Jazz Festival brings Cape Region together
On what may have been the most beautiful weekend of the fall, Rehoboth Beach welcomed scores of musicians and thousands of fans to the 26th annual Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival Oct. 15-18.
As it has done for more than a quarter century, the event brought musicians from across the nation to entertain hundreds who packed Rehoboth Convention Hall and dozens of other venues from Lewes to Dewey Beach.
To mention only a few great performances, on Friday, jazz legend Al Jarreau took the stage in Rehoboth with Marc Antoine and Steve Cole for a memorable performance. That show was followed by a late-night concert at Cape Henlopen High School, featuring Nick Colionne, Euge Groove and Brian Simpson.
On Saturday, jazz was in the air all day, from the Historic Lewes Farmers Market to Rehoboth Beach, where Fralinger Mummers String Band performed at the Rehoboth Beach Fire Hall and young Cape High musicians and the Rehoboth Concert Band delighted audiences at the bandstand. In the evening, Bettye LaVette brought her unique style to Epworth United Methodist Church, followed by the All Star Super Show back in Rehoboth.
Sunday featured the Final Grand Jam at the convention center, topped off with the closing party at the Rusty Rudder in Dewey Beach.
Amid all this, one of the best features of this festival is that it goes far beyond concerts. Dozens of artists, such as guitarist Van Williamson in his 25th festival appearance, could be heard all over town, starting at Dos Locos and the Back Porch Café on Rehoboth Avenue and moving to Iguana Grill on Baltimore or Mariachi Restaurant on Wilmington.
A highlight every year is the Jazz Mass, Saturday evening at All Saints’ Church in Rehoboth and Sunday morning at St. George’s Chapel in Harbeson. The jazz festival has seen everything, from torrential rain to this year’s crystal clear night skies.
Every year it brings a wide mix of nationally known artists combined with unbelievable new talent. And every year, jazz festival musicians not only entertain us; they never fail to draw our community together, wrapping us all up in a blanket of hot rhythms, smooth melodies and inspiring song.
