DeMiero festival jazzing up Edmonds
Published 4:33 pm Wednesday, March 9, 2016
EDMONDS — It started out as a camp for high school and college students of vocal jazz.
Today, the 40th annual DeMiero Jazz Fest attracts top talent to coach kids and community jazz choirs for three days, but also to perform for the public.
This year’s festival opened March 10, but it continues March 11 and 12 with performances by Carmen Bradford, Dee Daniels, Greta Matassa, Charnenee Wade, Edmonds Community College’s Soundsation jazz choir, the Seattle Jazz Singers and the “house” band of pianist Josh Nelson, bassist Jay Leonhart, drummer Dave Tull and guitarist Bruce Forman.
The festival is the baby of south Snohomish County living legend Frank DeMiero, 75, of Edmonds.
After teaching music at Mountlake Terrace High School from the mid-1960s to mid-1970s, DeMiero founded and led the music department at Edmonds Community College, where he started the Soundsation jazz choir.
Known nationwide for his jazz clinics and award-winning choirs, he also directed vocal jazz studies at the University of Washington, then retired in 1998 as supervisor of music for Edmonds School District.
DeMiero currently conducts Seattle Jazz Singers and Sno-King Community Chorale.
”The philosophy of the festival has not changed,” DeMiero said. “It’s all about positive reinforcement and leading by example.”
The festival’s artistic director, Dee Daniels, agreed.
“Music makes a difference in a lot of lives,” Daniels said. “Frank attracts people who share that belief. He spreads the joy of music.”
The DeMiero festival is one of the few focused on vocal jazz and one of the few music festivals across the country that aren’t competitive.
“The festival provides young people with fellowship, clinics, time with peers and one-on-one with mentors,” she said. “We have clinicians such as Greta Matassa, who is intuitive and caring about young musicians. And she’s a great performer, too.”
The festival’s remaining concerts feature Daniels and the great Carmen Bradford. Charenee Wade and Matassa were the featured performers on Thursday.
“It’s a lady’s thing this year,” Daniels said with a laugh. “We’ll change it up next year.”
Carmen Bradford, who stars tonight, grew up in the jazz world. She is the daughter of the great jazz trumpet player Bobby Bradford and the renowned singer Melba Joyce. And her grandfather Melvin Moore sang with a big band in the 1940s.
Carmen Bradford was hired by Count Basie to sing with his orchestra. Bradford, a Grammy winner, has sung with Wynton Marsalis, George Benson, Tony Bennett, Lena Horne and many other famous musicians. She sang on the soundtrack for Oprah Winfrey’s film “Beloved.”
“She also has an R&B background and is a very soulful and knowledgable singer,” Daniels said.
Daniels had to miss last year’s festival, so she is happy to be back as the featured performer on Saturday.
“We are going to do some jamming and some gang songs,” she said. “We gotta do that.”
If people can’t attend the festival, they are encouraged to go to www.demierojazzfest.org to make a donation to assist high school students who are attending, Daniels said.
“It’s all about education and the music.”
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.
If you go
Tickets to the DeMiero Jazz Fest evening concerts are available by calling 425-275-9595 or online at www.ec4arts.org. More information is at www.demierojazzfest.org.
