Jazz and Beyond festival features Sunday 'Picnics in the Park' lineup

Are you looking for a way to enjoy your Sunday afternoons? The Jazz & Beyond: Carson City Music Festival is offering free concerts in the Legislative Plaza between the State Capitol and the Legislature Building in Carson City on three Sundays: Aug. 3, Aug. 10, and Aug. 17, 2014.

"Jazz & Beyond" is a yearly festival put on by the Mile High Jazz Band Assoc. and its sponsors. People can enjoy these family friendly "Jazz Picnics in Park" concerts in a pleasant atmosphere with shade trees and a bit of Nevada history. Attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket or low back chairs and may bring a picnic lunch or dinner. Plenty of parking is available in the State parking garage on Stewart St., southeast of the Legislative Plaza.

On Sunday, Aug. 3, the series of concerts will begin on the walkway south of the Capitol Building with a performance from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. of "Letting Go - Jazz Show." Enjoy an hour of elegant jazz performed by vocal quintet with an instrumental trio.

You'll hear refreshing interpretations of jazz standards, beautiful ballads, and original tunes. That is followed by a performance from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Capitol Amphitheater, a few steps to the east, by the Graham Marshall Band. Jazz violinist Graham Marshall, a recent graduate of McQueen High School, began playing violin at age five, honed his skill at Moody's Jazz Camp every year, and now plays with bands in Reno, Truckee, and Carson City. Don't miss this up-and-coming jazz star.

On the second Sunday, Aug. 10, the "Jazz Picnics in the Park" series continues with a performance by Back Forty in the Legislative Plaza from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Back Forty, homebrewed in Eagle Valley, is a purebred bluegrass group that blends traditional and old timey styles to be enjoyed by all.

That is followed by a performance from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Capitol Amphitheater by CeCe Gable and the DG Kicks Octet. A consummate jazz cabaret performer who has sung in jazz clubs throughout the United States and Europe, CeCe Gable is one of the premiere jazz singers in the Reno-Tahoe area. She brings her unique, compelling style and sound, which has been compared to the song stylists of the '50s with a contemporary twist. She will perform with the DG Kicks Octet, eight jazz musicians from the 17-piece Reno band, DG Kicks.

The festival concludes on the third Sunday of the month, Aug. 17, with three "Jazz Picnics in Park" concerts. From 3 to 4 p.m., Carson City Symphony's STRAZZ ensemble, directed by Education Director Sue Jesch, will perform in the Legislative Plaza. They will get your toes tapping with an hour of jazz and fiddle tunes played by some of the area's top strings students.

The New West Guitar Group will perform in the Legislative Plaza from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. This fresh, cutting-edge guitar ensemble performs classic popular covers, jazz standards, and exciting originals. John Stories, Perry Smith, and Jeff Stein combine the acoustic and electric guitar to create their signature blend of laid-back virtuosity and expert arrangements.

The ensemble tours extensively through the United States and abroad giving concerts and master classes. Concluding the series and the "Jazz & Beyond" festival, the dynamic Latin-jazz ensemble No Comprende takes the Capitol Amphitheater stage from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. with amazing music that combines exciting Afro-Cuban rhythms with jazz harmony to create a high-energy sound. The group has been performing in the Reno-Tahoe area since 1991.

Jazz & Beyond includes more than 50 performances and events throughout Carson City, Aug. 1 through 17. Festival sponsors include Mile High Jazz Band Association, Carson City, For the Love of Jazz, Nevada Commission on Tourism, Carson City Convention and Visitors Bureau, Nevada Arts Council, Nevada Humanities, Brewery Arts Center, Carson City Historical Society, Lake Tahoe Entertainment, Lake Tahoe Media Group, and private donors.

For details and a complete schedule of events, see JazzCarsonCity.com or call Mile High Jazz Band at 775-883-4154.