Burlington’s inaugural jazz festival is just a few weeks away.
Organizers are hosting another fundraiser to ensure the festival can be free for everyone, and so it can return next year.
Festival co-directors Matt Landon and Emma Reynolds are hoping to match what they got in grant funds with sponsorships and other fundraising.
Their festival is meant to revive southeast Iowa’s jazz legacy including the story of Burlington native Bart Howard, who wrote the jazz standard “Fly Me to the Moon.”
Reynolds told TSPR she recently listened to a recording of Howard performing on “The Today Show” 60 years ago.
“He wrote the song for his partner and it didn't get famous until about 10 years later, Frank Sinatra finally recorded it,” Reynolds said. “So it was first performed in 1954 and then Frank Sinatra performed it in 1965 and that's when it really took off.”
Hearing that recording, made Reynolds, a jazz musician herself, a little emotional. She said they’ve also obtained a Bart Howard songbook and will be learning more of his work to perform at a fundraiser at 7 p.m. Monday, July 14, at the Art Center of Burlington, 301 Jefferson St.
Landon and Reynolds will perform a concert with Iowa City bassist Blake Shaw and drummer Michael D’Angelo. Reynolds will also host several rounds of jazz trivia.
“I think that will be super, super fun. So we'll have a listening round. We'll have a general jazz information round, a Burlington specific round, and the last one is TBD,” she said.
Prizes for the winning team include drink tickets and signed festival merch.
All proceeds will benefit the Burlington Jazz Festival, which takes place July 25 and 26 at several downtown venues, featuring local, regional, and national acts.
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