Planning for 2021 Jazz & Beyond Music & Art Festival Begins
Posted: Jan. 17, 2021

The Mile High Jazz Band Assoc. is beginning planning in February for the 2021 edition of the Jazz & Beyond Carson City Music & Art Festival. The festival is slated to Friday, Aug. 13, 2021, and end Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021.

The 2020 festival was a challenge. The planners had created a calendar of live events that would happen in the early part of August. As it became apparent that the COVID-19 pandemic was not receding as hoped, most live events were cancelled and a series of live-streamed events from studios and limited-access environments and a few pre-recorded events were put together and shared over the Internet starting August 19 through September 27. Plans for this year will include flexible options for live performances, live-streamed events, and pre-recorded events for sharing on the Internet.

Planning Starts for 2021 Open Studios Tour
Posted: Feb. 11, 2021

The planners for the 2021 Jazz & Beyond Music and Art Festival wish the public to know that planning has begun for the Open Studios Tour. This year it will be held Aug. 21 and 22 in various locations around Carson City, including artist studios.

For further information, contact David Bugli at DCBugli@aol.com.

Remembering Howard "Speedy" Garfin
RIP Feb. 19, 2021

We have been informed of the death of Howard "Speedy" Garfin on February 19, 2021. Speedy was 86. After his retirement from entertaining and performing in casinos in Nevada, at resorts in the Catskills in New York State, and elsewhere, we were able to persuade him to join the MHJB for several years before he and Laura moved to Colorado in 2011 to be closer to family members. He was known for his skill in singing; playing alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet, and flute, and telling great stories. He had also soloed with the Carson City Symphony and the Ruby Mountain Symphony in Elko.

Speedy's son, Josh, wrote a loving tribute to him in Facebook, which follows:

'The leader of the band has died...'. HOWARD 'SPEEDY' GARFIN, a beloved husband of 53 years, father, Papa, gifted musician, singer, dog lover, and friend to all peacefully passed away February 19th at age 86 due to heart complications.

For those that have let us know where to send flowers, we appreciate the thought, but if you knew my dad, you won't be surprised that we ask that you send a card and make a donation to the Simon Wiesenthal Center. We've set up a site to help direct donations that way as well as to share memories and pictures - HowardSpeedy-garfin.muchloved.com.

There are a lot of songs that I will always associate with my dad, too many to list. He will always be singing to me for the rest of my life. I always was amazed that he had so many songs, medleys, and arrangements memorized from decades of playing. He was always there for me and my mom and sister, always a quiet rock.

I will miss talking baseball with him. He gave up on the sport when the Giants moved to San Francisco, but he came to live it again when his twelve year-old son became a Mets fan. I wish they had one more championship in them before he passed. The greatest discovery of the twenty-first century for him was the fact that he could subscribe to out-of-market games and watch the season. One of the greatest memories, joys, and prides that I will have is of us going to the World Series in 2015 with him and seeing the Mets play in Citi Field.

He gave me so much that I take to my career with me every day, especially his sense of humor. I will always have the bind of our sense of humor, which I am grateful to have inherited. I never had his patience for music, but maybe it's time to pick my sax up again...

I will miss him slicing bagels into thirds and covering them in every kind of cheese he had available for breakfast when we got together. He loved cheesecake and chinese food. I'll never eat fried rice again without him in my heart.

It's harder to say goodbye than I thought. My dad was always a quiet man. I know that we said 'I love you' to each other, so that's never a doubt, but in the silence of his passing I think about whether or not I could have said something more.

If you've read all if this, please know that he loved you. He had a lot of that. No one is perfect, my dad included, but I am a fortunate and rare man that would have to struggle to think of a bad memory. My mom was married to him for 53 years and that fact has impacted me almost more than anything other than my relationship with Jesus and my own marriage. They each could have called it quits at times, but through good times and hard times, they stayed together, much to mine and Rachel's benefit.

We will always have his music. A friend of mine told me that his own father was buried with my dad's cassette tapes. If you need some, reach out. We'll get it to you. Thank you all for your love and support.

Photo: Speedy Garfin, right, with his wife, Laura.

Jazz & Beyond Committee Announces 2021 Art Contest
Media release: February 11, 2021

Mile High Band Association's 2021 Jazz & Beyond Festival Committee is sponsoring an art contest for northern Nevada artists, including teachers and students. Selected entries in the competition may be used to promote the festival, and the winning entry will be featured on the festival's advertising poster and program cover. Festival T-shirts this year may also feature the winning design. The entry deadline is April 1, 2021. Participation is free.

