The organizers of the Lansing JazzFest have an unofficial slogan for this year's festival, running Friday and Saturday: The bridge is out, but the party's on.
With JazzFest situated in Lansing's Old Town at the corner of Grand River Avenue and Turner Street, ongoing construction on the Grand River bridge could make for some difficult festival-going.
"We're encouraging people to park along the river walk anywhere, because you can walk the river walk and get to Old Town, so that will help with some of the traffic congestion," said Old Town Business and Art Development Association President Terry Terry. "It's an inconvenience, but we encourage people to leave a half hour early so they can find good parking and get to hear who they want to hear."
And there will be plenty to hear, with 16 performances and five clinics and workshops on a variety of music styles Friday and Saturday.
"From Latin jazz, to fusion, to bebop, to straight-ahead, we try to make sure over the course of two days you get the opportunity to hear a wide range of jazz styles," Terry said.
Performers at JazzFest are required to include one new composition or arrangement in their set, contributing to what Terry referred to as "living music."
"What's nice about this is all the musicians that come, they're real excited about playing here and they go out of their way to put new sets together and new tunes," he said.
Vocalist Lisa Smith, who — in addition to being the festival's public relations chair — will be making her fourth JazzFest appearance on the South Stage Friday night, said a majority of the songs in her set will be seeing their live debut.
"Anytime you play — the second or third or whatever time — for the same audience, you have to come up with a new show, so obviously all but maybe two of the songs I'm performing are a new show, so I'm really excited about that," she said.
This year's lineup also includes renowned pianist Johnny O'Neal, known to cinema and jazz enthusiasts alike for his turn as Art Tatum in 2004's "Ray." By booking acts like O'Neal and gaining greater exposure outside of Lansing, Smith said JazzFest's 12th year will be its biggest yet.
"It's gotten really regional legs at this point. It takes a lot of years to build an event — it takes a lot more years to create an event that gets attention outside of your immediate area," she said.
But the festival itself isn't the only entity benefiting from this added exposure. Terry said that JazzFest has played an important role in the revitalization of Old Town.
"When we did our first festival, it kind of put Old Town and downtown on the map, and people began to see there's something of value here."
One such business is Banyan Gallery, 1208 Turner St., which is owned and operated by the Old Town Business and Art Development Association. Banyan will be open during JazzFest, exhibiting pieces of art inspired by the many aspects of the weekend's music.
"I think that there's more of a relationship between art and music than many people automatically consider, and I think in terms of taking risk publicly, that music does express itself in art, and I think art expresses itself in music. They're the same emotions and the same motivations," said gallery director Carolyn Haun.
Last year's JazzFest brought between 10,000 and 20,000 people to Old Town, now far from the "ghost town" it was when Terry helped create the festival in 1995.
"It's events like these that really make the difference," he said.
Lansing JazzFest schedule
Friday, Aug. 4
South Stage:
5 p.m. Five Deep
6 p.m. Nu Poets with Five Deep
7:30 p.m. Lisa Smith
10 p.m. T.J. and Mike
North Stage:
6:30 p.m. David Rosin Trio
8:30 p.m. Tim Cunningham
River Stage:
7 p.m. Ed Fedewa: The Expanding Role of the Jazz Bassist
Saturday, Aug. 5
South Stage:
3:15 p.m. Jeff Haas Quartet featuring Rob Smith
5 p.m. Bill Bastian Quartet on the South Stage
7 p.m. Marcia Allen & Shared Philosophy
10 p.m. Tumbao Bravo
North Stage:
2 p.m. Lansing School District All City Jazz B
4:15 p.m. Don Phillips
6 p.m. Lansing Symphony Big Band
8:15 p.m. Johnny O'Neal
River Stage:
2 p.m. Children's Ballet Theatre of Michigan
3 p.m. Happendance presents Community Dance Project
4:45 p.m. David Rosin: Intro to Jazz
5:45 p.m. Johnny O'Neal: Q & A
6:45 p.m. GroovElation
