Justin Morell. Photo courtesy of Amy Spangler and Central Pennsylvania Friends of Jazz.
September in Harrisburg brings many things: a crisp fall breeze to cut through the heat, the beginning of trees turning all sorts of warm hues and, of course, jazz music drifting through Midtown courtesy of Central Pennsylvania Friends of Jazz’s (CPFJ) annual Jazz Walk.
The free, one-day jazz festival transforms local businesses and organizations alike into pop-up jazz clubs, allowing anyone to enjoy the music, whether the listener is a seasoned jazz enthusiast or a curious passerby.
“It’s an opportunity for people to discover jazz without paying for a ticket,” CPFJ’s Operations Manager Sara Bozich said.
This year’s event will take place Sept. 6 with familiar spots such as the Midtown Scholar Bookstore, Millworks, TheBurg and the Historic Harrisburg Association hosting shows.
CPFJ Board Vice President Dave Wagner said featuring local artists is a crucial part of the Jazz Walk’s success, drawing a larger crowd and more support when people are familiar with the performers.
“There’s a lot of competition for entertainment these days, and jazz is one of the things that we want to continue to keep on everybody’s mind,” Wagner said.
Pursuit Coworking will act as CPFJ’s hub for the evening. The space, Bozich said, will include a winery on site for refreshments, tables and information from the event’s sponsors and maps and cards to keep track of where all the performances will be.
Patrons will also be able to purchase tickets for CPFJ’s fall concerts, the Dauphin County Jazz and Wine Festival on Sept. 7 and 8 and sign up for their new and updated membership program.
Last year’s Jazz Walk featured over 40 artists in various groups and bands across 14 venues, which, Wagner said, was the most venues they have had in recent years.
“I think that it went over very well operationally and functionally,” Wagner said. “The music was awesome. It’s just a great vibe to go on down there.”
Flowing Well
CPFJ began in 1980, started by jazz pianist Steve Rudolph, lawyer Lee Swartz, local radio DJ Russ Neff and Jack Snavely, who worked in finance. Rudolph said the group wanted to grow the presence of jazz in Harrisburg and keep jazz artists coming through the city.
“I think Jack Snavely was the one who actually first said the words, ‘well, let’s form a jazz society,’” Rudolph said.
From local artists to touring national acts, CPFJ organized and hosted a slew of concerts in their early years. Rudolph credits the success to the support system that arose around the group.
“I think the heart of the organization from the beginning was the amount of volunteers that we had who were seriously into music,” Rudolph said.
The first Jazz Walk kicked off not long after CPFJ’s founding and was born from the larger jazz festival they would hold in the 1980s, which Rudolph said received a great deal of financial support from local charities and art organizations.
“One of the things we would have at the jazz festival, which was usually a three- or four-day event, [was] a Jazz Walk,” Rudolph said. “And in the ‘80s, there were probably six or seven clubs in downtown Harrisburg, right on 2nd Street, that had offered jazz on a regular basis.”
Since then, the prevalence of jazz in Harrisburg has dwindled, but Rudolph does not worry about losing it to time.
“The music is too strong to be denied,” Rudolph said. “So, it’ll always be happening, but on what level is always a curious thing to find out.”
Along with the Jazz Walk and concerts, CPFJ runs educational camps for children interested in playing jazz music, like their jazz camp at Messiah University. Last year, 80 kids attended.
“The focus of the organization now is a little more towards education and a little less towards presentation, but it seems to be flowing quite well,” Rudolph said.
Bozich was hired in May of this year and believes her expertise in marketing and management can help the organization with its ongoing mission.
“My goal with Central Pennsylvania Friends of Jazz is to help elevate the organization, ultimately resulting in a more robust membership and programming so that people continue to enjoy and love jazz music,” Bozich said.
For more information on Central Pennsylvania Friends of Jazz, visit www.friendsofjazz.org.
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