New Traditions: Martha's Vineyard Jazz Festival

Martha's Vineyard is an Island that loves its traditions. Be it agriculture, history, fishing, running or food, no matter what your passion, there is most likely an Island tradition to honor it. This summer, with the first annual Martha's Vineyard Jazz Festival, creators John Lee and Steve Anglin are hoping to add jazz to that list of traditions.

Both Lee and Anglin are long-time Vineyarders and jazz enthusiasts, and both wanted to make sure that the festival was something that would add to the Island community and experience. "The Vineyard is a treasure that never gets old. No matter how many times you come here, there's always that same rush," said Anglin. "We wanted to recognize that and put something together that is that special, something that fits within the Island community. We're a real grass-roots jazz fest, not a big-city corporate jazz festival."

Anglin and Lee have been working with town selectmen, community members and business owners for the past year. "We wanted to be sure that the whole community is involved and that’s the way we see this progressing over the years, not us as independant producers trying to jam our festival down the Vineyard's throat," said Anglin.

The festival's slogan "All Things Jazz" is taken quite literally with a line-up of events that includes three book signings at in Vineyard Haven. Authors include such legends as Randy Weston, Jimmy Heath and John Abbot, who will all be on hand to read and sign their books. "We've got some really great authors who have lived their lives through jazz. We consider it a real gift that these legends have put together and handed down jazz history to us in book form. A history that would be lost otherwise," said Anglin.

Art is also part of the jazz experience and on Sunday, August 7 the official art show of the Jazz Festival, titled "Visual Jazz: Listen with your Eyes," will open at . Gallery owner Melissa Bresse said, "I have been working closely with festival promoters since December and I am incredibly excited. It has been a delightful process curating a show to coincide with such a wonderful weekful event." Artists featured include Chuck Stewart, a legendary jazz photographer who started his career in New York during the 1950s burgeoning jazz scene and whose portraits include everyone from Billie holiday to James Brown; Marc Cottman, a painter from the DC area whose canvases depict the joy and essence of jazz; Steve Lohman, a wire sculptor from New Orleans and painter Chioke R. Morais, showing portaits drawn from 1950s photographs of Harlem residents taken by his father, photographer Raymond Morais.

And, of course, there will be music. Lots of music, in lots of venues. Antonio Hart will be playing with his quartet at in Oak Bluffs; the local group Martha's Vineyard Jazz Quartet will be playing at ; Michele Holland will perform at ' ; and the exciting, young Mario Castro Quintet and the Berklee College of Music All Stars will be at . Nnenna Freelon, who has family ties to the Island and who has been hailed as the "International Voice of Jazz," will be at the in Edgartown—and that's just to name a few. "This is a line-up of top-notch artists who will all give people wonderful performances," said Anglin.

Not to be missed will be the opening ceremony New Orleans–style parade that takes place on Saturday, August 6 at 12:45 p.m. A New Orleans–style band will head out from and make its way down Circuit Avenue, through the campgrounds and end up near Nancy’s. "There will be beads and noise makers," said Anglin. "It should be a really good timel; everyone is welcome to join in. We want as many people to participate as possible."

Another mission of the festival's organizers is to bring a lot of business to the Island. "We really hope this becomes a new Island tradition," said Anglin, who said their advertising outreach is both national and international. "It is central to our plan that the festival is of huge economic benefit to towns on the Vineyard," said Anglin. "We’ve seen what the shark tournament has done and I know we can do the same thing. We really believe that this can become a multi-cultural event that people travel around the world to get to, just like Montreal or Newport."

For a complete schedule of events and more information, go to http://mvjazzfest.com.