BOONE, NC – Here is a chronological overview of the 15 separate events that comprise the 2023 High Country Jazz Festival taking place in ten different locations Boone and Blowing Rock from June 9 through 11, 2023. FREE events are indicated by an asterisk ( * ) with tickets to the headliner events available via the festival website: www.highcountryjazzfestival.org
Thursday, June 8: As a prelude to the festival, “A Jazz Dinner with Todd Wright and Andy Page*”takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. at Casa Rustica, 1348 Highway 105 South in Boone. Admission is free, but reservations are highly recommended as seating is limited.
At 7 p.m., the six-time Academy Award-winning musical film La La Land will be screened at the Appalachian Theatre on King Street in downtown Boone. General admission is only $6.
Friday, June 9: The Blowing Rock Art & History Museum (BRAHM) is hosting a talk by Todd Wright entitled“The Jazz Swing Feel: From Count Basie to Emmet Cohen” at 11 a.m. There is no cost for BRAHM members and admission is $8 for the public.
A Jazz Cocktail Hour featuring Pavel Wlosok* is slated from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on the panoramic rooftop lounge of the Horton Hotel, 611 West King Steet in Boone, followed at 5:30 by the kick-off concert featuring The Will Boyd Quintet* as part of the popular Summer Concerts at the Jones House.
The first headliner event takes place on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Appalachian Theatre when The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra®, directed by Scotty Barnhart, with guest vocalist Carmen Bradford, make their App Theatre debut. Tickets are $37 and $45.
From 10 p.m. until midnight, jazz enthusiasts and musicians from near and far will gather at Beacon Butcher Bar in Boone for a Late Night Jazz Festival Jam Session*. The Beacon is located at 125 Graduate Lane in the 1700 block of Highway 105 next to the iconic Water Wheel. This event is free of charge and no advance reservations are necessary.
Saturday, June 10: From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Marquee Jazz* showcases students in Todd Wright’s Jazz Studies students performing popular works free of charge underneath the historic, award-winning art deco façade and marquee at the Appalachian Theatre. This event is free to the public.
From 12 noon to 3 p.m., a High Country Jazz Lunch takes place at Lost Province Brewing Company, located at 130 North Depot Street in Boone featuring The Ron Brendle Trio with Andy Page*. While there is no cover charge for this event, reservations are encouraged.
The Emmet Cohen Group takes to the App Theatre stage at 7:30 p.m. with the multifaceted American jazz pianist/composer hailed as “one of his generation’s pivotal figures in music and an internationally acclaimed jazz artist.” Tickets are $35 and $42.
Then it’s back to the Beacon Butcher Bar in Boone for a Late Night Jazz Festival Jam Session* with music and a tasting menu until midnight (possibly beyond). As with Friday night, this event is free of charge.
Sunday, June 11:
Two High Country Jazz Brunches* takes place on Sunday, the first from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the historic 1891 Green Park Inn featuring the Todd Wright All-Stars*. Reservations are highly recommended.
The second jazz lunch is from noon to 3 p.m. at Lost Province Brewing Company in Boone. It features Joseph Hasty and Centerpiece Jazz* performing straight ahead classic jazz, swing tunes, show tunes and other standards.
At 4 p.m. Shane Chalke* performing during cocktail hour on the patio of the Chetola resort, located at 185 Chetola Lake Drive in Blowing Rock. Shane is a regular performer during the summer season in the High Country, dishing up a large serving of straight-ahead jazz.
The Reggie Buie Group performs at 5 p.m. under the tent at Chetola Resort delivering passionate jazz performances and improvisation are hallmarks of their live concerts. The cocktail hour jazz is free of charge, and general admission tickets to the Buie concert are $25.
For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit the festival’s official website at www.highcountryjazzfestival.org.
Courtesy of Appalachian Theatre
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