When Marcus Shelby became artistic director of Healdsburg Jazz five years ago, he hoped it could become a year-round endeavor. “The only problem was the pandemic,” says Shelby, who is also the leader of the renowned Marcus Shelby Orchestra. The pandemic delay gave Shelby time to plan and develop new programs — and this February, after 25 successful years of summer concerts, Shelby and his team will debut a new four-day Winter Fest.
“It’s an opportunity to produce some concerts; have some education presence; bring in some national, international, local, up-and-coming and legendary artists; and really celebrate this art form in the middle of winter in one of the most beautiful places in the world,” says Shelby.
Winter Fest launches Jan. 30 at downtown Healdsburg’s Paul Mahder Gallery with Venezuelan pianist and composer Edward Simon, whom Shelby calls one of the great pianists of our era. Singer Paula West’s quartet takes the stage at Spoonbar for two shows Jan. 31. “She has a wide repertoire of songs that speak to liberation and justice,” says Shelby. And Feb. 1, versatile vocalist Stella Heath performs the music of Ella Fitzgerald in an afternoon show that also features stories from the life of the jazz legend. Heath is also the education coordinator for Healdsburg Jazz.
The Harlem of the West Jazz Party Feb. 1 is a highlight of Winter Fest, featuring vocalist Tiffany Austin, vibraphone player and bandleader Sasha Berliner, pianist Darrell Grant, and baritone vocalist Jamie Davis of the Count Basie Orchestra, among others.
“They’ll form little groups — it’s not like they’re bringing their own groups,” explains Shelby. “It’s like an all-star game where people are really well known.”
Held at The 222 in the Paul Mahder Gallery, the four-hour Saturday night event will also feature the spoken word poetry of Healdsburg Jazz poet laureate Enid Pickett, writer Lewis Watts, and an exhibit of photographs of San Francisco’s Fillmore District, which was known for a thriving jazz club scene in the 1960s, earning it the nickname “Harlem of the West.”
(The district hosts its own jazz festival each June.)
Pianist and composer Jason Moran, a 2010 MacArthur Fellow and the artistic director of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., headlines a solo concert featuring the music of Duke Ellington as the festival concludes Sunday, Feb. 2.
Shelby calls Moran an incredible composer and one of the leading thinkers in jazz today. “It’s pretty special for us … to have Jason Moran out here,” says Shelby.
The festival is timed to coincide with the start of Black History Month. “Historically, it’s a slow part of the year up in Healdsburg,” says Shelby, “so it was a good time to kick off our Black History Month program.”
Healdsburg Jazz Winter Fest, Jan. 30-Feb. 2 at locations around Healdsburg. Individual event tickets from $40. healdsburgjazz.org