Jazz and Arts on Riverdale

Nationally recognized Brad Goode Quartet to headline

Free Jazz and Arts on Riverdale festival Saturday, October 20

Jazz Association of Macon will bring the best in local and national jazz music to its annual Jazz & Arts on Riverdale festival Saturday, October 20 from 12 noon to 6 p.m. in the 200 block of Riverdale Drive in Macon .

Headlining this year’s festival is the Brad Goode Quartet. Performing for 25 years, Goode has been called “a lyrical genius of the trumpet” and “a major catalyst in the revitalization of the Chicago jazz scene” by the Chicago Tribune.The reknown trumpeter comes to Macon as the 2018-19 Jazz Artist in Residence with grant support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Riverdale is his first performance here. He will return in February and again in April to teach and play jazz with high school and college students. Mark your calendar to attend his next performance on February 22 with the Mercer Jazz Ensemble. An Associate Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of Colorado,Goode has performed with jazz greats Von Freeman, Curtis Fuller, the Woody Herman Orchestra and Jack DeJohnette. He will take the stage at 4:30 p.m.

Other performances include:

Jazz Knights from Middle Georgia State University at 12:10 p.m.

Under the direction of Dr. Alan Clark, the Jazz Knights perform styles from traditional jazz to fusion and rock. This energetic big band, comprising both music majors and students from other disciplines, will feature 18 musicians on the Riverdale stage.

Charles Overton Group at 1:20 p.m.

Charles Overton is a talented harpist and performer of classical, jazz and world music. He began his harp studies at the age of ten and graduated from Berklee College of Music. Charles and his fellow musicians reside in Boston where they maintain an active performance schedule as a performer of classical, jazz and contemporary music.

Jazz Association of Macon All Stars at 2:30 p.m.

Crowd favorites for many years, the JAM All Stars return for a set of lively jazz classics, led by Riverdale resident and Festival Chair Dr. Edward Clark. The All Stars perform at many venues, including in front of thousands of school students and senior citizens as part of the 20-year jazz education program called JAM Goes Back to School.

On top of great live jazz, the free event features local artists’ booths, a kids play zone and food trucks situated on shady street in a cozy residential neighborhood just off Vineville and Ridge Avenues. Vehicular traffic on the street will be blocked for the day, making this one of Macon’s most comfortable block parties of the year. Food trucks this year will be from Pinky’s Shaved Ice, Taste of New Orleans and Sofrito Fusion Food Truck.

The featured fine artist this year is Mary Wain Ellison. A resident of Riverdale Drive, she has a degree in fine arts and has been painting for nearly 50 years, sharing art experiences with students in the Macon-Bibb school system. Enjoying the plein air painting experience and an avid gardener herself, she chose to find her inspiration for a series of paintings for this year’s festival in the gardens of Riverdale Drive neighbors. Signed, limited edition posters and T-shirts will be available for purchase at Jazz & Arts on Riverdale.

Also during the event, the following Jazz Association of Macon scholarship awards will be recognized.

Young Jazz Musician Scholarships: Johanna Bagay graduated this year from Houston County High School and is now attending James Madison University, where she is continuing her jazz music education; Jake Maine played saxophone and clarinet at Houston County High School, from which he graduated earlier this year and is now a freshman at Georgia Southern University, still playing jazz; Gavin Rushing graduated from Jones County High School this year and is now enrolled at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He played the B3 organ last year with the Phillips Jazzy Jazz Band on the Riverdale stage.

Bob Barnette Memorial Music Scholarships: Mekhyle Lee, Miller Magnet Middle School, awarded a flute from Bill Hardin Music; Drayven Cater, Miller Magnet Middle School, awarded a trumpet from Bill Hardin Music; Jameson Childers, Houston County High School, awarded full tuition at University of Georgia summer music camp; Eliot Gerwig-Moore, Mount de Sales Academy, awarded a trombone from Bill Hardin Music; Christopher Kurtz, Howard Middle School, awarded scholarship funds to attend Florida State University Double Bass Summer Camp.

Jazz and Arts on Riverdale is free to the public.

About Jazz Association of Macon:

The Jazz Association of Macon, founded in 1986 by a small group of lovers of jazz, is a 501(c)3 not for profit organization. Member musicians are actively engaged in spreading an appreciation of this uniquely American music form by performing in Bibb County public and private schools and senior centers. The Association awards a Jazz Youth Scholarship each year to a deserving student who plans to continue playing and studying music in college, as well as Bob Barnette Memorial Music Scholarships to deserving middle and high school students.

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