The Al Sears Music Fest will return Sept. 19-21 with a variety of performances in downtown Macomb.
“I see the Al Sears Music Festival as really an amplification of what we are already doing in Macomb, which, in the region, is unique for the live music that’s available every single night,” said Whitney Ashe, President of the music fest.
The event begins with a concert by the WIU Jazz Studio Orchestra from 7-9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19 at American Legion Post 6, 221 E. Washington St.
Performances on Saturday and Sunday will be held at the Western Illinois Museum, 201 S. Lafayette St.:
Saturday
- Allie Garland, Noon - 2:30 p.m.
- Bryan Anthony and his band will hold an open rehearsal between the Garland and Bliesener performances
- Richie Bliesener, 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
- Bryan Anthony, The American Songbook, 7 p.m. - 9p.m. “Bryan is a real interpreter of the American songbook,” said Ashe. “He’s really found his own way of interpreting that music, keeping that American songbook alive. I find him to be a really compelling and special performer.”
Sunday
- WIU School of Music students and faculty pop up session, Noon - 2 p.m.
- Community conversation with Whitney Ashe, John Cooper, Yoseph Henry, and Bill Maakestad, 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. “We’re going to be taking kind of a broad look at music in the region, maybe a little bit a look at the history of music in the region,” Ashe said.
- Yoseph Henry, Where Jazz Meets R&B and Gospel Soul, 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
The music fest is supported in part by a grant from the WIU Performing Arts Society.
All the performances are free, and food will be available for purchase outside the museum starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday from Sandra’s Authentic Mexican Food Truck.
“It’s the kind of thing where you could come in and really spend the day. Come in, hear a little bit of music. Go out, get a bite to eat. Go walk around downtown, play the Monopoly game. Come back, hear a little more music,” said Ashe.
“We really want to create that festival atmosphere where you can kind of dip in and dip out. I would even think of the whole downtown as being sort of part of the festival in its own way.”
The museum will also be displaying an exhibit about Al Sears, who was born in Macomb in 1910.
The tenor saxophonist played in a number of well-known groups, including the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Sears was also a songwriter, and he owned several rhythm and blues record labels. Festival organizers say he helped shape the early sound of rock ‘n’ roll.
Sears died in New York City in 1990.
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