As musicians and jazz music lovers from across the state prepared to make their way to Cheraw this weekend for the South Carolina Jazz Festival, pre-school children enjoyed live jazz music on the Town Green. Head start programs from Cheraw, Ruby and McBee enjoyed a field trip Tuesday morning to listen and dance to jazz music surrounding the statue of Dizzy Gillespie on Cheraw’s Town Green.
Two young musicians, Rakim McQueen and Trae Lock, both graduates of Cheraw High School, presented some of Gillespie’s most famous compositions on keyboard and drums, including “Salt Peanuts.”
Following the concert, as the children were escorted back to the buses, Head Start teacher Jane Jefferson of Ruby made reference to some of the terms the children were taught about jazz music. Jefferson used the word “harmony” as a discipline term for keeping the students in line.
The festival’s events will kick off Thursday evening with another live concert with the Joe Gransden Quartet on the Town Green, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Lawn chairs are welcome for this event that is open and free to the public.
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2012 South Carolina Jazz Festival Event Schedule
Thursday, October 18
Area Schools Jazz Performances
Presented by the Malloy Foundation.
USAF Falconaires Big Band. This outreach program of the South Carolina Jazz Festival, exposes students to the wonderful sounds of jazz. The US Air Force Academy Falconaires Big Band will conduct a work shop in the Cheraw High School Chorus Room from 10:15-11:15 am and perform during a school assembly at Long Middle School from 1:45-2:30 pm. Local jazz artists are scheduled to perform at Cheraw Primary and Cheraw Intermediate. For more about the Falconaires, visit these websites: www.USAFAcademyBand.af.mil, www.facebook.com/Falconaires, www.twitter.com/USAFA_Band, www.AcademyAdmissions.com.
Evening Jazz on the Green
6:30-8:30 pm: Presented by Ironwood Farms.
New this year! Dance under the stars accompanied by the jazz sounds of the Joe Gransden Quartet. This free street party will be held outdoors at the Theatre on the Green. Chesterfield General Hospital and the Greater Cheraw Chamber of Commerce will host a Business Appreciation Reception with complimentary refreshments offered throughout the evening. Lawn chairs welcomed. Rain location: Theatre on the Green.
Friday, October 19 - daytime
Golf Tournament
9:00 am-2:00 pm: Cheraw State Park
Two-person scramble. Shotgun start. $60/person. For information, call Clarence Long at 478.737.3031 or email cwldevon@cox.net. Entry deadline October 16. Proceeds benefit Dizzy Gillespie Scholarship Fund, Inc. Hole in one 2013 Chevy Cruze Giveaway sponsored by Bennett Motor Company.
Jazz Luncheon
12:00 pm: Wesley United Methodist Church Educational Building, 307 Greene St. Hosted by the Southern African American Heritage Center. New this year! Guest speaker will be Dr. Karen Chandler, associate professor at the College of Charleston and co-founder/principal of the Charleston Jazz Initiative. “Legends”, a CD featuring jazz artists native to Charleston and those with musical and familial ties to South Carolina, will be available for purchase. Limited seating; tickets $25 each.
“Dizzy” on Display
1:00 pm-5:00 pm: Southern African American Heritage Center, 125 Kershaw Street. Admission: $7 & $5. Enjoy a firsthand look at the life of Cheraw’s favorite son.
Friday October 19 - evening
Early Jazz Restaurant Venues
6:00-8:00 pm: Free Admission
• Fatz Restaurant: Rakim McQueen
• Brady’s Restaurant: Florence Jazz Messengers
• Season’s Restaurant: A New Creation
Main Event
7:00-8:30 pm: Performance starts promptly at 7:00 pm!
First Bank presents “Jazz at the Theatre on the Green” featuring Kate McGarry, 2009 Grammy Nominee for Best Jazz Vocals. Experience firsthand why “Icon” magazine calls McGarry “a voice that soars with abundant hope”. Ticketed event. Limited seating.
Late Night Jazz Restaurant Venues
8:30 pm -12:00 midnight: Free Admission
• Oskar’s: Robert Gardiner Quartet, Cheraw native
• The Wine Factory: Equinox
• The Oyster Bar: Peter Lamb & the Wolves
• Froggy’s Rack Shack: Red Hot Sugar Babies
• College Inn: Knight’s Smooth Jazz
• Pee Dee Ice & Fuel: sidecar social club will entertain guests at one of Dizzy’s favorite spots to jam.
Saturday, October 20
Cheraw Has Jazz!
Downtown Cheraw is the perfect place to celebrate a day alive with jazz and the arts. Enjoy an Arts & Fine Crafts exhibit by regional artists, and try your skills at being the next famous madonnari (that’s Italian for a street painter). Great food available at area restaurants.
Jazzy Breakfast
Sponsored by Cheraw Rescue Squad, 167 Seaboard St.
7:00-9:30am: Start your day off right! $5 per person.
Second Annual Dizzy’s “Chee-raw” 5k Run/Walk & Kid’s Bebop Half-mile Fun Run/Walk
Presented by Faith Christian Academy, 220 Greene St.