The artwork will be judged by the Jazz & Beyond committee. The winner of the competition will receive a certificate of appreciation from the Jazz & Beyond - Carson City Music and Art Festival and a cash award of $100. Alexander Cassimus, art project chair, said, "The artist's work will be front and center, viewed by thousands of festival patrons."

Entry forms are available for download from milehighjazz.com/artcontest2021.pdf (click HERE to download).

Artwork must be 11"x14" and may be in any two-dimensional medium (photography, digital collage and photography, watercolor, acrylic, oil, etc.). Artwork must be matted, backed, and submitted in a protective sleeve. Each submission must include the entry form.

Artists are to deliver their entries to the Nevada Artists Association Gallery, 449 West King Street, Carson City, NV, by April 1. Gallery hours are 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.

The entry form and a digital image of the artwork (not to exceed 20 MB) must also be sent as an email attachment to info@jazzcarsoncity.com.

For more information about the contest and entry forms, contact Alexander Cassimus at 408-264-4423 or away4@earthlink.net.

Photo: Artist Karen Kreyeski shows her winning artwork, "After Midnight Jam," used for the cover of the 2020 Jazz & Beyond program.

Carson City Open Studios Tour (OST) Application
Posted: 3/14/2021
Posting superceded by posting dated 4/30/2021

The 2021 Jazz & Beyond Music and Art Festival this August includes the third annual Carson City Open Studios Tour on Saturday, August 21, and Sunday, August 22, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at multiple studios throughout Carson City.

This admission-free, contemporary cultural event will showcase about two dozen local artists, presenting a wide variety of exceptional visual art and art demonstrations, from painting, sculpture, and 3D art to jewelry, photography, and pottery in about a dozen individual and shared studio spaces.

Local and Regional artists have teamed up to bring this artistically eclectic event to Carson City. Many local artists are sharing their home studio spaces with artists from throughout the region in order to create an amazing collection of art in our fair hamlet. Artists will not only be sharing their works, but sharing their process as well. There will be hands-on art demonstrations at some locations and, where practical, the artists will share their process with visitors.

Click http://ccost_artist_application_form_2021v6a.pdf for the Open Studios Tour artists application form. Forms are due May 15, 2021. Participants are expected to share their process during the OST by demonstrating, story boarding, running video of demos, etc.

New this year: Artists accepted for OST may enter one piece in the Nevada Artists Association Summer Show, August 1 to September 11, at no extra cost. The piece must meet NAA requirements for the show and be brought to the NAA Gallery on Saturday, July 31. Detailed information will be provided separately with your acceptance notification.

New Applicants: If you did not participate last year, please email images of 5 examples of your work to be juried into the OST. Images must be emailed to ccopenstudio@gmail.com. PNG or JPEG files only, no more than 5 images. OST will select images for advertising purposes. By applying you are giving consent to use your images.

Mile High Jazz Band Prepares for Three
Dinner Shows at Living the Good Life
Announcement: April 20, 2021 (updated April 25)

The Mile High Jazz Band began rehearsals on April 20 after a gap of over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are preparing to perform three dinner shows at Living the Good Life, 1480 N. Carson Street, Carson City, on Tuesday, May 11; Tuesday, June 8; and Tuesday, July 8. These will be outdoor dinner shows at 6:30 p.m. Dinner reservations are highly recommended. They may be made Tuesday through Saturday by calling Living the Good Life either before 5:00 p.m. at 775-720-5843 or after 5:00 p.m. at 775-841-4663. Social distancing will also be observed, as required by then current regulations.

Pianist and MHJB leader David Bugli says, "We are so happy to have the opportunity to perform for the public again. We were very fortunate to have Kelly Dodge, our sound engineer and owner of KD Sound Co, provide us with a large rehearsal location where our 18-piece group can observe social distancing while rehearsing. Kelly, in addition to being a talented audio technician, is a great supporter of the arts - not only of Mile High Jazz Band and the Jazz & Beyond Music and Art Festival, but of the Brewery Arts Center, where he provides sound and stage work for the Levitt AMP concert series."

The Mile High Jazz Band hopes to resume a more regular series of performances, as it has since 2000, as soon as pandemic conditions permit.

