Indy Jazz Fest
Indy Jazz Fest ended on a high note this past weekend. Music fans with a strong love for jazz and casual music observers gathered for the festival's finale, a 10-hour concert headlined by saxophone player Najee and vocalist Al Jarreau. Close to 4,500 people packed Opti Park, a baseball field just north of the heard of Broad Ripple. For those keeping score at home, the park became the first non-Downtown site for the outdoor portion of the festival in its 12-year history.Indy Jazz Festival organizers said the event will return in 2011. From the Indy star we learned:
Estimated ticket sales of 6,000 across four nights of performances at the Jazz Kitchen, one concert at the Madame Walker Theatre Center and the Opti Park show were strong enough to meet pre-festival projections, Indy Jazz Fest producer Allan Hall said.
There was a strong local jazz component. Most prominently Hall's recording label, Owl Studios, and teh Jazz Kitchen nightclub (owned by festival director David Allee). In addition to the great jazz sounds, the nonprofit Indianapolis Jazz Foundation presented a gallery of vintage photographs in a tent at Opti Park. It hightlighted an Indiana Avenue scene that supported guitarist Wes Montgomery, trumpet player Freddie Hubbard, trombone players J.J. Johnson and David Baker, keyboard player Melvin Rhyne, saxophone player Jimmy Coe and bass player Larry Ridley.