An event designed for families, including children of all ages, the Selby Festival this year will include a JazzFest Art Show of student work, a Village Marketplace featuring crafts from area vendors, a Family Fun Zone of games and exhibits, and, of course, food from the global community, from soul to fair, from wings and tacos to spring rolls and BBQ.

But jazz is the core, and there will be plenty featuring locally renowned and nationally acclaimed performers who call Minnesota home:

Dick and Jane's Big Brass Band will kickoff the festival at noon with a touch of New Orleans tradition, followed at 1 pm by the legendary Cornbread Harris. Chicago native James Samuel Harris was encouraged to learn piano by his grandparents, took it up seriously in his teens, and started up his own bands in Minneapolis in the 1940s. First influenced by country music, his allegiance shifted to R& B and later jazz after hearing Duke Ellington and Count Basie; he cites Oscar Peterson as a favorite. His composition "Cornbread" became the basis of his nickname. He recorded the area's first rock and roll record in 1955 ("Hi Ho Silver" with Augie Garcia); shared the stage with Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis; and was the recipient of the Minnesota Black Music Award in 1998. Now 77, Cornbread Harris still maintains an active performance schedule, and will be a big draw on Selby Avenue.

Youth takes the stage at 2 pm with the St. Paul Central High School Jazz Band. This top area band is getting lots of praise-- come and find out why! Then stick around for the Wilbur Dugas and Tom West Jazz Project (3 pm), featuring veterans of the Walker West Music Academy, including pianists and brothers Tom and Grant West, percussionist Wilbur Dugas, and sax player Felix James.

Things are just starting cook by late afternoon, with the Jazz Heritage Showcase (Geoff Jones, Thomasina Petrus, Greg Sears and others) at 5 pm. Thomasina and Geoff are hot off their critically acclaimed performances in T. Mychael Rambo's production,  "Heart of the Man." Geoff Jones, a touring member of the Grammy Award-winning Sounds of Blackness, injects gospel, jazz and soul into his energetic vocals. Thomasina Petrus is quickly rising to the top tier of area vocalists, having performed with Javetta Steele in the acclaimed Two Queens One Castle (Mixed Blood Theater) as well as with Rambo. A regular performer at the Dakota, Jazzmine's, The Luxx Café, and Rossi's Blue Star, Petrus blends contemporary r&b and jazz with velvety charm.

Grab some ribs and roasted corn and stick around for the evening set (6 pm). The Afro-Cuban band JOTO ("the heat" in Swahili) includes members of Minneapolis' famed band, Mint Condition--Stokely Williams on drums, Lawrence Waddell on piano, and Jeffrey Allen on tenor sax--along with Ivory Coast native, jazz-reggae bassist Serge Akou and percussionist Wallace Hill. Referring to Williams' vocal and drum performance on Mint Condition's recording, Mint Factory, Basslinespin.com noted that he "can sometimes make you think of Al Jarreau with a bad, bad, band. Other times, Stokely sounds like Charlie Wilson. The point is -- he always sounds good." Akou has been busy around the Twin Cities lately, playing with Estair Godinez and Ticket to Brasil. "It's a musical journey for us," says Stokely Williams. "We're trying to pay homage to the past as well as cover new ground for the future."

September 11^th is an auspicious day in American history, one that calls for reflection but also celebration of life and community. What better way to mark the date than with your friends and neighbors at Selby and Milton in St. Paul. Come "build bridges" with the best brick and mortar-- the sounds of family, the rhythms of jazz.

For more information about the 2004 Selby Avenue Jazz Festival, contact Mr. Mychael Wright at the Golden Thyme Coffee & Café, (651) 645-1340, or visit:

http://www.selbyareacdc.org/JazzFest/index.htm. For more information about Cornbread Harris, visit http://www.cornbreadenterprizes.com/.