{image1}When you think about the Mississippi River and jazz, you likely think about New Orleans, maybe as far north as St. Louis, but you can find some great jazz music in the upper valley of the Great River, too.
From river boats that have special jazz excursions to festivals in La Crosse, Winona, St. Paul and elsewhere, some fine regional and national talent plays in the area.
The Great River Jazz Festival in La Crosse has been an annual highlight of the summer for jazz fans for 19 years. Festival director Wayne Arihood, spoke of, "the copious amounts of fun and frolic which saturate the atmosphere of La Crosse, Wisconsin, every August where, on the shores of the mighty Mississippi, in the heart of God's Country, there occurs the much loved, yea, revered even, Great River Jazz Festival."
This year, one of the headliners for the festival was vocalist Debbie Duncan of the Twin Cities, who performed with a trio of pianist Mary Louise Knutson, bass player Michael O'Brian and drummer Nathan Norman.
Other show stealers included Visions Jazz of St. Louis, a group that plays jazz, blues and r&b, and Cornet Chop Suey, a collection of musicians from all over the country that play everything from rags and Dixie to contemporary jazz and swing.
Perhaps the surprise show stopper was 19-year-old Samuel "Sammo" Paul Miltich, who plays guitar for a group called the American Gypsy Jazz Summit. Keep his name in mind, because this kid can play. Festival goers might have seen a star being born.
The Gypsy Jazz Summit is an interesting group that plays primarily music of Django Reinhardt, who did his thing in France over 60 years ago. Paul Mehling, who plays guitar and violin and sings, is the leader of the group and is devoted to keeping the legend of Reinhardt alive. He and Ari Munkres, a bass player, can be found at the Hot Club in San Francisco when they are not touring the country.
Several veteran regulars also make the La Crosse festival just about every year. Pianist Eddie Higgins played opposite the likes of Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Errol Garner, Cannonball Adderley and other greats in the 1950s and '60s.
Guitarist Reuben Ristrom is another regular, who plays out of the Twin Cities. Pianist Bob Hirsch played for years with the famous Fulton Street Jazz Band in Sacramento, Calif., but lists the Mississippi River as one of his loves, along with jazz piano.
Yet another highlight of the festival is a New Orleans Mardi Gras style parade from one venue to the main festival grounds. Many participants dress in period garb for the parade. "We think this is a wonderful spot for the festival," Nancy "Fancy Nancy" Hanson told the La Crosse Tribune this year. Fancy Nancy was dressed in a 1920s flapper dress. She is involved in Unlimited Jazz Limited of Milwaukee.
The Great River Jazz Festival goes on for four days and attracts people from all over the Midwest. One suggestion for organizers from this writer: talk to the organizers of the Third Ward Summer Sizzle when scheduling for upcoming years. The two festivals fell on the same weekend this year and forced a true jazz fan to either do a lot of driving or make a real difficult choice of which Wisconsin coast to go to.
Other fun jazz festivals along the Upper Mississippi include the Lake Park Jazz Festival in Winona, Minn., and the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival in Davenport, Iowa. UW-La Crosse maintains an active jazz program, with a well-known ensemble that specializes in big band and swing. UW-L also holds a winter jazz festival every year.
There are many other jazz festivals and activities. One of the best listings can be found through the Twin Cities Jazz Society at tcjs.org.
In addition to the festivals, jazz fans will get a great treat this year when Wynton Marsalis brings the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra to Viterbo University in La Crosse on Sept. 13.
Milwaukee area jazz fans are blessed with some great music right in their own area, ranging from the Third Ward event to the weekly Jazz in the Park series and some of the clubs in town. The Kettle Moraine Jazz Festival in September is outstanding.
But, if you want to head west to Wisconsin's other coast, you will find equally good music along the Great River.
