LAFAYETTE -- Greater Lafayette Commerce will host the eighth annual Uptown Jazz & Blues Festival presented by Lafayette Bank and Trust on Saturday Aug. 25 from 5 p.m. to midnight in the Fifth Street Farmers Market area between Columbia and Main Streets in downtown Lafayette.

The fun will continue at the official “After Party” at Indiana’s Oldest Bar – the Knickerbocker Saloon from midnight to 2 a.m.

“This is one of the premier events for Greater Lafayette and the region,” says Mark Molter, Vice President of Lafayette Bank and Trust the festival’s presenting sponsor. “We are proud once again to help support art and entertainment in Lafayette’s downtown. It will be a great night of fun for all of the community to share. The joint will be jumpin.”

The event features hot blues and cool jazz on three stages and delicious food from local eateries. Tickets are $8 advance and $12 at the door for adults. Children 10 and under are $5 and infants are free. Advanced tickets are available at all Lafayette Bank & Trust locations and Greater Lafayette Commerce until Friday, Aug. 24. Tickets are also available online at www.uptownjazzandblues.com.  

New this year is a partnership with the Friends of Downtown and Lafayette’s newest event: Beers Across the Wabash. Held on the John T. Myers Pedestrian Bridge from noon to 4 p.m. guests can enjoy craft ales and lagers from 30 of Indiana’s best breweries.

A limited number of tickets are available and can be purchased at Village Bottle Shoppe, People’s Brewing, Lafayette Brewing Company and on-line at www.beersacrossthewabash.com.

Friends of Downtown President and organizer Ken McCammon said, “This is a great opportunity for both organizations to promote downtown for a full day of entertainment and fun. Relax on the bridge and check out new and unusual brews and then spend the evening with some of the best music of the summer at the Uptown Jazz and Blues Fest.”

Downtown events and activities promote our community as a destination not only for local residents but for visitors and the thousands of Purdue students returning to campus each year.

“Summer is bustling with activity. I can’t think of a single weekend where there is not multiple events happening for all tastes and interests. It has made downtown a lively and vibrant place for people to enjoy themselves,” says Joe Seaman, President and CEO of Greater Lafayette Commerce. Joe adds, “We are excited when other organizations and businesses plan events activities. Working together we create more positive synergy that creates real excitement and economic development which is the mission of Greater Lafayette Commerce.”

Entertainment

This year’s entertainment will feature great imported and domestic talent selected by Lafayette Bank and Trust Vice President and local musician, Mark Molter, and Charlie Hoovler, Jazz and Blues aficionado and owner of Life Employment. There will be three stages of continuous music to enjoy throughout the night.

BACK ALLEY STAGE                      

5-6:15 p.m. Big Swing Band              

Return to an era when Big Bands ruled the airways. Reminisce to the big band sounds of Glenn Miller and Count Basie, enjoy the superbly crafted vocal works of Nat King Cole, or find your groove with modern favorites like Billy Joel or the Cherry Poppin' Daddies. Fronted by crooners extraordinaire, the marvelous big-band renditions of the Big Swing Band captivate with their superb revisit to this music-Americana.

7:45-9 p.m. Glen Danger & Friends

Remember when a “Roadhouse” was a place outside of the city limits where people met to drink and dance the night away? That’s where Glen and “Friends” learned the Blues… hard-livin’ Chicago-style Blues!   From these miscreant roots grew the Midwest’s famous Codrak Blues Band of the 80’s, and Indiana’s infamous Danger Brothers of the 90’s. Never being one to leave well enough alone, Glen Danger is back in town to strut his stuff, and he’s bringing his “Friends”; Doc Hoover, Garry Smith, Gerry Murphy, and Danny Crawford. Bring your friends, and join the boys for a great set of hard-driving “Roadhouse” Blues.

10:30 p.m. -midnight Blues legend, Andrew "Jr. Boy" Jones, with guest artist, Ms. Kerrie LepaiAndrew “Jr. Boy” Jones was born in 1948 into a household steeped in music. His mother, an orchestra vocalist, gave Andrew his first guitar when he was seven, and he began his professional career at age 16 playing, with now Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Freddie King. And to quote the well-worn cliché…the rest is history.

Andrew, a W.C. Handy Blues Award winner, signed with Electro-Fi Records in 2009 for release of his fifth CD, Gettin’ Real. Among his too-numerous-to-list artistic collaborations, Andrew has toured with Rare Earth, Tower of Power, Grand Funk Railroad, Marshall Tucker Band, Charlie Musselwhite, Neville Brothers, Leon Russell, Edgar Winter, and recorded extensively with the likes of Charlie Musselwhite and Freddie King.

A true global artist, his performance schedule takes him to Europe, North and South America, the Near & Far East, and Australia. Joining Andrew and his band will be Texas-based blues vocalist, Ms. Kerrie Lepai.  

PROMENADE STAGE

6:15-7:45 p.m. Mike Milligan & Steam Shovel                    

With his delivery of dazzling guitar riffs and gut-driven vocals, Mike Milligan has been fittingly compared to late blues giant, Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Steam Shovel, with Mike at the helm, play all the major Midwest Blues venues including House of Blues (Chicago & Cleveland) and Indy Jazz Fest (three times), and was voted "Best Band in Indiana” by the world-famous Slippery Noodle. They have shared the stage with musical legends   BB King, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Tower of Power, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, Lil Ed, and Walter Trout, to name but a few.  

