Music from Beale Street and the Bayous will permeate Olde Gahanna from June 19-21 at the 11th annual Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival.
The three-day festival will present nationally-renowned musicians, 90 hours of live music performed by more than 60 musical groups or individuals on four stages.
Creekside Park and Plaza provides the setting for the numerous musical performances, and also offers beautiful views of the creek, a boardwalk, a lagoon, two waterfalls, waterside restaurants with outdoor dining, retail shops, paddle boat rides and more.
The festival also spreads out from Creekside into historic Olde Gahanna, with even more music, entertainment, attractions and amusement rides.
The festival's highlight is blues headliner and swamp-blues master Kenny Neal, winner of the prestigious BluesWax Album of the Year 2008 for Let Life Flow, who will perform the sizzling sounds of his native Louisiana on June 20.
Additional blues headliners include:
• Teeny Tucker and The Teeny Tucker Band — Tucker, daughter of blues singer Tommy Tucker and a Dayton native, has performed at the Apollo Theatre and blues festivals through the United States and Europe.
• The Jimi Vincent Band — Formed in 1989, this band is known for its “rockin blues” and has performed at a variety of blues festivals and has opened shows for Robert Cray, Bonnie Raitt, Keb Mo and John Lee Hooker Jr. The band was selected to perform at the International Blues Challenge (IBC) in Memphis, Tenn., their third performance at IBC.
• The Sonny Moorman Group — The band is a Cincinnati-based blues/rock band in the classic “power trio” format, with Sonny Moorman — guitar and vocals; Marc Hoffman — bass; and Dave Fair — drums and vocals. They are nine-time winners of the Cincinnati Area Music Awards (CAMMY) and winner of the 2005 Cincinnati Blues Challenge in the single/duo category.
All That Jazz
The Typhanie Monique Quartet leads off for the jazz headliners on June 19. Monique, a tour de force on the Chicago music scene, is a vocalist, bandleader and songwriter. She has performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival, Stevens Point Jazz Festival and the Old Town School of Folk Music. Monique has also made her mark on the international jazz scene. In 2007 she was invited to teach and perform in Moscow, Russia, where she played with some of Russia’s top jazz musicians and taught at the Moscow College of Improvised Music.
Additional jazz headliners include:
• Urban Jazz Coalition — This Columbus-based group has garnered acclaim on the national jazz scene. They have performed in more than 750 live shows and toured with Spyro Gyra, The Rippingtons, Boney James, Peter White and Al Jarreau, to name a few.
• Columbus Jazz Orchestra (CJO) — During the past 30 years, the CJO has become one of the world’s finest jazz orchestras and each year brings internationally acclaimed guest artists to perform with them in Columbus. The CJO is led by trumpet virtuoso Byron Stripling, former lead trumpet for the Count Basie Orchestra. He has performed and recorded with the bands of Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman and Lional Hampton and has been a featured soloist nationally and internationally.
Additional attractions and activities throughout the weekend include:
• Rising Stars Blues & Jazz Contest: Gahanna’s version of American Idol for budding blues and jazz musicians.
• Jog for Jazz : The Second Annual “Jog for Jazz,” a 5K run/walk event, will be held June 21 in Olde Gahanna.
• Musical Discovery Zone: This free, hands-on blues and jazz musical learning experience is for the entire family — beat the bongos, blow the horns, make your own musical instrument and more.
• Mini-Midway: Amusement rides including a fun house, giant slide, ferris wheel, merry-go-round, climbing wall and rides for small children.
• Creekside Sunday Jazz Brunch: On June 21, the festival marks the second year for the family-friendly jazz brunch buffet from 10 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. A festival musician will entertain guests while they enjoy culinary delights at Old Bag of Nails, 63 Mill St., in Olde Gahanna. To order tickets, call 614-478-0878
• Street performers, festival food, artisans and crafters
There is a $2 admission fee to this year's festival for those 12 and older. Members of the military will be admitted free, ID required.
For more information, visit www.gahannaevents.com.