Tag Archives: Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival

Final weekend of 2014 Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival

Morning view of Avalon Harbor on Catalina Island

Morning view of Avalon Harbor on Catalina Island

Good morning from Catalina Island!

This is the final weekend of the 2014 Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival. Last night, Peter White performed an “unplugged” show on the sand at Descanso Beach. Tonight, the festival returns to the historic Catalina Casino Ballroom, where the artist’s musical magic will be illuminated by the elegance of Tiffany chandeliers. Headliners this weekend include David Sanborn on Saturday, and Dave Koz closing out the island festival on Sunday.

Craig Collier, Cristina (JazzTrax ticket manager) & Jonathan Fritzen at the Smooth Jazz News booth during the 2013 Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival

Craig Collier, Cristina (JazzTrax ticket manager) & Jonathan Fritzen at the Smooth Jazz News booth during the 2013 Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival

Each artist will be signing autographs after their show. Stop by our booth next to the autograph signing table, and receive 2 CDs FREE when you subscribe (or renew) to Smooth Jazz News!

Crab benedict at Original Jack's Country Kitchen on Catalina Island

Crab benedict at Original Jack’s Country Kitchen on Catalina Island

If you’re already on the island, you might want to try Original Jack’s Country Kitchen for morning meal (their crab benedict is fabulous!) or the Casino Dock Cafe (next to the Casino) for a breakfast burrito or some tasty South-of-the Border dishes.

A Touch of Heaven Day Spa in the Metropole Marketplace on Catalina Island

A Touch of Heaven Day Spa in the Metropole Marketplace on Catalina Island

And, if you’d like to get a little pampering in before the concerts, A Touch of Heaven Day spa offers the best Sweet Thai Massage (a combination of massages, stretching and acupressure, which is great for pain relief ad relaxation!). Ramona Garcia is my favorite massage therapist. They’re located below in the Hotel Metropole in the Metropole Marketplace. For an appointment, call 310-510-1633.

Tonight, after the shows in the Casino, the JazzTrax After-Party is happening on Descanso Beach with DJ Jonathan Phillips. After a night of dancing on the sand, you may want to schedule your massage appointment for Sunday morning! A Touch of Heaven also offers a Deluxe Hand & Foot Treatment (massage with essential oils) and a Revitalize treatment (hand and foot reflexology with a lavender foot scrub, ending with a peppermint scalp massage). Sounds like heaven to me!

A few tickets are still available for Saturday and Sunday sessions, and can be purchased at the box office. For festival details, visit www.jazztrax.com.

Catalina Casino Ballroom is the SJN cover background

Tiffany chandeliers light up the Catalina Casino Ballroom during the JazzTrax Festival (photo by Pat Benter)

Tiffany chandeliers light up the Catalina Casino Ballroom during the JazzTrax Festival (photo by Pat Benter)

The Catalina Island JazzTrax Festivals provides the perfect mix of elegance, the serenity of nature’s awesome beauty and the magic of music in a seaside island cove.

Each of the two festival weekends kick off with a Thursday night “Unplugged Under the Stars” concert on the sand at Descanso Beach. The main festival is held inside this historic Catalina Casino Ballroom, Friday-Sunday.

Built in 1929, the circular, 12-story high Casino perched at the edge of Avalon Bay is Catalina Island’s most recognizable landmark. However, the Casino is not a gambling facility. The name was derived from the Italian word meaning “a gathering place.” The building houses a movie theatre, museum and the elegant ballroom, which played host to dozens of big bands in the 1930s and ’40s.

Artistic lighting in the Casino Ballroom during the Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival (photos by Pat Benter)

Artistic lighting in the Casino Ballroom during the Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival (photos by Pat Benter)

The recently restored ballroom retains its original exquisite style: a lavish medley of rose-hued walls, art deco decor, an arching 50-foot ceiling with five Tiffany chandeliers, an elevated stage and a vintage, full-service bar. The outdoor balcony encircles the ballroom and overlooks Avalon Bay and Descanso Beach.

Crowd enjoying the afternoon concert at the Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival (photo by Pat Benter)

Crowd enjoying the afternoon concert at the Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival (photo by Pat Benter)

The final weekend of the 28th Annual Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival is happening Thursday-Sunday. Here is the lineup:

Thursday, Oct. 16: Peter White (Unplugged Under the Stars at Descanso Beach), 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 17: The Jennifer Keith Quintet, 7 p.m.; Generation Next featuring Nicholas Cole, Lin Rountree and Lebron, 9 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 18: Vincent Ingala, noon; Dirty Dozen Brass Band, 2 p.m.; Josh Vietti, 7 p.m.; David Sanborn, 9 p.m. After-party at Descanso Beach featuring DJ Jonathan Phillips, 10:45 p.m. (free admission)

Sunday, Oct. 19: DOTSERO, noon; Warren Hill, 2 p.m.; Greg Manning, 7 p.m.; Dave Koz, 9 p.m.

