The Lionel Hampton School of Music will host its annual jazz festival on Feb. 20-23.
John Clayton, Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival artistic director, plays bass alongside Larry Fuller on the piano as part of the Ray Brown Tribute trio for the 2012 jazz festival in the Student Union Building ballroom.
James Brownson is the director of development and marketing for the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences and is in charge of marketing for the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival. Brownson said it is an enormous undertaking to put on the jazz festival each year.
“It takes a staff of five, plus eight to 10 student interns and workers, contractors and over five hundred volunteers to make the festival happen each year,” Brownson said.
Brownson said the festival showcases more than 75 jazz performing artists, clinicians and artist educators of national and international renown in main stage performances, clinics, workshops and jam sessions each year.
“The festival is one of the University of Idaho’s signature events,” Brownson said. “It brings thousands of attendees to Moscow each year who are able to experience the University of Idaho firsthand by attending concerts, clinics and workshops on the university campus.”
Brownson said one of the difficult tasks of the jazz festival is getting the artists to Moscow.
“We are in such an isolated city, which makes it difficult to pick up all the artists who are flying from all over the country and overseas,” Brownson said.
Brownson said the festival is a great opportunity for UI students to get involved and gives them an opportunity to get free tickets. He said one free ticket is given to each volunteer for every four hours they have worked.
UI senior Kyle Gemberling participates each year in jazz festival. Gemberling said the festival is a once-a-year environment that fosters creativity, inspiration and culture.
“And while I definitely dig all the guest artists they bring in, the educational components of the festival are most important, especially to me,” Gemberling said. “Not only do I get opportunities to perform in the Jazz in the Schools program, but there are tons of younger students looking for ways to stay involved and inspired with jazz and music in general.”
Gemberling said being one of the individuals looked up to by young students is one thing he likes best.
Gemberling said he can always expect the week of the festival to be hectic.
“I know that I’ll be involved as a participant in the festival with Jazz I, both jazz choirs, a trumpet solo and probably a vocal solo,” Gemberling said. “If all goes as I’d like, I’ll be performing with Eli Yamin through the Jazz in the Schools program like I have the past two years.”
Tickets are on sale at the ASUI-Kibbie Activity Center Ticket Office. Tickets are available for all nights, with prices ranging from $25 to $50 a night and special discounts as low as $7 for youth and college students in the quad-cities area.
Erik Fink can be reached at [email protected]