Since the first University of Idaho Jazz Festival in 1967, the annual event has drawn thousands of students and jazz fans alike to Moscow in celebration of both jazz music and the musicians who make jazz so special. This year will be no different, with performances, workshops and more taking place from April 19-22. There is even more to celebrate this year, as this will be the first fully in-person Jazz Fest to take place since 2020.
This year there will be four evening concerts, each with a talented ensemble of musicians and bands that attendees can enjoy. The first is the kickoff concert on Wednesday in the Admin Auditorium at 7 p.m. This traditional welcome concert, entitled Hamp’s Gala, will feature Lionel Hampton School of Music ensembles and even has tickets available for free.
Thursday night is the World Music Celebration starting at 7 p.m. in the ICCU Arena. The concert features an impressive lineup of musicians including Ghanaian drummer and dancer Habib Iddrisu, trombone player Marshall Gilkes, UI jazz bands and choirs and the World Beat Ensemble.
Friday will highlight women in jazz, with a concert at 7 p.m. in the ICCU Arena featuring The DIVA Jazz orchestra and award-winning vocal quartet säje.
Jazz Fest will conclude with a concert on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the ICCU arena. Grammy-winning bass player Marcus Miller and the Lionel Hampton Big Band will be the final performances of this year’s jazz fest and will close out the festival on a high note.
Jazz Fest manager, Navin Chettri, explained that this year is special because there are so many firsts happening. This is the first year that performances will be held in the new ICCU Arena, the first festival that is happening in April rather than the traditional February and the first time in several years that the entirety of Jazz Fest will be held in person.
“This year we are fully in person, so that’s super exciting,” Chettri said. “All these different schools will be coming to Moscow, and every performance for school competitions is going to be in person. So that’s the most exciting part of this year, and we are really looking forward to it.”
Chettri and the other coordinators of Jazz Fest are also very excited for the talented lineup of artists that will be performing this year.
“There is a very diverse range this year in the style of music and the people who are presenting different styles of music,” Chettri said. “There’s a variety of styles and ranges of music so that more people have a choice to go to the performances that suits their palettes.”
Chettri encouraged UI students to participate in Jazz Fest in some way this year because of its important part in both the history and present-day culture of the university.
Acknowledging that this time of the semester is busy, Chettri encouraged students to make time to enjoy at least some of what the festival has to offer.
“It is a historic event that has been going on for so long in our community, and to get a taste of that would be a great part of your experience here at the University of Idaho,” Chettri said.
More information about this year’s Jazz Fest and a full list of events and performances can be found online and tickets for concerts can be purchased here.
Grace Giger can be reached at [email protected]