During intermission, festivalgoers often perch themselves on the balcony and admire boaters basking in the bay, scuba divers suiting up for spectacular underwater experiences, snorkelers flapping their fins through the waters’ surface and tourists taking it all in from the ground.

Fans enjoying intermission on the balcony during the Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival (photo by Pat Benter)

Fans enjoying intermission on the balcony during the Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival (photo by Pat Benter)

In addition to the Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival, the Casino Ballroom is available for private functions, weddings and special events.

For more information about the 28th Annual Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival, check out the current issue of Smooth Jazz News, or visit www.jazztrax.com.

Casino Ballroom during evening show at the Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival (photo by Pat Benter)

Casino Ballroom during evening show at the Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival (photo by Pat Benter)

The colors of lighting changes throughout the shows. Here is another view of the beautiful Tiffany chandeliers. (photo by Pat Benter)

The colors of lighting changes throughout the shows. Here is another view of the beautiful Tiffany chandeliers. (photo by Pat Benter)

Choose your “Wild” life at the Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival!

Avalon Harbor at dusk on Catalina Island

Avalon Harbor at dusk on Catalina Island

By Melanie Maxwell

Of course, there is live music in the Casino Ballroom at the Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival, Friday through Sunday.

There are also Thursday night “Unplugged” concerts at Descanso Beach (Oct. 9: saxophonist Mindi Abair; Oct. 16: British guitarist Peter White), with seating on the sand, in lawn chairs or at a private cabana.

DJ Jonathan Phillps spinning old-school dance tunes during the JazzTrax After-Party at Descanso

DJ Jonathan Phillps spinning old-school dance tunes during the JazzTrax After-Party at Descanso (photo by Pat Benter)

Then, a few minutes before the 11 o’clock hour on Saturday night things get really wild. That’s when the After-Parties at Descanso Beach start.

Festivalgoers dancing to the sounds of DJ Jonathan Phillips at the Saturday night After-Party on Descanso Beach (Photos by Pat Benter)

Festivalgoers dancing to the sounds of DJ Jonathan Phillips at the Saturday night After-Party on Descanso Beach (Photos by Pat Benter)

You can choose dancing to old-school R&B spun by DJ Jonathan Phillips alongside your fellow reveling festivalgoers until the bartenders yell, “Last call for alcohol!” Or, you can claim a seat around the fire pit a few feet from the serene sea. In either case, food can be ordered and cocktails poured and blended at the outdoor bar and restaurant under the evening sky.

Ladies having a great time at the JazzTrax After-Party (Photos by Pat Benter)

Ladies having a great time at the JazzTrax After-Party (Photos by Pat Benter)

Most likely, you’ll also encounter some of the local wildlife, mule deer, which often ramble around the beachside bash.

Friendly deer hanging out with festivalgoers at Descanso Beach (photo by Pat Benter)

Friendly deer hanging out with festivalgoers at Descanso Beach (photo by Pat Benter)

Which “wild” life do you prefer? Please post your comments. We’d love to hear from you!

Deer munching on a midnight snack, the landscape in front of the Casino (photo by Pat Benter)

Deer munching on a midnight snack, the landscape in front of the Casino (photo by Pat Benter)

The 28th Annual Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival is scheduled for Oct. 9-12 and Oct. 16-19.  You can read about it in the current issue of Smooth Jazz News (which is also posted online at www.smoothjazznews.com), which includes our Annual Catalina Island Visitors Guide. That’s where you can find details on how to get there, where to stay, dine, shop, play and plan a spa day!

For festival tickets and additional information, visit www.jazztrax.com.

AARP is HIP!

Guitar displays at NAMM booth during the AARP Ideas@50+ convention in San Diego

Guitar displays at NAMM booth during the AARP Ideas@50+ convention in San Diego

The crowd was still buzzing about Patti Austin’s Friday night performance when I arrived at AARP’s Ideas@50+ conference at the San Diego Convention Center on Saturday morning . Of course, when I heard these comments I dug into my bag and handed the person or group (obviously jazz fans) a copy of the latest issue of Smooth Jazz News; one of many freebies attendees crammed into multiple bags of fun stuff and useful information. The lovely sounds of an orchestra and other live performances could pretty much be heard everywhere even though the NAMM and Museum of Making Music booth was located at the far right corner of the hall. This added to the excitement and energy of the day, which also included a chance to win a 2015 Toyota Camry!

