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Pumpkin Jazz Aims To Bring Music, And Business, To Midvalley

lapompejazz.com

Ten bands play ten different venues in Basalt Saturday for the inaugural Pumpkin Jazz festival.  The Arts Campus At Willits received a grant from Basalt to put on the event.

Executive director of The Arts Campus at Willits Ryan Honey says after the lease expired on their Willits venue, The Temporary, earlier this year, he was looking to bring people into local businesses during the offseason. 

 

Credit anishajrush.com
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anishajrush.com
Anisha Rush from The Rush-Parrish Project, which will play Heather's restaurant in downtown Basalt

“We knew with us being closed and it being the shoulder season, we wanted a way to activate the restaurants and the shops in and around our community,” he said.

A recent studyshows that arts patrons nationally spend an average of about 25 dollars per event at local businesses, not including the ticket price.  

The Arts Campus at Willits artistic director Mark Breslin brought local and regional musicians to play the festival, which takes place at restaurants and galleries throughout both Willits and downtown Basalt.

 

 

Credit The Arts Campus At Willits
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The Arts Campus At Willits
Chris Harrison from Devachan. The saxophone trio plays Keating Fine Art Gallery in Willits.

Breslin says that the music will be as varied as the venues. 

"We have gypsy jazz, we have a saxophone trio, we have Valle Musico, which will be world music, so a little bit of everything," he said.

Pumpkin Jazz begins Saturday at 5 p.m. A family-friendly performance from the Annie Booth Trio will be held at the library at 3:30 p.m. 

 

 

Contributor Christin Kay is passionate about the rich variety of arts, cultural experiences and stories in the Roaring Fork Valley. She has been a devotee of public radio her whole life. Christin is a veteran of Aspen Public Radio, serving as producer, reporter and interim news director.
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