In recent years, the first weekend in August has become one to circle on the calendars of area music fans interested in celebrating a style that Marko Marcinko notes has become “a very large umbrella” — jazz.

The fourth annual Scranton Jazz Festival, will reflect that description by once again bringing jazz, blues, swing and world music to the Radisson at Lackawanna Station hotel, as well as various other local venues on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Headlining the first night of the festival, curated by Mr. Marcinko, will be Grammy-nominated pop-jazz godfathers Spyro Gyra, who scored instrumental hits in the 1970s with songs such as “Morning Dance” and “Shaker Song.”

Check Out Their Latest Album Good To Go-Go

Spyro Gyra bandleader and founding member Jay Beckenstein noted that while critics and fans often throw around various terms to categorize the band, it all comes down to jazz.
“The foundation of what we do is jazz, and a lot of jazz language is used,” Mr. Beckenstein said in a phone interview from his hotel in Oakland, Calif., adding that all five members are songwriters themselves. “But we are free and entitled to do whatever we want with whatever styles we want.”

Spyro Gyra, which recently performed in locations such as Guam,
Istanbul and Moscow, released its latest album, “Good to Go-Go,”
in 2007 to critical acclaim after adding Bonny Bonaparte on drums.
“I think that, to some degree, when he came into the band and started
playing with us live, we wanted to do kind of an upbeat, energetic record,”
Mr. Beckenstein said.

He added that this type of mood will be reflected in their live performance at the festival.
“Anyone that’s got the idea that this show is going to be about sitting down and clapping has got the wrong idea,” Mr. Beckenstein exclaimed, saying that people who may not normally attend a jazz show will enjoy their performance. “We are one kind of fun and entertaining show.”

While Spyro Gyra may be the most well-known name to the general public, the performance that jazz aficionados are likely anticipating most is that of legendary bop saxophonist Phil Woods. Throughout more than 50 years of performing, Mr. Woods has joined the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Quincy Jones, Sonny Rollins and Steely Dan on stage and in the studio.

Mr. Woods will join the “festival big band” for a tribute to late saxophonist Al Cohn, who Mr. Woods refers to as “Mr. Music,” on Sunday night to close the festival. “We go way back,” Mr. Woods says of his “distinguished neighbor” Mr. Cohn, who Mr. Woods noted wrote the music for the Miss America pageant every year but never received credit for it.

Mr. Woods is also responsible for creating one of the area’s other paramount jazz festivals, the Delaware Water Gap Celebration of the Arts, which is in its 31st year.
“It’s one of the only jazz festivals in the world started by jazz musicians,” he said of the event that will take place the weekend of Sept. 5 to 7.

The addition of New York Voices, one of the other headliners, also marks a first for the relatively young festival — a vocal group.
“If I was going to get anyone to come in here for the first vocal group, this was the right group to get,” Mr. Marcinko said of the Grammy-winning quartet.

The festival again will be held in a makeshift amphitheater built under the back of a parking garage. Numerous vendors and artisans will be on site selling everything from food and drink to jewelery and T-shirts,

While organizers had to shift locations from the festival’s original home last year after a winter storm made Hanlon’s Grove in Nay Aug Park uninhabitable, Mr. Marcinko noted that it was ultimately for the best.

“It’s something that we wanted to do for a while actually, but that storm pushed us into the downtown,” Mr. Marcinko said. “It was a good thing, because it opens up a lot more possibilities for vendors, etc.”

Other acts performing on the Radisson stage include Seattle jazz guitarist Michael Powers, Chris Parker Band, the JD Walter Group with Orrin Evans, and Doug Smith and the Dixieland All-Stars.

After the wide range of main acts are done performing each day at the Radisson, festivalgoers will have the opportunity to spread out their options and visit one of the eight venues taking part in the “jazz walk,” including The Bog, Mert’s, Vida Tapas Bar and Trax Bar. A pass that covers all of the jazz walk acts is $15.

“It’s truly become more of an international festival, attracting attention worldwide, and we have great hopes and aspirations that it’ll keep growing,” Mr. Marcinko said. “It’ll someday be the place to be on the first weekend of August.”

Festival Dates:
Friday, September 8th – Sunday, September 10th

Location:
Radisson at Lackawanna Station hotel, with a jazz walk at various downtown locations throughout the night

Ticket Information:
One-day Pass – $20
Three-day Pass – $45
Students – $10

Tickets can be purchased at Joe Nardone’s Gallery of Sound as well as the Scranton Jazz Festival box office the day of the event. For more information, visit www.pajazzalliance.com.

Complete schedule:

Friday 7:30 p.m. — The Marko Marcinko Latin Jazz Quintet with Jay Ashby and Lincoln Goines 8:30 p.m. — Spyro Gyra 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. — Jazz Walk

Saturday 4 p.m. — Doug Smith and the Dixieland All Stars 5 p.m. — Sherrie Maricle and Five Play 6 p.m. — Michael Powers 7 p.m. — The Chris Parker Band with Donny McCaslin 8 p.m. — The New York Voices 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. — Jazz Walk

Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. — Jazz brunch inside Carmen’s Restaurant 12:30 p.m. — Jazz Mass with the Rev. Bill Carter

4 p.m. — Keystone Jazz Institute and Scranton Jazz Festival Student Jazz Combos 5 p.m. — The Four Bros. Tribute with Lew Delgato, Bob Keller, Tom Hamilton and Jim Buckley 6 p.m. — Hendrik Meurkins and The NY Samba Group 7 p.m. — JD Walter Group with Orrin Evans 8 p.m. — Festival Big Band with Phil Woods

9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. — The Festival Jazz Jam at Trax Bar inside the Radisson

Jazz Walk Acts

Indigo Moon Brass Band, The Jazz Assassins, Aurelian Budynek, Chris Parker Trio, Gary Rissmiller Trio, Dave Lantz Jazz Duo, Steve Rudolph Trio with Illona Knofler and Nate Birkey, Jim Buckley and Friends, Tony Costa Trio, Music For Models with Chris Karlic, Donna Antanow Jazz Duo, Doug Smith Avant Jazz Group, Marko Marcinko Latin Jazz Quintet, Doug Hawk Jazz Duo, Joe Michaels Trio.

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