Estes Park Jazz Fest & Art Walk, one of the town’s most anticipated events of the spring season, offers free jazz performances and an exhilarating art walk, May 15-16. Two days of great jazz and beautiful art allow visitors to visit galleries, listen to music, picnic and otherwise enjoy a high mountain atmosphere at no cost.
Max Wagner performs in Estes Park’s Performance Park during a previous jazz festival.
The music festival features both nationally known and local artists. One performance highlight is Sunday afternoon when internationally-known Houston Person takes the stage. The world-class tenor saxophonist is considered a legend. He grew up in South Carolina listening to his parent’s jazz records at home. Be began playing piano before switching to the tenor sax at age 17. He went on to study music at South Carolina State College, where he’s included in the school’s Hall of Fame, and later pursued advanced studies at Hartt College of Music.
“He’s one of the best,” Dizzy Gillespie said.
The Pete Olstad/Bob Montgomery Big Band, one of Colorado’s premier performing groups, is a regional highlight of the event on Sunday. The 18-piece band plays high-energy, modern big band jazz and includes some of the greatest jazz musicians in the U.S. who live in Colorado. Members have performed in the bands of Woody Herman, Maynard Ferguson, Buddy Rich, Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Blood Sweat and Tears, Clark Terry and many more.
Daytime jazz performances take place between noon and 5 p.m. at Performance Park, 417 W. Elkhorn Ave.
Following the daytime performances in the park on Saturday, the Max Wagner Quartet performs from 6:30-9 p.m. at Mama Rose’s Restaurant, 338 E. Elkhorn Avenue. The band features Max Wagner on tenor saxophone and jazz vocals along with Jerry Weiss on piano and Ken Walker on bass. The dynamic Wagner delivers a remarkably varied and engaging musical experience, which includes soulful bebop, Latin jazz, classic jazz and romantic ballads. Additional artists from the festival are expected to drop by to sit in. Reservations are suggested. Call 970-586-3330 to contact the restaurant. The quartet also performs in the park Sunday.
During the Estes Park Art Walk, participants can stroll from gallery to gallery and converse with artists. The Art Walk is a self-guided tour of galleries in the Estes Park area and offers a relaxed way to see what’s new and appealing from a variety of regional artists. Several galleries will have artists on hand, demonstrating their talents.
Estes Park, Colorado
A map, produced by the Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park, shows participating galleries showing paintings, sculptures, pottery, weavings, jewelry, photography and limited edition prints.
The Art Walk begins at 10 a.m. and a self-guided tour of local galleries continues until 5 p.m. Art Walk maps will be available at Performance Park and in participating galleries.
To get to the music festival and art walk, take U.S. Highway 34 or U.S. Highway 36 to Estes Park. Turn west on Elkhorn Avenue (the city’s main downtown street) to Performance Park, located at the far west end of the street.
Call 800-443-7837 for more information.
