Carmel Jazz Fest, created by jazz musician and educator Blair Clark, is returning with a new lineup for a second year in a row.
Carmel hosted the music festival for the first time last year to bring more diverse forms of art to its residents and provide local musicians with a stage to share their music more widely. This year, a few changes have been made, but Clark, who is also the creative director for Carmel Jazz Fest, said the festival aims to provide everyone with an even better experience at Carter Green Aug. 9-10.
“We have some new acts, and we have some acts that we brought back because they did such a great job, and everybody loved them so much,” Clark said. “We also have some of our regulars … but we’ve also brought in some international artists and regional artists. So, it’s a good mixture.”
The lineup of artists and performers is diverse in age, race and gender, featuring artists from all skill levels and walks of life, Clark said. There will be a high school band and a few high school jazz vocalists performing and opening for a few of the college jazz bands from Ball State University, Butler University, Indiana University and the University of Indianapolis and their professors.
“Our educational program is a major part of what we’re doing in our not –for-profit,” Clark said. “So, what a great opportunity for these kids who are aspiring to go to college and be in music to open up and for some of these professors to meet them.”
Jazz saxophonist Tim Cunningham is among one of the returning musicians for this year’s festival and said he was excited to play for such an enthusiastic community again.
“That’s a great festival, although it was the inaugural year. They seem to have put together something really nice in a really nice community,” Cunningham said. “There were a lot of folks out there that appeared to be very interested in the music that they presented, so yeah, it was something that we thought was a great opportunity.”
Cunningham, who has been playing the saxophone for the last 50 years, said playing events like Carmel Jazz Fest is therapeutic for him. Interacting with people in smaller venues like the ones at Carter Green creates a more sincere and intimate vibe, and Cunningham said it helps people focus on the music and really engage with the band.
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Cunningham’s set will include some of his older music, a new song off his album “Freedom,” as well as a few covers from Earth, Wind and Fire and Stevie Wonder. However, he said the song that he enjoys playing the most is always “Whip Appeal” by Babyface because people recognize it and love it.
“It’s all about the people because music is a universal language that people really love. It’s very therapeutic for them to come out after a long week,” Cunningham said. “We feel that the music that we perform on stage does tend to move people, and hopefully they will remember us.”
In addition to Cunningham, the rest of the Carmel Jazz Fest lineup currently includes Average White Band, Antonia Bennett, Danny Lerman, Teilah McClung, Europa and more.
One of the major changes to this year’s Carmel Jazz Fest is location, Clark said. Instead of being spread out in venues across the city, the festival will take place in Carter Green and each of the venues there, such as Tarkington stage, the Studio Theatre, The Palladium Carter Green state and Rotary Centennial Amphitheater.
The event will also be rain or shine with plenty of new and returning local food and beverage vendors — such as Sugar Creek Winery and Walking Waffle — to take care of guests and artists in attendance. However, unlike the annual Carmel Fest, Clark said this festival will place an emphasis on music first.
“I think we learned a lot from last year, and we’re just trying to implement those things and make it better every single year,” Clark said. “I think it is going to be one of those years where everybody’s going to have a great time, as they did last year, but they’ll be able to enjoy it in a condensed area.”
Carmel Jazz Fest takes place from 5-10:30 p.m. Aug. 9-10 at Carter Green in Carmel. Tickets start at $35. For more information, visit carmeljazzfest.org.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X
@chloe_mcgowanxx.
