The festival was founded, and continues to be directed, by Mycheal Wright. "My initial vision for the Selby Ave JazzFest was a simple block party where some folks show up, interact and listen to a great lineup of local and regional jazz artists on hopefully a beautiful fall day. My, have things changed. JazzFest has grown both in terms of purpose, objectives and attendance over its 11 year history,” notes Wright, owner of the Golden Thyme Coffee and Café at Selby and Milton. From its modest beginnings in 2002 with 500-600 attending, the festival now attracts more than 10,000. Sponsors this year include the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council through funding from the Minnesota Legislature’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, St Paul Star Program, Allina Health, Twin Cities Rise, Mississippi Market, KBEM, U-Care, Western Bank, Ordway, Pioneer Press, and Twin Cities.com.

 

Jazz Line-Up

 

 Dick and Jane’s Big Brass Band has opened every Selby Ave Jazz Festival, and will again kick off the day with a New Orleans-style procession throughout the festival grounds. Their infectious “Second Line” music picks up influences from samba, mambo, klezmer and funk.

 

 Walker West Music Academy Legends of Jazz returns for their 11th year at the Selby Ave JazzFest, with faculty and studens playing jazz classics from Ellington to Basie and more!

 

 Brio Brass is a 44-piece nontraditional brass band, performing unique arrangements written specifically for its members. Their large repertoire covers diverse musical styles, including ballads, marches, polkas, pop of all eras, show tunes, funky rock, and lots of jazz! This is Brio’s third appearance at the Selby fest.

 

 Jazz Heritage Showcase brings together Penumbra Theater regulars and friends who will recreate the genre’s golden age of vocal jazz—the music Vaughn, Holiday, Eckstein, Cole and more. Each entertainer is dressed in period-specific outfits. For the fifth showcase at Selby Jazz Festival, there will be two sets, one featuring Pippi Ardennia (PipJazz) and Yolande Bruce (Moore by Four), the second with Timotha Lanae.

 

 Salsabrosa is led by popular Cuban pianist Viviana Pintado, and features internationally acclaimed conguero/vocalist Frank Rivery Garcia. Their repertoire of Afro-Cuban rhythms includes Latin styles including salsa, bachata, merengue, cha cha, Latin hip pop and bolero.

 

 Abdul Zuhri is a living legend of contemporary jazz guitar. A native New Yorker who graduated from the prestigious jazz program at Five Towns College, he also studied with Charlie Banacos. Zuhri’s musical collaborations have included Paul McCartney, Dennis Chambers, Lionel Ritchie, Ben E. King, and Herbie Hancock. He has performed, recorded or jammed with such great jazz artists as Paul Taylor, Rachel Z, Urban Knights, Michael Urbaniak and Onaje Allan Gumbs. Appearing with Zuhri, vocalist Cheryl Pepsii Riley garnered international acclaim with her 1988 debut album, Me, Myself, and I, including the hit “Thanks for My Child. Her second project, Chapter, produced the single “How Can You Hurt the One You Love,” and her third, All That, included the hit single, “Gimme.”

 

 

The Selby Jazz Festival takes place on Saturday, September 8th, 11 am – 8 pm at the intersection of Selby and Milton Avenues in St. Paul. For more information, visit www.selbyavejazzfest.com