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 Al Jarreau and friends performed at the 2003 Jazz Festival. |
U.S. BANK
ST. LOUIS JAZZ FESTIVAL
IS A CLASS ACT IN CLAYTON
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By Pam Droog Jones
Whether you prefer your jazz smooth or spicy, you’re sure to enjoy what’s being served up at the fifth annual U.S. Bank St. Louis Jazz Festival, June 24-25, at Shaw Park in Clayton: Afro-Caribbean jazz group Los Hombres Calientes, acclaimed vocalist Jane Monheit, R&B-and-hip-hop group Roy Hargrove and the RH Factor, trumpeter Dave Douglas, soul singer Peabo Bryson, vocalist Brenda Russell, saxophonist Everett Harp and guitarist Norman Brown. The increasingly popular event benefits jazz lovers and the City of Clayton, and further boosts St. Louis’ reputation as the host of quality arts festivals.
The Jazz Festival is the offspring of the annual St. Louis Art Fair, also held in Clayton in September, explains Cynthia Prost, president/ executive director of Cultural Festivals, which produces both events. Since the Art Fair began in 1994, it always has offered a jazz stage, Prost says. “In 1999 we were all standing around the stage, thinking about how great it would be to have a festival devoted only to jazz,” she says, “We’d always come across so many more talented musicians than we could ever program in one weekend at the Art Fair.”
Armed with permission from the City of Clayton to hold a Jazz Festival at Shaw Park, Prost presented the idea to the Art Fair board of directors. “The general consensus was, ‘Find a sponsor, then you can go ahead,’” she says.
That was the easy part. Prost immediately contacted Mary Novak, regional marketing manager, U.S. Bank. “We had told Cindy if she ever decided to plan a new event to let us know because we were looking for naming opportunities after we were no longer Firstar,” Novak says. “We felt it would be great to get in on the ground floor, and based on our history with the Art Fair, we knew the Jazz Festival would be a success.” Prost recalls, “I literally met with Mary with one sheet of paper with the idea sketched out and she loved it.” U.S. Bank signed up for a two-year sponsorship. Other Art-Fair sponsors signed on, too, including Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Michelob and Emerson, as well as hundreds of Art-Fair volunteers.
The tough part was putting together a first-class festival on short notice. However, working with the Sheldon Concert Hall and Jazz at the Bistro, which had booked Art Fair jazz performers, organizers were able to hire Kirkwood native David Sanborn as well as Dee Dee Bridgewater, Poncho Sanchez, Larry Coryell and Sons, Terence Blanchard and Regina Carter.
Subsequent festivals have featured the Freddy Washington Quartet, George Benson, Branford Marsalis, Dianne Reeves, Joe Lovano Quartet, Marlena Shaw, Arturo Sandoval, Al Jarreau, Wynton Marsalis, John Pizzarelli and the Aaron Neville Quintet among others. “It’s pretty impressive when you consider we’ve only done this four times and already have had some of the best names in jazz perform here,” Prost says. “We also have a local stage where we present up-and-coming local talent.”
Aaron Neville was a featured performer
in 2004. |
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Last year the Jazz Festival attracted about 20,000 people from 5 p.m. Friday through Saturday at 10 p.m. Tickets are $20 for the entire festival. “We need about 3000 more people to come before we break even,” Prost says. “But this is just our fifth year and a lot of the time these big public festivals really don’t turn the corner until later.”
Even then a festival’s fate can be precarious. As Prost notes, after eight years of steady growth, the Kansas City Jazz and Blues Festival went out of business. “We have to work very hard to make sure we keep living up to our good reputation of having great acts, great production and sound and paying on time. It’s still a struggle every year, because it’s a very expensive festival to produce,” Prost says. “But we have significant corporate support which helps a lot.”
U.S. Bank, for example, believes its Jazz Festival title sponsorship (which it has renewed for another two years) provides unique opportunities for clients and employees. “It’s something different from sports events or theatre tickets for client entertainment,” Novak says. “We’re already starting to get calls from clients who want to make sure they’ll get tickets to the VIP tent again.” Novak adds the Jazz Festival provides volunteer opportunities for dozens of bank employees.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car, also a charter Jazz Festival sponsor, also appreciates the event’s value. “At Enterprise we felt this was a great way to network with the community and business partners,” says John Wyatt, assistant vice president/rental, northeast United States. “Each year organizations, vendors and partners look forward to being our guests and enjoying a great evening of music.” Adds Kathy Brown, manager of community relations, “It gives us a chance to say thank you and show our appreciation to the City leaders of Clayton, where our worldwide headquarters reside.”
Among those Clayton city leaders is Michael Schoedel, Clayton’s city manager, another Jazz Festival booster. “The Jazz Festival continues the tradition of quality festivals held in our community,” Schoedel says. “We pride ourselves on being able to provide the necessary support to host the Art Fair and Jazz Festival, which is no easy task.” He notes, although it’s hard to measure, the Jazz Festival has a positive economic impact on Clayton as visitors stroll around the city,
dine at the 70-plus restaurants and visit the retail shops. “A lot of people are committed
to the Jazz Festival and as far as Clayton is concerned, we’re excited to be a part of it,” Schoedel says. “We love to show off Shaw Park and the rest of our city.”
In the long term, Prost hopes the U.S. Bank St. Louis Jazz Festival will expand to three days and the budget will similarly grow “to bring in some significant performers who right now are financially out of our reach like Diana Krall or Norah Jones,” she says. In the more immediate future, Prost hopes for nice weather and a big turnout for the Jazz Festival. “Once you experience the event you’ll be hooked,” she says. “It’s just a gem of a festival.”
For more information and ticket information (314) 863-0278 or www.saintlouisjazzfest.com
FINALLY A JAZZ CLUB IN CLAYTON— FINALE
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After the U.S. Bank St. Louis Jazz Festival packs up for another year, the sounds of jazz still will be heard in Clayton at Finale, that city’s first live entertainment restaurant and nightclub, located in Clayton on the Park at Bonhomme and Brentwood.
The creation of St. Louis businessmen Bob Saur of Conrad Properties, Steve Schankman of Contemporary Productions and Ted Geiger of J. Buck’s, Finale opened March 16. Famed trumpeter and Grammy nominee Maynard Ferguson and his Big Bop Nouveau Band kicked off the club’s live-music lineup. Other performers have included jazz, blues and contemporary music artists including Johnnie Johnson, Angela Bofill, Erin Bode, Tito Puente Jr. and Theo Peoples. Coming up in May are Wild, Cool & Swingin, comedian Louie Anderson, Lena Prima and Stanley Jordan.
The 6000-square-foot Finale holds two unique spaces: a 75-seat restaurant serving lunch and dinner daily, and a 40-seat nightclub with entertainment Wednesday through Saturday.
“Finale’s atmosphere will come alive with a specially designed state-of-the-art lighting and sound system which will envelop the performance space in the nightclub,” Schankman says. “The nightclub is designed with both the performer and audience in mind, providing an intimate environment to enjoy music.” |
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