Aaron Prado on the San Antonio Jazz Suite

We had a chance to sit composer Aaron Prado down at a piano to break down one of the most captivating parts of his San Antonio Jazz Suite. Here's what followed. And be sure to hear Aaron and the @King William Jazz Band perform the whole suite this Sunday at the Year of Jazz Finale!

YEAR OF JAZZ AT THE PEARL POSTPONED

Due to the high threat of torrential storms and flooding, we are postponing the CIA/Pearl Year of Jazz event previously scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 29th.  We apologize for the inconvenience, but given the flooding threat, even a sunny day would present poor conditions for this program.

The new date is Sunday, Nov. 18th, which will be a Year of Jazz Encore Performance, hosted by the CIA at the Pearl Amphitheater and featuring Henry Brun and the Modern Latino Big Band.

Joan Carroll & Footprints at the McNay Museum

The McNay Art Museum and KRTU Jazz 91.7 closed out the Summer Jazz and Lunch series with a Year of Jazz concert featuring Joan Carroll and Footprints. The Leeper Auditorium was packed with art and music lovers who came out to hear Joan and her band Footprints perform “straight-ahead and bossa nova” standards. Attendees enjoyed lunch prepared by San Antonio’s landmark restaurant Earl Abel’s, and were entertained by Joan’s vocal skills accompained by talented jazz musicians during the afternoon Year of Jazz concert celebration.

Additional photos here:

Year of Jazz Family Day at SAMA

Despite a little rain, the Year of Jazz Family Day at SAMA featuring the King William Jazz Collective was a fun-filled event for the whole family. The band opened their set outside in SAMA’s sculpture garden and children worked on art projects. As the clouds rolled in and rain drops began to fall, the band took an early intermission and attendees searched for cover in the Café des Artistes restaurant for a bite to eat, or made their way inside the museum to take in the exhibits. As the saying goes...the show must go on...The King William Jazz Collective moved inside SAMA’s auditorium and continued to entertain with their big band sounds.

Year of Jazz at Artpace

KRTU Jazz 91.7 in collaboration with Artpace celebrated the Year of Jazz with a live performance by The Kris Kimura Quintet. The Austin-based group played jazz classics from The Great American Songbook and added their own style setting a new standard for traditional jazz. Those attending the concert enjoyed a reception afterwards in the Artpace courtyard with authentic Mexican cuisine provided by the El Tacomiendo truck.

Sunday Jazz at the Witte Celebrates the Year of Jazz

Sunday Jazz at the Witte celebrated the Year of Jazz with a special Mother's Day concert featuring the Three Divas: Bett Butler, Joan Carroll and Katchie Cartwright. The talented vocalists entertained an audience of over 300 with some classic standards as well as original compositions. The lovely singers were backed by an equally talented band; Joel Dilley on bass, Aaron Prado on piano, and Steve Schwelling on drums. The concert included a special award presentation given to Mary Parchman for Jazz Excellence.  

Year of Jazz at the Southwest School of Art

The intimate Coates Chapel at the Southwest School of Art was a packed house for the Year of Jazz concert - Swingin' with Django - a tribute to the Parisian Jazz of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappeli. The concert featured an all-star hot jazz quintet led by guiarist Polly Harrison, which included Hank Harrison (violin,vocals), Katie Holmes (violin), Olivier Giraud (guitar), Joe Gonzales (guitar), and Pierre Poree (vocals, clairinet). The quintet performed songs made famous by the Hot Club of France in the 1930s and 1940s.