Blue Jay Jazz Festival fans have to be patient for only two more weeks. The 19th annual Festival is a three-day extravaganza worth the wait. Gates open at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 27, at Tavern Bay Beach Club’s outdoor venue.
Treat yourself to a beverage at the new wine garden featuring Sycamore Ranch Winery. No food is sold at the festival so bring your own food and beverages, coat and flashlight.
The fun begins with Carl Verheyen, ranked by Guitar Magazine as “one of the world’s Top 10 guitarists” alongside such masters as Eric Clapton and BB King. Verheyen has built a multifaceted career as an acclaimed musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger, producer and educator with 16 albums and two live DVDs released worldwide.
The excellence continues when gates open at 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 28, with two powerhouse performances. Ellis Hall, known as the “Ambassador of Soul,” brings his five-octave range and years of experience performing with Tower of Power, Sheila E., Herbie Hancock and Patti Labelle. Plus, there’s Tierra Legacy, the show-stopping, eye-popping Latin R&B band led by David Salas. Bring your dancing shoes. “If you got the suit, we got the Zoot!”
The Saturday, Aug. 29 gate time is 4 p.m. and is indoors at the San Moritz Lodge in Crestline. Festival favorites The Jazz Salon All Stars return with singer Niki Haris, who brings a fresh take on the Great American Songbook.
Digital Audio Projekt, starring local artists André Berry, Bruce Rubio and Harold Allen Jr., will open the show. A no-host bar by the Bear Claw and charcuterie boxes by Ash Farms will be available for purchase.
For tickets, visit bluejayjazz.org. BJJF thanks its major Festival sponsors: the Mountain News, Arrowhead Lake Association and the Bill and Dinah Ruch Family Foundation. Also, the Festival partners: Yamaha, Arrowhead Premier Properties, Inland Empire Health Plan, Dr. Philip M. Nisco, Arrowhead Arts Association, Jensen’s Fine Foods, The Lake House, Vista|Sotheby’s International Realty, the Alpine Mountaineer and Diligent Investments.