NAMM & Museum of Making Music booth at AARP's Ideas@50+ expo in San Diego

NAMM & Museum of Making Music booth at AARP’s Ideas@50+ expo in San Diego

These were the final hours of a three-day event filled with tips, lectures and demonstrations of health & wellness, money & work, technology & innovation and travel & lifestyle, as well as nightly musical entertainment. I didn’t want to miss any of it. So, I rented a scooter which gave me the speed to visit every vendor in the AARP exhibition hall before it ended at 4 p.m. I started at the beginning of the booths, which happened to be the health & wellness vendors, where I received a demonstration on a pain-relief and massage device that was heavenly and effective (although I can’t remember the name of it or the company that offered it as they were out of cards and literature during my visit to their booth).

I also picked up several coupons for discounts on everything from eye glasses at Sears to a $10 discount for Prepopik (a kinder, gentler colonoscopy prep process). And as I was on my way to see Arianna Huffington deliver the keynote speech on “Thriving After Fifty,” someone at a nearby booth handed me a cute yellow bag with a cheerful orange flower poking through the top (When I got home and went through my “haul,” I discovered it was samples of pads for “fearless protection for the unexpected leak,” hence the silver inscription “Tena” on the bag, which I didn’t notice at the time. I threw them in my purse just in case.)

Arianna Huffington signing books after her keynote speech at AARP's Ideas@50+ convention in San Diego

Arianna Huffington signing books after her keynote speech at AARP’s Ideas@50+ convention in San Diego

Because the crowds at many of the speaker events overflowed or were standing-room-only, I arrived at the Money & Work stage 40 minutes early to make sure I’d have a good seat for Arianna Huffington. Several other people had the same idea, so I made new friends to chat with while waiting. Some of them were still floating in ecstasy from Patti’s show the night before, and described with glee the talent competition at AARP’s first “Boomer Superstar” (their over-50’s version of “American Idol”). Celebrity judges included Patti, Emilio Estefan and former “American Idol” winner Taylor Hicks, and original “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson emceed the event.

The hour or so I had from Arianna’s fabulous and funny lecture until her book signing, gave me time to visit the travel & lifestyle booths. I was thrilled to see Donna Harris (director of marketing and film liaison) from the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau. She and her staff were signing up people for a chance to win tickets to the Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival in October.

Donna Harris & staff promoting Catalina Island at the AARP Ideas@50+ convention in San Diego

Donna Harris & staff promoting Catalina Island at the AARP Ideas@50+ convention in San Diego

By the time I got through the sold-out book signing line, the expo was over, and it was a few hours until the concert featuring John Mellencamp with special guests Los Lobos and Mavis Staples. I passed on the concert so that I could go home, jump in the pool, go through my “goodie bag” of stuff I collected at the expo and recall all of the wonderful things I heard at the speaker events. Although the convention included lectures and panel events with the likes of Valerie Harper, Soledad O’Brien, Joan Lunden and Erin Brockovich that day (and Martha Stewart, Samantha Brown, Dan Marino, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jean Chatzky and Drs. Travis Stork and Jennifer Ashton from “The Doctors” on the prior days), Arianna Huffington was the highlight for me.

When I got home, I began remembering the first AARP Life@50+ event I attended in 2011 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. I was there to cover the performances of Dave Koz and George Benson, as well as attend Chris Gardner’s keynote speech. Chris, the best-selling author of “The Pursuit of Happyness” and inspiration for the award-winning movie starring Will Smith, is AARP’s ambassador. That year’s event also included movie screenings hosted by actors starring in them (including Seth Rogan with his then new film “50/50”). That’s when I discovered how truly cool AARP was. Attending this year’s national event and expo confirmed how cool the life we have available to us after the age of 50 truly is!

Dave Koz (above left); Wink Martindale, Melanie Maxwell, Dave Koz and Chris Gardner at AARP's 2011 Life@50+ convention in Los Angeles (photos by David Hopley)

Dave Koz (above left); Wink Martindale, Melanie Maxwell, Dave Koz and Chris Gardner at AARP’s 2011 Life@50+ convention in Los Angeles (photos by David Hopley)

AARP’s 2015 Life@50+ National Event is scheduled for May 14-16, in Miami, Florida. For details, visit www.aarp.org or call 800-650-6839.