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Annual jazz and blues festival returns to Akron
The third annual Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival takes place in downtown Akron from Aug. 23 through Aug. 26. It will feature events at Lock 3 as well as at indoor venues, with headliners like the Sean Jones Quartet, the Troy Roberts Quartet, Acid Cats and Akron’s experimental R&B quintet Bluelight. (Photo courtesy of Jonathan Fields).
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: July 19, 2018
Organizers of the Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival are gearing up for the third annual event, which takes place in downtown Akron from Aug. 23 through Aug. 26.
Co-founded by Akron resident and jazz musician Theron Brown and world class musicians Dan Wilson and Chris Anderson, the four-day festival will feature events at Lock 3 as well as at indoor venues, with headliners like the Sean Jones Quartet, the Troy Roberts Quartet, Acid Cats and Akron’s experimental R&B quintet Bluelight.
“Dan Wilson, who is a world class jazz guitarist, and I came up with the idea for the festival when we were sitting in our backyard grilling,” said Brown, who serves as the director of the festival. “We got the first two years funded through a matching grant from the Knight Foundation.
“There is a lot of great talent in northeast Ohio and we wanted to create a platform for these musicians to showcase their talent and hard work,” said Brown. “We also wanted to provide a free source of family-friendly entertainment to community members.”
Born in Zanesville, Brown moved to Akron in 2005 to attend The University of Akron, where he received his bachelor’s degree in jazz studies and a master’s degree in classical piano performance.
Brown has performed with many different orchestras over the years ranging from the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra and Glenn Miller Orchestra to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
He currently leads the Theron Brown Trio and serves as an adjunct professor at Kent State University, where he teaches jazz studies.
Brown said one of the goals of the festival is to allow musicians to “get their messages out through their music.
“These messages may vary; they may be hopeful or dark, but it’s important that they be able to share them with the community,” said Brown.
“Music can be very cathartic. It can relieve stress at the end of the day or give you hope for the future.”
The festival is also a way to spread the word about Open Tone Music, which provides music education inside and outside the classroom to youth and adults living in underserved communities.
“The organization started in 2010 in Cleveland with the goal of providing free access to music performances and education,” said Brown. “The primary focus is on youth but the nonprofit serves people of all ages.
“Our co-founder, world class trombone player Chris Anderson, is the executive director of Open Tone Music. He has led the organization’s expansion into Summit County, where we collaborate with Akron Public Schools and the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Western Reserve.
“We also do a summer camp for children,” Brown said.
“The jazz & blues festival is an Open Tone Music initiative and some of our children will be performing at the festival,” he said.
The Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival kicks off on Aug. 23 at 8 p.m. with the Theron Brown Trio at BLU Jazz+, located at E. Market Street in Akron.
The festival is free and open to the public. The proceeds raised will be used to provide students in grades K-12 with year-round educational programming.
For more information about the Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival, including scheduled performers, log on to (www.rubbercityjazz.com).