Jazz fusion band Spyro Gyra will headline the 2013 Jazz Eureka Festival, set for September 13 to 15 in Eureka Springs. The band formed in the mid-1970s and its sound has roots in traditional jazz but combines elements of R&B, funk, and pop music. Spryro Gyra band members are known for their mastery over their instruments and the energy of their live performances (writes Jill Rohrbach).
They have performed over 5,000 shows, released 29 albums selling over 10 million albums while also achieving one platinum and two gold albums, and earning Grammy nominations for each of their last four albums.
Festival fun begins Friday, September 13 with a Sunset Serenade in Basin Spring Park on downtown Spring Street. From 7pm to 9pm, enjoy free music by the Fayetteville Jazz Collective, an 18-piece big band consisting of northwest Arkansas’s finest musicians.
Music will fill Basin Spring Park again on Saturday, September 14, from noon until 7 p.m. Starting off the day will be Alan Gibson and First Line with a style of music played in the 1920s that represents the first transition from blues to jazz. At 1:30 p.m. the Richard Bruton Quintet will take the stage. This legendary Springfield, Missouri tenor saxophonist leads a group of Southwest Missouri’s finest musicians doing jazz standards and modern jazz.
The Walter Savage Trio follows at 3pm Savage has a reputation for bringing the upright bass a primarily supportive instrument–into the spotlight. The final act in the free music line-up for Saturday is the NSU Jazz Sextet, part of the Northeastern State University Jazz Lab, which is home to the Jazz Studies Program, currently under the direction of saxophonist/composer/arranger, Dr. Tommy Poole.
Spyro Gyra will perform at 7:30pm Saturday, September 14 at The Auditorium, located at 36 S. Main Street. Tickets are on sale now at www.theauditorium.org and range from $20 to $42.50. One more free performance in the park will take place on Sunday afternoon. At 1 p.m. the Missouri State Jazz Band will perform traditional and contemporary big band music.
Visit www.jazzeureka.org or call 479-253-7333 for more information.
For more information about top events in Arkansas take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Arkansas.