Fundraiser for Governors School for The Arts

If you are like me you love a good night out of Jazz music and cocktails. Until recently, I thought Louisville was devoid of any real Jazz and a stable Jazz music community, and boy was I wrong. I realized that I was looking in all the wrong places. Both the University of Louisville and Bellarmine have amazing Jazz programs that produce excellent young musicians. The artists that come out of these programs entertain audiences throughout Louisville. After The Jazz Factory closed it’s doors in 2008, the Louisville Jazz community was left with no home for Jazz nightlife. Jazz music now, is heard mainly in restaurants, bars, the radio, and at special events. 

 Saturday night August 18, Jazz music will be featured at a fundraiser for Kentucky’s Governor’s School for the Arts. Any middle or high school student that is interested in the arts will tell you how important the Governor’s School for the Arts is to them. The school gives talented adolescents a chance to advance their craft in a way that most other artist their age would never get the chance. The audition process is grueling and competitive and when you are accepted it means you are the best of the best.  The fundraiser will feature three local Jazz legends, Zach Brock on Violin, Harry Pickens on Piano, and Ben Sollee on Cello. A group of Jazz musician GSA alums will also join the headliners on stage. The annual fundraiser will take place at the Bomhard Theatre at the Kentucky Center for the Arts at 7:30pm on Saturday. Tickets are $30 and are available online at the following link:

http://www.kentuckycenter.org/Events/25th-Anniversary-GSA-Alumni-Showcase/9260#tab-performances.

 No matter what day of the week, you can usually find some good Jazz music somewhere in the city if you know where to look. The Louisville Jazz Society’s website is very helpful, and I suggest you check it out before making dinner reservations.  Restaurants that regularly have live Jazz music include, Varanese, Vincenzo’s, Mozz, Jack Fry’s, and Eddie Merlot’s Steakhouse. VoJazz, Bobby Faulk Group, Jeff Sherman Trio, and Steve Crews Solos are just some of the many acts that perform on a weekly basis around town. Live music adds so much to a night out, whether it is a dinner, drinks, or a show in a club. I love that Louisville’s Jazz community is thriving but I still wish we had a nightclub dedicated to Jazz music and even the blues as well. Louisville has a rich history with Jazz and Jazz clubs, and it would be nice to bring that history back to life.