The Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, normally held on the University of Idaho’s campus is one of the largest educational jazz festivals in the world, according to festival manager Joshua Skinner. This year it will be held completely online.
Last year, the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival had just finished when the city began implementing social distancing orders due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
This left jazz lovers wondering if the 2021 annual Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival would still take place. According to Skinner, that was never even a question.
“I rallied my team and we had lots of conversations of, how do we approach this and what is it going to look like?” Skinner said.” It was pretty clear by June that (the pandemic) was going to impact the entire year.”
The festival committee was determined to find a way to make the annual event more accessible than the last.
“We’ve worked with our partners to make sure that we get everyone into that Zoom webinar that chooses to be,” Skinner said.
Running Feb. 25-27, the festival has kept its integral components intact – workshops and concerts. There will be multiple workshops held each day, with a $25 fee per person to gain access to all of the workshops being held during the festival. The concerts are completely free to anyone who wishes to attend.
“One that’s super exciting to me will be on Thursday at 5 p.m.,” Skinner said. “It’s a concert where we’ll be talking to the former director of the festival who has retired. The Lionel Hampton Big Band will be there as well.”
This year will be the 54-annual event. The festival will spend more time than usual focusing on Lionel Hampton this year, diving into his influence on the music industry. This year Hampton will be receiving the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring his dedication and passion for jazz music and the legacy he left behind.
“One thing I want the University of Idaho student body to know is Lionel Hampton was critical in breaking racial boundaries. He was critical in bringing jazz music to the masses. His impact on the music industry and his work with people of all ethnicities is just critical to understand.”
To find more information about the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival can be found on the university’s website.
Ava Manning be reached at [email protected]
Stephen
Wow, sounds like some fantastic talent! Nice to that they’re keeping the tradition going.