From the Bix Society website.
All Star Line Up, First Class Venues! It Will Be Special!
We are less than two weeks away from the 40th Anniversary Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Festival! This will be a grand event with terrific bands, informative seminars, special events and "new" venues! The historic Hotel Blackhawk will be the center of our festival, with performances at the Col Ballroom and LeClaire Park as well. We will also partner for the first time with River Music Experience for a Saturday afternoon performance and a clinic tailored for the Bix Youth Band. Our seminar presenters this year will be Sue Fischer, Mark Cantor, and Davenports own Josh Duffee.
We have some of the finest jazz musicians in the world coming, including many of those that were here for the very start of it all. We will also have the New Wolverines from Australia, Vince Giordano from New York, Andy Schumm, Jim Cullum, as well as local greats Josh Duffee, Bill Allred, Jimmy Valentine, with special guest clarinet phenomenon Dave Bennett, Manny Lopez, and many more.
There will be a battle of the bands between Vince Giordano Nighthawks & Josh Duffee Orchestra, dancing with the Manny Lopez Big Band, the piano stylings of Dick Hyman, along with full schedules for all of our venues showcasing a host of the premier jazz musicians playing today! All of the venues are in historic downtown Davenport, in easy walking distance for those that enjoy the outdoors, as well as a shuttle service from venue to venue running throughout the day.
We will also be honoring some of our true Bix fest pioneers, with salutes to the late Ray Voss and Bill Donahoe. Without folks like these the festival would not be what it is today. We hope you will join us for the entire lineup, from the kickoff at the Col Ballroom on Thursday night, and stay through the Afterglow at the Vickie Anne Palmer Hall on Sunday evening!
It's never too early to start making plans and purchase your tickets, we will see you all in August!
And rememberBix Lives through all of you, the fans!