Jazz For All Ages Festival returns Nov. 14-15
The 12th annual Bob Masteller’s Jazz For All Ages Music Festival returns to Hilton Head Island Nov. 14-15 with big-band tributes to Tony Bennett and Ray Charles, jazz brunch performances and a mission to support young musicians throughout the Lowcountry.
The two-day festival will take place at Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island, 130 Shipyard Drive, with performances by Joe Gransden and his Big Band, the Jazz Legacy Project All-Stars and several other jazz artists. Proceeds will benefit the Junior Jazz Foundation, which supports music education and opportunities for aspiring musicians.
The festival opens Nov. 14 with Joe Gransden and his Big Band presenting “The Good Life: Happy 100th Tony Bennett,” a tribute marking the centennial of Bennett’s birth.
The program will feature songs associated with the singer, including “The Good Life,” “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” and “The Best Is Yet to Come,” performed in big-band arrangements.
On Nov. 15, the Jazz Legacy Project All-Stars will present “Yes Indeed! The Ray Charles Experience,” celebrating the music of Ray Charles. The program will draw from jazz, blues, gospel and soul, with selections including “Georgia on My Mind,” “Hit the Road Jack,” “What’d I Say” and “Unchain My Heart.”
General admission tickets for each evening concert are $45, with doors opening at 7 p.m. VIP tickets are $175 and include a reception beginning at 6 p.m. in the resort’s Santee Ballroom, with cocktails, tapas, live entertainment and reserved seating for the concert.
The festival will also feature jazz brunches on both days in the resort’s Savannah Room, with doors opening at noon. Tickets are $75 for each brunch.
On Nov. 14, Junior Jazz Rising Star Harper Krimm and her quartet will perform music from the Great American Songbook, including “I’ve Got Rhythm,” “Cheek to Cheek” and “On the Sunny Side of the Street.”
The Nov. 15 brunch will feature vocalist Cynthia Utterbach with the Eric Jones Trio in a program honoring women in jazz, including Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone.
Beyond the performances, the festival serves as a fundraiser for the Junior Jazz Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides instruments to students, grants to school music programs, support for Hilton Head Jazz Camp and college scholarships for young musicians.
“Jazz For All Ages is about honoring the legends who came before us while investing in the young musicians who will carry this incredible music forward,” festival director David Masteller said.
The foundation’s work focuses on expanding opportunities for young people in the Lowcountry to learn, perform and pursue music.
Sonesta Resort is also offering a special group room rate for festival guests, subject to availability.
Tickets, accommodations and additional festival information are available at JazzForAllAges.com. For questions, call 843-480-9101.