Call for Artists - A New Option
Third Annual Carson City Open Studios Tour
A Jazz & Beyond Art Event, August 21-22
New post: 4/30/2021

The 2021 Jazz & Beyond Music and Art Festival this August will include the third annual Carson City Open Studios Tour on Saturday, August 21, and Sunday, August 22, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at multiple studios throughout Carson City. A new one-day option has been added for artists to participate on Sunday, August 22, at the Bliss Mansion.

This admission-free cultural event will showcase about 20 local artists. They will present visual art and art demonstrations including painting, sculpture, pottery, 3D art, jewelry, glass, batik, and photography, in about a dozen individual and shared studio spaces. Several locations will include live music.

Many outdoor as well as indoor studio spaces and galleries in Carson City will be on the tour. These include the Stillwell Art Studio at River Bottom Ranch, Carson City Pottery Studio, Beltrame Studio, CRM Endeavors, Carol Brown Studio, NAA Gallery, the Wa-Pai-Shone Gallery at the Stewart Indian School Cultural Center & Museum, the Bliss Mansion (Sunday only), and more.

A work by each artist selected for the Open Studios Tour will also be entered in the Nevada Artists Association Summer Show, August 1 through September 10.

The Open Studios Tour artists application form is available on https://jazzcarsoncity.com/arttour2021 or by clicking http://ccost_artist_application_form_2021v7.pdf. Forms are due May 15, 2021. For more information, call or text 775-313-8628, or email CCOpenStudio@gmail.com. A list of artists with a map of studio locations will be available in July.

The Open Studios Tour is presented by the Mile High Jazz Band Association as part of the 2021 Jazz & Beyond Music and Art Festival and is also supported by the Nevada Artists Association, the Carson City Culture & Tourism Authority, a Pandemic Emergency Technical Support (PETS) Grant, a grant from the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, and by private donations.

Attached photo: LaVonne Vasick demonstrates her process for visitors at the 2020 Open Studios Tour.

Mile High Jazz Band Performs First Dinner Show
at Living the Good Life
Tuesday, May 11, 2021

The Mile High Jazz Band performs its first dinner show of 2021 at Living the Good Life, 1480 N. Carson Street, Carson City, on Tuesday, May 11, 2021, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

This will be an outdoor dinner show at 6:30 p.m., and will be the band's first outing in over 14 months, due to the pandemic. Dinner reservations are highly recommended. They may be made Tuesday through Saturday by texting Living the Good Life either before 5:00 p.m. at 775-720-5843 or by calling after 5:00 p.m. at 775-841-4663. Social distancing will also be observed, as required by then current regulations. The band will be joined on vocals by Jakki Ford.

Mile High Jazz Band Performs Second Dinner Show
at Living the Good Life
Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Mile High Jazz Band will present a live, in-person performance of 2021 on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. It's an outdoor dinner show at Living the Good Life Bistro, 1480 N. Carson Street in Carson City. For reservations, text 775-720-5834 before 5:00 p.m. or call 775-841-4663 after 5:00 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

The program includes favorite big-band jazz tunes and features the vocal stylings of Jakki Ford. Pianist and band leader David Bugli said, "Our dinner show at Living the Good Life last month drew a large audience, and we are so happy to be performing for the public again." Some tunes on the program are "Satin Doll," "One O'clock Jump," and "Orilla del Mar." Jakki Ford will sing "Our Love is Here to Stay," "All or Nothing at All," and more favorites.

The June 8 event is the second of a series of three outdoor dinner shows Mile High Jazz Band has scheduled at Living the Good Life. The next one will be on Tuesday, July 6. Reservations are recommended.

Mile High Jazz Band is supported in part by a grant from the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Governor's Office of Economic Development provided additional support through its Nevada Pandemic Emergency Technical Support Grant for 2021. For information about the band and activities, see milehighjazz.com.

Mile High Jazz Band Presents "Red, White, and Blues,"
An Outdoor Dinner Show
Live Big-band Jazz with Vocalist Jakki Ford
at Living the Good Life
Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Mile High Jazz Band will present "Red, White, and Blues," a live, in-person performance on Tuesday, July 6, 2021, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. It's an outdoor dinner show at Living the Good Life Bistro, 1480 N. Carson Street in Carson City. The music is free, donations welcome; food and drink can be ordered from the menu. For reservations, text 775-720-5834 before 5:00 p.m. or call 775-841-4663 after 5:00 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

The program includes favorite big-band jazz tunes and features the vocal stylings of Jakki Ford. Pianist and band leader David Bugli said, "Our monthly dinner shows at Living the Good Life draw a large audience, and every performance is different." Some tunes the July program are "The Heat’s On," "Jada," "Basically Blues," "American Patrol," and "Bugle Call Rag." Jakki Ford will sing "It Was a Very Good Year," "It Don’t Mean A Thing," "No More Blues," and more favorites.