Mike Milligan was named 2007 ”Top Selling Artist” by Audio Recon, and two of his latest CDs “LIVE!” and “Timing is Everything” have been picked up by major retailers for national distribution.

In 2010 Mike was asked to front the late Stevie Ray Vaughan’s band, Double Trouble, at the 20th Anniversary “Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial Concert” in Nashville Tennessee.

9-10:30 p.m. Fareed Haque & MathGames!, with special guest artist, renowned tabla virtuoso, Siva Ghoshal, and computer visualizations by Craig Pessolano,

“Best World Guitarist” - Guitar Player Magazine  

"Best Jazz Entertainer of the Year" nominee - 31st Annual Chicago Music Awards

“Finely honed ...a singular figure in music” – Chicago Tribune

Moving effortlessly between jazz, fusion, and orchestral music, Guitar virtuoso Fareed Haque works intimately with the giants of contemporary and classical music; among them, Ramsey Lewis, Dave Holland, Sting, Cassandra Wilson, Arturo Sandoval, Joe Henderson, Edgar Meyer, and major symphony orchestras here and abroad.     

In addition to the MathGames! ensemble, Fareed will be joined for this concert by renowned tabla virtuoso, Siva Ghoshal , and from Chicago, noted computer visualist Craig Pessolano. Expect a remarkable musical performance and dazzling visual production that will reward intellectually and emotionally. Quoting from Guitar Player Magazine, “classical & jazz, East & West, future & past all come together in glorious harmony via his fleet fingers and freewheeling spirit.”

TIME-OUT LOUNGE

5-6:15 p.m. Bishop-Davidson- Acoustic Jazz & Blues

Nashville Tennessee-based MJ Bishop and WT Davidson combine MJ’s decade plus experience as an enchantress of open road performance with WT’s success as a Nashville songwriter/ performer. The result is a dynamic and engaging performance duo.

MJ hails from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and has spent several years in Seattle, including 10 years on the road, and recently moved to Nashville to work on her fourth album. Her many honors and awards include recognition from Bloomington Indiana’s Annual Songwriters Competition, and from the American Songwriter Magazine.

WT musical talent drew this native Iowan to Nashville in 1974. WT’s music is influenced by the likes of Jack Teagarden, Fats Waller, Marvin Gaye, and Smokey Robinson. A much sought-after performer and an exceptional songwriter, WT’s works have been recorded by Ray Charles, Crystal Gayle, Michael Johnson, Gary Stewart, and Ray Stevens, to name a few. This Bishop Davidson performance is with the assistance of SAMI (Songwriter’s Association of Mid-North Indiana)   

7:45-9 p.m. Brent Laidler & Lounge Master 3000

Are you in to Jimmie Smith on a Hammond B-3, Les Paul on a Gibson, or Michael Brecker on a Selmer Mark VI?   We don’t have those cats, but we do have our best, doing their best takes of the jazz legends. Join us for a tasty pre & post-bop set that promises to include a touch of Miles, Duke, and Carlos Jobim.      

The tight, straight-ahead licks of Lounge Master 3000 are delivered by Brent Laidler on guitars, Jake Noparstak on saxophones, Jamie Newman on keyboards, and Tim Miller percussion.

KNICKERBOCKER SALOON

Midnight Crash Landing                    

From the Delta Blues, to Shufflin’ Texas Blues, to the post-war Chicago Electric Blue - Crash Landing does know the Blues. Join us at the Knickerbocker Saloon at Midnight, as this much-in demand, highly traveled Indiana based Blues band will keep Uptown Jazz & Blues Festival-goers dancing long into the night. 

Food and beverage are always a popular part of summertime events, and this year is no exception. This year we will be featuring cuisine from Arni’s, Spurlock’s, Knickerbocker Saloon with Soverign Catering, Sgt. Preston’s, Kathy’s Kandies, and Cold Stone Creamery.   Two in-event restaurants will be serving up great dishes, the Knickerbocker Saloon and Bistro 501.

Greater Lafayette Commerce is also very grateful for the generous sponsors that make this event possible. Lafayette Bank & Trust is this year’s presenting sponsor. Even in these stressed economic times community partners are helping by giving back. This year there are a few new names to join many of the returning supporters.   Below is a list of our sponsors who make the Uptown Jazz & Blues Festival possible.

Presenting Sponsors

Lafayette Bank & Trust                                             

Stage Sponsors

ElectriCom                                                                                         

Carl E. Most and Son                                                 

Wessler Engineering

Williams Creek Consulting, Inc.                                           

Band Sponsors

Caterpillar

Tate and Lyle

Life Employment

Gate Sponsor

Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health

Duke Energy

Kettelhut Construction

Blues Brothers Sponsors:

Knickerbocker Saloon

Reiling Teder & Schrier Attorneys at Law

Rea Magnet Wire Company, Inc.

Stuart & Branigin Attorneys at Law

ESL Spectrum Lighting & Design

Marketing Sponsor

Convention & Visitors Bureau

Life Employment

Accommodation Sponsors

Hampton Inn

Homewood Suites

Media Sponsors

WLFI   TV-18

WBAA

Journal & Courier

Sign Sponsor

SpeedPro

In-Kind Sponsors

Coldwell Banker Shook Realty

Haley’s Lock and Key