Capital Jazz: Almost 150 bands fill Sacramento this month

Sunset, May, 2002 by Lisa Taggart

Under a white tent, a half-dozen musicians joke and sip glasses of beer as they fiddle with their instruments. It's a hot day in Sacramento, but the performers are about to serve up something hotter.

The bandleader waves his hand, and the piano, drums, saxophone, and bass kick in. The audience hushes, then lets loose with whistles and hoots as the music's swinging sound lights up the afternoon.

Every Memorial Day weekend, more than a hundred bands from as far away as Australia and Guatemala entertain thousands at the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee. Traditional jazz is the focus, though everyone from big bands to folksy trios to zydeco troupes play. This year, the festival will even feature its first jug band.

"It's an annual party," says Roger Krum, the festival's executive director and a bass player with the Fulton Street Jazz Band, which has performed at every jubilee since it debuted in 1974. "Whatever aches and pains we might have developed through the years, as soon as we get on the bandstand they seem to go away"

The first jubilee had about 5,000 attendees. Inspired by a fundraiser for the paddlewheeler Delta King--now a restaurant and floating hotel in Old Sacramento--the event has grown so large that this year organizers expect more than 100,000.

Krum says that the festival has prompted many more local bands to play traditional jazz. "It's part of the fabric of Sacramento now," he says.

So it's no surprise that long after the jubilee ends, Sacramento's music scene keeps hopping at clubs and free Friday-night concerts downtown.

RELATED ARTICLE: Jazz Sacramento

For general area information, contact the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau (1303 J St.; 916/264-7777).

Jazz events

Concerts in the Park. Weekly concerts downtown kick off on May 3 and run through September. Fridays at 5:30. Cesar E. Chavez Plaza, Ninth and J Streets; (916) 442-8575.

Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, May 24-27. Nearly 150 bands perform at almost 50 venues. Free shuttle buses to shows. Four-day pass for all events $85, daily admission $35. For tickets and information, contact the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society: (916) 372-5277 or www.sacjazz.com.

Dining and nightlife

Cornerstone Restaurant. Excellent, generous breakfasts and lunches in Midtown. 2330 J St.; (916) 441-0948.

Harlow's Restaurant & Nightclub. Sleek supper club. Upstairs lounge hosts live music Friday and Saturday nights. Closed Mon-Tue. 2708 J St.; (916) 441-4693.

The Pilothouse. The Delta King's restaurant serves lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch. 1000 Front St.; (916) 441-4440.

Torch Club. Blues and jazz nightly. 904 15th St., (916) 443-2797.

Lodging

Delta King Hotel. 44 rooms on 285-foot restored riverboat. From $139. 1000 Front; (800) 825-5464 or (916) 444-5464.

Embassy Suites Sacramento. New hotel (scheduled to open mid-May) on the waterfront in Old Sacramento. From $109. 100 Capitol Mall; (916) 326-5000.

Sheraton Grand. New hotel in 1920s Julia Morgan building has 503 rooms. From $199. 1230 J St.; (916) 447-1700.