The July 6 event is the third of a series of monthly dinner shows Mile High Jazz Band has scheduled at Living the Good Life. The next event will be on Tuesday, August 3. Reservations are recommended.

Mile High Jazz Band is supported in part by a grant from the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Governor’s Office of Economic Development provided additional support through its Nevada Pandemic Emergency Technical Support (PETS) Grant for 2021. For information about the band and activities, see milehighjazz.com.

Photo: Jakki Ford to sing with Mile High Jazz Band at Living the Good Life Bistro on July 6.

Mile High Jazz Band Annual Meeting
Rescheduled to Sunday, July 25, 2021

Update: 7/22/2021: The annual meeting will NOT be at Adams Hub. The meeting will be on Zoom, instead.

Update: 7/16/2021: The Mile High Jazz Band Assoc. Annual Meeting, which was originally schedule for Sunday, June 27, has been moved to Sunday, July 25, 2021, at the Adams Hub, 111 W. Proctor St., Carson City.

We plan to have a quick Board meeting at 5:00, and at 5:30 the dinner and the Annual Meeting will begin. MHJB Association members, musicians, families, and friends are invited. We will briefly review the past year, preview Jazz & Beyond and the coming season, elect members to the nine-member Board of Trustees and have fun! Food and drink wil be provided by Mile High Jazz Band Association.

Please RSVP to info@jazzcarsoncity.com or call 775-883-4154.

Mile High Jazz Band Performs Fourth Dinner Show
at Living the Good Life at a New Cool Time
Tuesday, August 3, 2021

Mile High Jazz Band will present a live, in-person performance on Tuesday, August 3, 2021, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. (an hour later than we were doing the last three months' performances). It's an outdoor dinner show at Living the Good Life Bistro, 1480 N. Carson Street in Carson City. For reservations, text 775-720-5834 before 5:00 p.m. or call 775-841-4663 after 5:00 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

The program will include favorite big-band jazz tunes and will feature the vocal stylings of Jakki Ford.

The August 3 event is the fourth of a series of outdoor dinner shows Mile High Jazz Band has scheduled at Living the Good Life. Following this show, we intend to go back to performances on the second Tuesday of each month, starting in September.

Mile High Jazz Band is supported in part by a grant from the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Governor's Office of Economic Development provided additional support through its Nevada Pandemic Emergency Technical Support Grant for 2021. For information about the band and activities, see milehighjazz.com.

Jazz & Beyond - Carson City Music & Art Festival
August 13-29, 2021

Carson City’s 18th annual Jazz & Beyond Music & Art Festival, presented by the Mile High Jazz Band Association, offers 17 days of mostly free entertainment and more than 30 performances (see https://jazzcarsoncity.com. The beat returns this august in multiple venues around the city, beginning with a Roaring Twenties party at the Governor’s Mansion, on the corner of W. Robinson and Mountain Streets, on Friday, August 13, from 5 to 7 p.m. It features the music of Scot Marshall’s Brass Knuckles Band. Nineteen-twenties-style dress is optional; food and beverages will be available for purchase.

This year, A Day at the Ranch at the historic Silver Saddle Ranch, 2648 Carson River Road, along the Carson River, will be on Sunday, August 15, from 2:30 to 7:00 p.m. Visitors can wear their boots and hats and enjoy the music of the Sagebrush Rebels, and the Lacy J. Dalton trio. The day includes a talk on the history of the ranch, and cowboy poetry. Mule-drawn wagon rides by Hee Haw Haven Mules provide a tour through ranch land. The event is sponsored in part by Carson City Parks, Recreation & Open Space Dept. and Friends of Silver Saddle Ranch.

The festival’s third annual Open Studios Tour will feature 27 artists at 11 locations on Saturday, August 21, and Sunday, August 22, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors can see the art works, watch art demonstrations, and listen to musicians performing at many of the locations. The tour includes private studios, the Carriage House at the Foreman-Roberts House Museum, the Nevada Artists Association, and the Bliss Mansion.

