Jazz festival an ongoing tradition

The 28th annual Carolina Jazz Festival began Wednesday, and it’s already in full swing.

The festival will run through Saturday and feature such performers as the Marcus Roberts Trio, Dave Stryker and Ray Vega.

The origins of the festival trace back to the 1970s, during jazz program director and festival coordinator James Ketch’s first year at Chapel Hill.

“It was the spring of 1978,” Ketch said.

“We held a weekend jazz festival, and it’s gone ever since. Obviously it’s expanded over time and is now embraced campuswide.”

The festival’s main goal is to promote the art form and create excitement about the field, he said.

Senior Casey Dunn, chairman of the arts advocacy committee of student government, said the festival is good for the campus community.

“One of the great things about the jazz fest is it really highlights the wealth of what’s happening on the campus and brings that out to the community,” he said.

The festival’s itinerary includes several concerts at various locales around the Chapel Hill area.

One series of events, Jazz After Hours, features jam sessions at different venues found along Franklin Street.

The events are open to musicians and the public for their participation.

“We want to reach out and touch students in a way not possible in a traditional lecture. … This allows students to rub shoulders with professionals … and takes student experience up a level,” Ketch said.

A panel discussion moderated by Ketch on Wednesday included artists from the festival.

At the Student Union Cabaret, which held a near-capacity audience, the artists spoke about their influences, their personal feelings about the music and a host of other topics.

Jason Marsalis, drummer for the Marcus Roberts Trio, said, “The main message and main goal is to make a statement on such a high level that there can be no mistake that it is on such a high level.”

Marcus Roberts said, “It’s the only art form I can think of that acknowledged it’s OK for you to be you.”

The panel discussion ended with a point made by guitarist Dave Stryker.

Stryker said, “You have your iPods with 5,000 songs, but instead you should just get two or three records and really listen to them and absorb them.”

This year’s festival sponsors include many off-campus businesses and organizations.

It also is sponsored by numerous campus organizations, from fraternities to academic departments.

Ketch stressed the importance of cooperation between the on- and off-campus sponsors of the event.

“We’ve all cooperated together and because of the longevity of the festival it’s become a cultural landmark on the campus.”

Contact the A&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.