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| Sunset and jazz fest crowds at the 2014 Iowa City Jazz Festival |
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| 2014 headliner Joe Lovano and Us Five |
© Andrea Canter
Over the past 12 or more years, I've made it to most of the
Iowa City Jazz Festivals. And each time I did not attend, I kicked myself for
weeks. It only takes me five hours to drive south from Minneapolis
to Iowa City.
My 90+ year-old-parents still live there so I have free accommodations (and an
excuse to visit). Why have I failed to
go every year? I recall once I skipped the festival because I was having thumb
surgery the next day. And on at least one occasion, the Iowa
City and Twin
Cities festivals fell on
the same weekend. I have never skipped Iowa
City because the line-up looked weak or unappealing.
And now that the Iowa City and Twin Cities
festival organizers have vowed to never overlap again, but to collaborate as
much as possible, my loyalties will not be divided. I will be at the 25th annual
festival celebration in Iowa City
over the 4th of July weekend in 2015. And any fans of modern jazz within a
day's drive should join me. It will likely be hot, hopefully dry, and without a doubt, the one
of the best jazz weekends of the year, anywhere. And it's all free.
The line-up will be officially announced on January 8, I'm
told, but I have a green light to mention it right now. Appearing on the main
stage, which will be back on the University
of Iowa Pentacrest lawn,
over two days and three nights, with no other stages overlapping--sparing you
impossible decisions:
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| Charles Lloyd |
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Brian Charette Organ Trio (July 2)
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Becca Stevens (July 2)
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Rudresh Mahanthappa's Bird Songs (July 3)
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Dave Douglas's High Risk (July 3)
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Atlantis Quartet (July 4)
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Julian Lage Trio (July 4)
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Ben Allison's Think Free (July 4)
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Charles Lloyd Quartet (July 4)
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| Minnesota's Dakota Combo on the Youth Stage |
That's not all for the Main Stage -- bands from area
schools, faculty and students, lead off each day's schedule.
Added venue this
year, presenting a late night concert on Friday and Saturday in place of the
hotel jam sessions, is the Englert Theater, an art deco-era revamped movie
house two blocks from the Pentacrest on Iowa Avenue:
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Whirlpool with Ron Miles (July 3)
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KROM (July 4)
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| Fireworks over Old Capitol dome |
In-between Lloyd and KROM on July 4 will be the annual city
fireworks display, shot from near the student union over the dome of Old
Capitol, the centerpiece of the Pentacrest.
And in-between main stage shows there will be the usual
three side stages on Iowa Avenue
and Clinton Streets, featuring youth, college and local bands. Culinary Row
(some of the best jazz festival food anywhere), FunZone for kids, Artists'
booths, concessions (including a Wine and Beer Garden)
and more will also line Iowa Ave
and Clinton Street.
This is a full-service jazz festival, and if you don't find what you need on
the street, check out the many adjacent bars, restaurants and shops in downtown
Iowa City.
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| Pentacrest crowd |
Did I mention that all of this is FREE? Make reservations now to stay near the
festival epicenter at the very reasonable Iowa City Sheraton or even cheaper at
area hotels, motels and B&Bs. Expect
to see a lot of your jazz-loving friends from the Twin Cities. With the Twin
Cities festival the preceding weekend (headliners yet to be announced), the Upper Midwest is definitely the place to be in early
summer.
No, this is not heaven. It's Iowa. Well, maybe for jazz fans, there's no
difference.
More details, full
schedule and artist bios will be posted to the Iowa City Jazz Festival website at http://www.summerofthearts.org/festival-menu/jazz-festival/about.aspx.
The Iowa City Jazz Festival is part of the
Summer of the Arts, main sponsorship from the University of Iowa Credit
Union.
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| The Twin Cities' Atlantis Quartet, on the TC Festival's main stage in 2014, appears on the Iowa City main stage in 2015 |
