Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak
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PhotograPhy by Steve Mundinger (Stage); andrew LePLey (Mcbride); c2 PhotograPhy/aSPen SnowMaSS (StigerS) Beyond jazz: Journey rocked it '80s-style when they headlined the JAS Labor Day Festival in 2013. right, from top: Christian McBride, who brings his trio to town; Curtis Stigers at JAS Café. "Music can be delivered in a lot of different settings, froM sMall to large. that's what Makes it beautiful." —jim horowitz "So many of the world's leading musicians came through that summer camp," he says. "It really was an incubator for musicians early in their careers." That includes drummer Ulysses Owens Jr., who now plays in the Christian McBride Trio, which will take the stage (though without Owens) at JAS Café on July 22 and 23. McBride will also deejay the festi- val's major fundraiser on July 17, Le Freak Lounge, which will feature '70s hitmakers Chic (and is named for their 1978 disco burner). The JAS Café, which started in the winter of 2010, is a "game changer," says Horowitz. Shows there have become fixed dates on Aspen's jazz cal- endar, though Horowitz will continue to develop its year-round presence. ( JAS will introduce a venue to its Café series this summer with three weekends of performances at the new Aspen Art Museum.) In addition, the June and Labor Day festivals have developed their own vibes and identities while still complementing the whole of JAS's summer sched- uling. But it's that diversity, says Horowitz, that adds to the richness. "Music can be delivered in a lot of different set- tings, from small to large," he says. "And that's what makes music beautiful." 970-920-4996; jazzaspen snowmass.org AP featuring some of the country's hottest chart-topping acts, along with an intimate jazz club in the base- ment of The Little Nell called JAS Café. The festival has also adopted a philanthropic role. To date, it has raised more than $6 million for music education in local schools and introduced initiatives like Pays to Play, which gives kids a chance to take introductory private music lessons, and Step-Up, which helps them graduate their instruments as they improve. Although Horowitz has largely stuck to jazz—he is himself an accomplished pianist who opened the anniversary season with a December performance at JAS Café—the genre crossover has led to perfor- mances by Kid Rock, Kanye West, and Widespread Panic. (Snowmass Town Park, which holds up to 12,000, allows JAS to entice big names in the indus- try; in Aspen, the 2,000-capacity Benedict Music Tent lends itself to more intimate shows.) "I've always had a very close relationship with JAS," says four-time Grammy-award winner and jazz bass virtuoso Christian McBride. He first visited as a clinician with JAS Academy, helping orches- trate camps for teenagers planning to study jazz, and hit it off with Horowitz. He was asked to lead the pro- gram the very next year as artistic director. He held the position for 10 years, stepping down in 2010. "These Guys Can Blow!" The can't-miss acts rolling through JAS this summer. June Festival Friday, June 26 The CounT Basie orChesTra One of the most prominent groups of the swing era, and celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, this 18-piece group still rocks the big-band sound. MaCeo Parker A saxophonist at the heart of American funk and soul, Parker is best known for his work with James Brown and Parliament-Funkadelic. Sunday, June 28 naTurally 7 An a capella group practicing a style they call "Vocal Play," Naturally 7 combines soulful R & B with dexterous beatboxing. rodrigo y gaBriela Hailing from Mexico City, this duo's work consists primarily of instrumental duets, spanning myriad styles, on classical guitar. June 30–July 1 django reinhardT ny FesTival Launched at the legendary Birdland club in 2000, this multi-artist tribute to the legendary jazz guitarist celebrates his proprietary sound of '30s and '40s Paris swing. Monday, July 6 jazz aT linColn CenTer orChesTra The country's premier jazz orchestra, JLCO comprises 15 of the world's fnest jazz musicians, including trumpeter and director Wynton Marsalis. July 15–16 ChrisTian MCBride Trio One of the most-recorded musicians of his generation, McBride is joined by emerging artists Christian Sands, on piano, and Jerome Jennings, on drums. the labor Day Festival SepteMber 4–6 During Labor Day weekend, catch pop and rock heavy hitters No Doubt, Lenny Kravitz, The Fray, Fitz and the Tantrums, and more at Snowmass Town Park. For a full schedule of JAS shows this summer, please visit jazzaspensnowmass.org. calendar 58 aspenpeak-magazine.com CulTure hottest Ticket