In partnership with the Nevada State Museum, Jazz & Beyond will present Music of the Twenties, a Frances Humphrey Series lecture on the music of the 1920s with live music by Squeek Steele, on Thursday evening, August 26, at the Brewery Arts Center Ballroom, 449 W. Carson Street.

Other performances include the Urban Renewal Project (original soul and hip-hop big band from Los Angeles), Musicole (rhythm and blues, classic rock, gospel, and jazz band from Las Vegas), and a double big-band concert by the Mile High Jazz Band with singer Jakki Ford and the Carson High School Jazz Band directed by Nick Jacques, a Milken Educator Award winner.

Jazz & Beyond Music Festival’s final performances will be on Sunday, August 29, at the Legislative Plaza and Capital Amphitheater. The audience is invited to sit under a canopy of trees and bring a picnic or enjoy on-site food-truck selections. The festival ends in a big way with the traditional Jazz & Beyond closing concert by the 18-piece Reno Jazz Orchestra and guest vocalist.

For a complete schedule of events, visit jazzcarsoncity.com. For additional information, call 775-883-4154 or email info@jazzcarsoncity.com. Mile High Jazz Band Association’s Jazz & Beyond Festival is funded in part by a grant from the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Governor’s Office of Economic Development provided additional support through its Nevada Pandemic Emergency Technical Support (PETS) Grant for 2021.

Photo: Lacy J. Dalton will perform at the Silver Saddle Ranch on August 15.
Photo: Reno Jazz Orchestra will perform at Capital Amphitheater on August 29

Second Virtual Jazz & Poetry, "Play's the Thing"
Planned (in post-production)
Revised post: 9/10/2021

The Mile High Jazz Band is preparing to do a second Virtual Jazz & Poetry video based on the theme "Play's the Thing." Band Director David Bugli and MHJB Poet Wrangler Rita Geil are working with five poets to select poetry to be read. Musicians from the MHJB will record, on their own, an appropriate tune to match the mood or theme of the poem. The videos of the poets reading and of the musicians performing will then be compiled and posted on YouTube on the Mile High Jazz Band's new YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxNbOrzkkqfwwjhvoyPgWTQ.

The first Virtual Jazz and Poetry video, based on the theme "Running Out," was released in September 2020. It is available for viewing at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqkA5QyRCtI.

Band members only! - Follow this link to the Second Virtual Jazz & Poetry "resource page" at http://milehighjazz.com/virtualjnp2.htm.

Mile High Jazz Band Presents "September Songs," An Outdoor Dinner Show
Live Big-band Jazz with Vocalist Jakki Ford
Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021

Mile High Jazz Band will perform "September Songs," on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. (new time). It’s an outdoor dinner show at Living the Good Life, 1480 N. Carson Street in Carson City. The music is free, donations welcome; food and drink can be ordered from the menu. For reservations, text to 775-720-5834 before 5:00 p.m. or call 775-841-4663 after 5:00 p.m.

The September 14 event, the fifth of a series of monthly dinner shows Mile High Jazz Band has scheduled at Living the Good Life, includes favorite big-band jazz tunes and features the vocal stylings of Jakki Ford. Pianist and band leader David Bugli said, "Our monthly shows draw a large audience, and every performance is different." As a tribute to fire evacuees and first responders, the band will play "Moment of Sorrow," with trumpet solo by Cassidy Robinson and trombone solo by Phil Jerome. Jakki Ford will sing "There’ll be Some Changes Made," "Just Friends," and more favorite tunes.

Mile High Jazz Band is supported in part by a grant from the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Governor’s Office of Economic Development provided additional support through its Nevada Pandemic Emergency Technical Support (PETS) Grant for 2021. For information about the band and activities, see milehighjazz.com.

Photo: Mile High Jazz Band performing at Living the Good Life Bistro last month.

Mile High Jazz Band presents "Big Band in the Black Box"
Tuesday, October 12, 2021

Following five months of outdoor dinner shows at Living the Good Life, the Mile High Jazz Band is bringing their October performance indoors. They will perform "Big Band in the Black Box" on Tuesday, October 12, 2021, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the Maizie Harris Jesse Black Box Theater at the Brewery Arts Center, 449 W. King St., Carson City. Patrons may enter through the Artisans Store entrance.

