When the Phoebus Jazz Festival opens Friday, audiences will hear swing, improvisation and a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer jazzing up classics such as "Don’t Stop Believin'".
The variety is welcomed, as the festival's mission is to entertain and educate the public about jazz, "true American music," said Jae Sinnett, president of the festival organizer, the nonprofit HR Jazz, Inc.
Sinnett plays percussion with his band, Jae Sinnett's Zero to 60 Quartet. He is also WHRV’s senior jazz producer and host.
"Jazz is instruments conversing with each other," he said. It isn’t rhythm and blues or smooth jazz; think of icons such as John Coltrane and Miles Davis, he said.
American Theatre, which seats fewer than 400 people, is a perfect setting, Sinnett said.
"When you are in an intimate setting, with a smaller audience, it allows for the artists to cultivate the music.”
Steve Smith and Vital Information headline Friday. Smith was the drummer for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band Journey from 1978 to 1985. He calls his current compositions jazz fusion.
"It's a mix of bebop and rock 'n' roll, blending it with music from India. It has structure, but within that is freedom to communicate using the language of music," he said from his home in New York.
The Boston-area native started playing the drums in the early 1960s when he was 9, but the music wasn't rock. His first loves were the Big Band sound and jazz legends such as Buddy Rich and Dizzy Gillespie.
While attending Berklee College of Music in the '70s, he started playing rock 'n' roll. He also liked what he was hearing with the blend of musical genres in the United States, he said.
He was drawn to South Indian music after spending time in the region in the early 2000s. He played with various musicians and learned their techniques. He now incorporates the sound into his music.
For the festival, which concludes Saturday night, Smith’s band will perform jazz interpretations of several Journey songs, including "Don’t Stop Believin'" and "Open Arms." He said he always enjoyed playing the latter because of the slow tempo and dynamic range.
He will be accompanied by Manuel Valera on keyboard and Janek Gwizdala on bass. The Hampton Roads-based Latin Jazz Conspiracy also plays Friday.
Eric Marienthal performs Saturday night. The two-time Grammy winner has released 15 albums and has performed with artists such as Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Lou Rawls.
He will be followed by Richmond’s Michael Hawkins and the Brotherhood. Hawkins said the band’s music blends traditional and contemporary jazz, honoring the genre’s legacy while showcasing the band's unique sound.
“I take traditional and make it my way,” he said
That makes for tight rhythms and intricate melodies.
When the group starts to improvise, “the drums feed off the sax, then the bass takes over, followed by piano. Everyone is built into the moment. You never know how it’s going to turn out. That’s what jazz is.”
Visit hrjazz.org for tickets and more information.