The great American tradition of jazz in the heartland
Free Festival Lineup
We're making jazz accessible to everyone by packing two days full of national, regional, and local acts as they share their love for jazz and its many iterations in a series of free concerts. You'll hear the sounds of swing, latin, soul, ragtime, and contemporary jazz to name a few.
Community Celebration
Taking place in the heart of downtown Burlington, enjoy the many venues, restaurants, bars, businesses, and people celebrating the uniquely American artform of jazz and the spirit of self-expression and improvisation through art, activities, special menu items, and more.
Historical Backdrop
Immerse yourself in Burlington's rich history - from the birthplace of Bart Howard in 1915 to the golden age of jazz in the 1930s and 40s. This festival aims to revive the cultural movement that first made it the best stop along the river for artists touring from St. Louis to Chicago.
Jormilit Garcia Quartett
Latin Jazz
Friday, July 25th | 3:00-4:00pm | The Capitol Theater
Jormilit Garcia is a vocalist from Miami, Florida currently enrolled in the award-winning Jazz Studies program at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI.
She is a part of the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers and has traveled the world with this group, performing in historic venues such as The Royal Albert Hall in London, The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and Lincoln Center in New York City. She has also performed as a backing vocalist with Jacob Collier, The Wailers, Shakira, Gloria Estefan, Pedro Capó, and many more. As a Venezuelan native, Jormilit takes pride in her Hispanic roots and imbues every performance with that rich and vibrant culture.
Jormilit will be performing with Nick Birchler on piano, Jacob Nowakowski on bass, and Rohan Marr on drums.
Tommy Boynton Quintet
Style of Music
Time, Date, Venue
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Matthew Fries
Jazz Pianist
Saturday, July 26th | 1:30-2:30pm | The Capitol Theater
Blake Shaw BIG(ish) Band
11-Piece Big Band
Friday, July 25th | 6:30-8:00pm | The Capitol Theater
The Blake Shaw BIG(ish) Band is an action packed, fun ensuing, eleven piece dream band lead by bassist/vocalist/arranger/educator Blake Shaw of Iowa City, exploring new colors and concepts with a band full of music professors, retired band directors, public school educators, and the most popular local musicians. Blake writes and arranges all of the music using the Duke Ellington model of showcasing his friends’ talents and strengths on their instruments. The show contains many burning solos, grooves for days, and plenty of eye candy from the band made up of the most in demand improvising musicians Iowa has to offer.
In 2010, Blake earned his AA from Kirkwood Community before going on to obtain his BM in Classical Double Bass Performance in 2013 and his MA in Jazz Composition/ Performance in 2017, both from the University of Iowa. You can currently find him teaching in Cedar Rapids as the Director of Jazz Studies at the Mount Mercy Campus of St Ambrose University. Blake actively contributes to the music community as a board member of the Iowa City Jazz Fest, the Entertainment Director for the Iowa City Pride Festival, and the Friday Night Concert Series. He also regularly serves as a guest artist, coaching ensembles in schools and festivals spanning from middle school to college and performs close to every week with a diverse array of bands, ranging from solo acts to big bands. Follow Blake on instagram for more: @theeblakebass
Elisha
Jazz-Influenced Gospel, Soul & Hip-Hop
Saturday, July 26th | 12:00-1:00pm | Heritage Garden Event Center
The Elisha Organ Trio consists of Ben Crino on guitar, Milwaukee native Isaiah Jones Jr. on organ and Cali native but Chicago stationed drummer Sid Smith IV, both of whom Ben shares the band leader role with.
Produced by Chicago Jazz guitar legend/staple Bobby Broom (guitarist for Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins) the organ trio’s record entitled “As an Organ Trio” will reimagine seven standards from the Jazz repertoire with elements of gospel, groove and hip hop, while still allowing an approach from the Jazz lineage to drive the setting.
Crino’s guitar playing can be seen as a stark contrast to the smooth and fluid playing that is commonly heard today - with an aggressive picking and dry tone that forces the group to rethink the standard roles of each of their instruments. These seven standards will be accompanied by one slow and reflective original written by organist/pianist Isaiah Jones Jr. titled with the mantra: That is Where I’ll be.
Josh Achiron Trio
Contemporary Jazz
Saturday, July 26th | 3:00-4:00pm | Heritage Garden Event Center
Joshua Achiron is a guitarist, arranger, composer and educator based in the heart of the vibrant city of Chicago.
Joshua earned his undergraduate degrees in both classical and jazz guitar performance from the prestigious Eastman School of Music where he was recognized as a classical soloist and given his Performance Certificate. Joshua continued his studies at the highly selective Berklee Global Jazz Institute where he earned his masters degree on a full scholarship. There he was mentored by Grammy award-winning musicians such as Danilo Perez, Joe Lovano and John Patitucci.
As a professional guitarist, Joshua has had the privilege of playing with incredible musicians such as Ben Paterson, Clark Sommers, Geof Bradfield, Dana Hall, Greg Arty, Chris Madsen, and Victor Garcia, at venues such as The Jazz Showcase, Andy's Jazz Club, Winter's Jazz Club, Pausa Art House, Kodak Theater, The Aspen Jazz Snowmass Festival and Blues Alley Jazz Club in Washington DC.
Joshua will be performing with Micah Collier on Bass and Greg Artry on drums.
Dave Katz Sexet
Panel & Play
Time, Date, Venue
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Pete Ellman Big Band
Music Type
Time, Date, Venue
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Reviving Burlington's Roots
In 1963, Gene Bredar, a National Bank officer, and Will Schnering, Chamber of Commerce manager, were brainstorming ways to revitalize Burlington, which was experiencing a downturn.
They suggested a music festival to showcase the city's historic links to the Mississippi River, and the name "Steamboat Days" was born. The Dixieland Jazz Festival was a later addition to the Steamboat Days event, further enhancing the festival's musical offerings and drawing in a diverse audience, with Louis Armstrong performing in 1964.
Fundraising for the festival
Big plans require big budgets. In order to fully realize our dream of supporting the local arts scene, booking culturally significant acts, and putting Burlington on the map, we need to raise $10,000 in funding. Special thanks to our festival sponsors listed below. For more information on becoming a sponsor, please contact us at jazz@btowncapitol.com.
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Contact us at jazz@btowncapitol.com
Contact
- 319-237-1099
- 211 North 3rd St. Burlington, IA 52601
About The Capitol
The Capitol is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to the performing arts and entertainment culture in Burlington, Iowa.
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