favorite, Gator Beat. They have been one of the most consistent groups in all of the years of the festival. The two Canadian groups, Michael Kaeszammer and 51st Eight, will also be in attendance. The patrons that prefer the more traditional jazz need not be concerned, they will have a full platter.

Mills said that he hopes to expand the festival and perhaps draw some more nationally and internationally acclaimed musicians.

"One of the greatest challenges that we face is accommodations. We would love to grow this festival and to bring in more internationally known artists, but we face the problem of what do we do with the people that we draw. Sisters just does not have much in the way of rooms."

Mills concluded, "We have not wanted to change too much as we have a loyal following, and we do not want to loose them. However, we have wanted to expand into some new areas. It is important to bring new talent, so some change is necessary."