Mark Dunlap and the Holyoke Cultural Council recently secured a grant and are working to organize the First Annual Holyoke Latin Jazz Festival on October 13, 2012 from 4:00 PM to midnight. The Holyoke Latin Jazz Festival will present inexpensive live latin jazz music to expand PassportHolyoke's (PH) Discover Holyoke Day at the Winter Palace Theater(WPT) on Cabot Street in Holyoke, MA that will sho
wcase local musicians along with world-class performers from NYC. The theater owner, Paper City Brewery, the Holyoke Cultural Council and Wiremonkey Dance cleared an enormous amount of clutter from the historic WPT for future live performances. The Holyoke Cultural Council is leading a collaboration with PCB/WPT, PH, Citizens for the Revitalization and Urban Success of Holyoke (CRUSH), Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts (MIFA), Mayor's Office, Loud Jazz, web designer Gustavo de Leon etc. John Michaels and his nonprofit organization LoudJazz organized the first annual Northampton Jazz Festival for Saturday, October 1, 2011. Simmermusic artist InterTrip opened the festival with a performance at 11:00 AM. The festival was well attended and was clearly a big success. Congratulations John! The 2nd annual Northampton Jazz Festival is scheduled for Saturday, September 15, 2012. Mark Dunlap, chair of the Holyoke Cultural Council, is the recipient of the state Cultural Council's 2011 leadership award. Dunlap was presented the award at an event in April at Eighty Jarvis restaurant. Kylie Sullivan, representing the state council, and Mayor Elaine Pluta recognized Dunlap for his outstanding contributions and leadership role in promoting the arts and cultural organizations in the city of Holyoke. On June 6th, 2010, the Interplay Jazz Band opened for 2002 Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition winner Seamus Blake from 2-3:30 PM on the Town Common in West Springfield for “Westside's Taste of the Valley Jazz Sunday Event.” Blake's All Star Band features drummer Bill Stewart(Scofield, Metheny), Pianist David Kikoski (Joe Henderson, Ron Carter,Roy Haynes), 2005 Monk Competition Winner Lage Lund on guitar, and Matt Clohesy on bass. For more information go to www.westsidetaste.com or www.loudjazz.org
Starting in September, 2012, Simmer Music will start booking jazz at the Dam Cafe in Holyoke, MA. Since April 2011, Simmer Music has booked the Friday and Saturday night jazz series at the Blue Rock Cafe Shelburn Falls, MA 01370. Simmer Music has also booked the Tuesday night jazz series at the Black Moon Music Lounge in Belchertown, MA since August of 2010. Starting in December 2009, Simmer Music will book the Sunday jazz brunch series at Champney's Restaurant & Tavern, at the Deerfield Inn in Deerfield, MA in addition to the Sunday jazz brunch series at the Cushman Market, in Amherst, MA. In December 2009, Interplay's Composition "Big Vic" was played by Aaron Neville's band (Featuring Charles Neville) on his "Christmas Tour" throughout the northeast United States.