Tickets are $10 per person, and seating is limited. Tickets may be purchased online at milehighjazz.com or may be reserved by calling 775-883-4154. Tickets will also be sold at the door. Doors open at 7:10 p.m. The audience is required to wear masks, per current city and state COVID regulations.

The performance will feature favorite big-band jazz tunes and the vocal stylings of Jakki Ford. Pianist and band leader David Bugli said, "The band hopes to dazzle you with some new repertoire, plus a number of old favorites." Trumpeter Bill Melendres will be featured on Dizzy Gillespie's "A Night in Tunisia" and Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight." Other solos feature the talents of saxophonists Rich Davis, Jake Xie, and Chris Guerra; trombonists Joe Cadena and Mario Ibanez; and trumpeter Karl Rinder. Jakki Ford will sing "That Old Black Magic," an upbeat version of "It Was a Very Good Year," and other vocal classics.

Mile High Jazz Band is supported in part by a grant from the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Governor’s Office of Economic Development provided additional support through its Nevada Pandemic Emergency Technical Support (PETS) Grant for 2021. For information about the band and its activities, see milehighjazz.com.

Photo: Jakki Ford performing with Mile High Jazz Band on Sept. 14, 2021.

"November Jazz, Livestreamed!"
Tues., Nov. 9, 2021

Mile High Jazz Band will perform "November Jazz, Livestreamed!" on Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., broadcast from A to Zen in Carson City on https://www.facebook.com/milehighjazz. To view, select "Events" and click on "November Jazz, Livestreamed!" or go directly to this link: https://fb.me/e/SXR2BZTe. The program presents big-band jazz with vocalist Jakki Ford.

This free concert is open to all, no reservations needed. It will not be recorded, so watch it live from wherever you are. You’ll enjoy a mix of familiar and new tunes, with sax solos by Chris Guerra and Jake Xie, trumpet solos by Bill Melendres, and featuring Dean Carter, trombone, in “Polka Dots and Moonbeams.”

This live-streamed event is funded in part by the Musicians Performance Trust Fund. Mile High Jazz Band is supported in part by a grant from the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Governor’s Office of Economic Development provided additional support through its Nevada Pandemic Emergency Technical Support (PETS) Grant for 2021.

Special thanks to the Reno Musicians’ Union (Local 368. American Federation of Musicians) for help in setting up this event.

Mile High Jazz Band presents "Train of Thought"
at the Brewery Arts Center Performance Hall
Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021

The Mile High Jazz Band will be performing a Jazz and Poetry Event. The performance is on Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the Performance Hall at the Brewery Arts Center, 511 W. King St., Carson City. Joining the band are six local poets who will be reading poems by themselves and by other notable poets. The readers are Rita Geil, Susan Sara Priest, Timothy Rhodes, Wayne Carlson, Terri Breeden, and Ursula Carlson. Each poem will be followed by a performance of a tune by the band, several of which feature vocalist Jakki Ford. Many of the tunes will include festive holiday favorites.

Tickets are $12 per person, and seating is limited. Tickets may be purchased online at milehighjazz.com or may be reserved by calling 775-883-4154. Tickets will also be sold at the door. Doors open at 7:10 p.m. The audience is required to wear masks, per current city and state COVID regulations.

Pianist and bandleader David Bugli said, "We are keeping this in the holiday tradition, but we will feature some non-holiday songs suggested by the poem just read or songs suggested by the theme, 'Train of Thought.'" Bugli continues, "We'd like to tell you the tunes we will be playing, but that would spoil the fun of the audience making the connections between the poems and the tunes that follow them. You need to be there to experience it." Solos will be performed by trumpeters Bill Melendres and Karl Rinder, trombonist Dominic Van Orman, saxophonists Rich Davis and Chris Guerra, and others.

Mile High Jazz Band is supported in part by a grant from the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Governor’s Office of Economic Development provided additional support through its Nevada Pandemic Emergency Technical Support (PETS) Grant for 2021. For information about the band and its activities, see milehighjazz.com.

Photo: poet Rita Geil performing at a previous holiday Jazz & Poetry event.

Yearly Summary for the 2020-2021 Season Available
Posted: July 26, 2021

Each year, at the time of the Annual Meeting, we prepare a summary of the activity of the band, the festival, the board, and performers for presentation to the assembled group. The summary was presented at the July 25, 2021, Annual meeting. You can see a PDF of this by clicking HERE.