Classical musicians set to cut loose in free Jazz After jam sessions

The Vail Jazz Festival, now in its 18th season, has teamed up with the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival to present three jam sessions immediately following orchestral performances by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic.

The series is entitled Jazz After and will showcase select members of each orchestra in a casual, jazz-club setting. The first session, Jazz After: The Dallas Jam will be held on Saturday, June 30 at 9 p.m.

The Vail Jazz Festival has collaborated with the Bravo! Music Festival to present three Jazz After jam sessions featuring select Bravo musicians performing after their concerts in a club-like setting. The first takes place Saturday, June 30 in the Great Room at Larkspur restaurant and is titled, Jazz After: The Dallas Jam.

All Jazz After performances take place in Larkspur's Great Room in Golden Peak and are free and open to the public. Food and drink will be available, provided by Larkspur Restaurant. Additional Jazz After performances are The Philly Jam on Wednesday, July 11 and The New York Jam on Wednesday, July 25.

“Whether you are a hardcore jazz fan or a novice, a jam session is the quintessential way to experience jazz," Jazz Festival Artistic Director Howard Stone said. "The music is spontaneously improvised as the players engage in a musical conversation that the audience gets to overhear.

"Joining with Bravo to present the Jazz After jam sessions and featuring the musicians of Bravo's resident orchestras allows us to highlight those artists who have mastered both worlds of classical and jazz music. As a lifelong music lover, this is a dream come true.”

With 40 performances from June 24 through September 3, the 18th annual Vail Jazz Festival presents headliners such as Marcia Ball, Byron Stripling, the Jeff Hamilton Trio and the Brubeck Brothers Quartet in a variety of ticketed and free events in intimate indoor and unique outdoor venues throughout Vail.

Featuring diverse jazz genres from straight-ahead and new-bop, to Latin, swing and the Great American Songbook, the Festival culminates with the Labor Day Vail Jazz Party featuring more than 30 hours of music in a five-day celebration of jazz.

For more information about the Vail Jazz Festival and the Jazz After jam series, call 888-VAIL-JAM (888-824-5526) or visit www.vailjazz.org. The Vail Jazz Festival is presented by the Vail Jazz Foundation.