8:00 am: 5K Registration: $25/person (includes t-shirt for those registering two weeks prior to race). Race begins in front of school. Prizes for the winning male and female. Online registration powered by Active.com. Participants may also register by picking up a form at the school or the day of the race. Parking available at First Baptist Church.
Art & Fine Crafts Exhibition
10:00 am-6:00 pm: Downtown Cheraw. Featured work by regional artists and craftspeople.
“Dizzy” On Display
10:00 am-5:00 pm: Southern African American Heritage Center, 125 Kershaw Street. Admission: $7 & $5. Enjoy a firsthand look at the life of Cheraw’s favorite son.
Bebop Parade
11:00-11:30 am: Sponsored by Pee Dee Ice & Fuel.
Grand Marshall Marion “Boo” Frazier, Dizzy’s road manager and confidant, leads Second Line Umbrella Participants in this fun-filled parade from Dizzy Park on Huger Street to downtown Centennial Park. All are welcomed to join the bebop excitement at any point. Bikes, trikes, golf carts and dancing shoes encouraged. Parade canceled in the event of rain.
“The Umbrella Man” Second Line Decorated Umbrellas
Presented by Hospice of Chesterfield County.
There will be no rain on our Bebop Parade, however decorated umbrellas at Second Line Parades symbolize celebration, and these unique creations will be a great way to say “Happy Birthday, Dizzy!” After all “The Umbrella Man” was a favorite song Dizzy often performed. Want to participate in the parade by making a decorated umbrella? Contact the Cheraw Arts Commission at 843-537-8420 ext. 12 for free workshop information.
Centennial Park
Presented by Highland Industries, Inc
11:30 am: Dizzy’s Birthday Celebration
Celebrate Cheraw native Dizzy Gillespie’s 95th birthday complete with a cake. Performances by Greater Cheraw Children’s Chorus & Youth Chorale. Lawn chairs and blankets welcomed.
12:15-1:15 pm: Fred Bittle Quintet, Chesterfield native
1:45-2:45 pm: Calvin Edwards Trio
2:55-3:10 pm: KFA Dance Company
3:15-4:15 pm: The Gino Castillo Latin Jazz Quartet
4:45-5:45 pm: Children of the Horn
First United Methodist Church BBQ & Bake Sale
11:00 am-2:00 pm: Eat in or take out delicious pork and chicken. Church is located at 113 Third Street.
Lunchtime Jazz
11:00 am-1:00 pm: Mary’s Restaurant: A New Creation
12:00 noon-1:00 pm: College Inn: Knight’s Smooth Jazz
Jazz & Art on Town Green
Sponsored by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina.
Children’s art activities provided by the Cheraw Arts Commission.
12:00 noon-3:00 pm
Italian Madonnari Chalk Competition
Teams create pastel masterpieces on the sidewalk. Want to participate? Contact the Cheraw Arts Commission at 843.537.8420 x12. Winners announced at 3:00 pm at the Theatre on the Green. Refreshments for chalk competitors provided by Cheraw Kiwanis.
Wesley United Methodist Church
2:00-3:30 pm: Sponsored by Reid’s Funeral Home & Chesterfield County NAACP.
Cheraw native Charles Peterson & Against All Odds Jazz Quartet (voted “Best Jazz Band” at the Portfolio Magazine Weekly Music Awards) presents music & dialogue in the church where the Gillespie family worshiped.
A Toast to Dizzy
5:00-7:00 pm: Presented by The Wine Factory.
Wine & bites. $10 cover. Portion of proceeds will be donated to the Cheraw Arts Commission. Must be 21 years and older.
Saturday Evening, October 20
Early Jazz Restaurant Venues
6:00-8:00 pm: Free Admission
• Fatz Restaurant: Florence Jazz Messengers
• Brady’s Restaurant: Fred Bittle Quintet
• Season’s Restaurant: Rakim McQueen
Main Event
7:00-8:30 pm: Performance starts promptly at 7:00 pm!
Agape Hospice presents “Jazz at the Theatre on the Green”. Featuring the Think Jazz Orchestra, a tour de force showcasing the talents of eight of South Carolina’s finest jazz musicians. Ticketed event. Limited seating.
Late Night Jazz Restaurant Venues
8:30-11:30 pm: Free Admission
• The Wine Factory: Calvin Edwards Trio, Internationally Recognized Musicians
• Oskar’s: Against All Odds Jazz Quartet
• Froggy’s Rack Shack: Smooth jazz guitarist Andrew Williams
• College Inn: Knight’s Smooth Jazz
• Oslo’s: The Reflections
• Oyster Bar: Children of the Horn
• Pee Dee Ice & Fuel: Come visit the place where Dizzy would return during his Cheraw homecomings! The Gino Castillo Latin Jazz Quartet performs.
Sunday, October 21
Today is Dizzy’s Birthday!
Picnic at the Homeplace
12:30-2:30 pm: Gillespie Home Site Park, Huger Street. New this year! It’s jammin’ & jazz just like Dizzy would want it. Pack a picnic lunch, grab some lawn chairs and a blanket and enjoy a relaxing afternoon with jazz from Cheraw native Rakim McQueen.
Jazz Mass
3:00 pm: Wesley United Methodist Church, 307 Greene Street. The festival concludes with community worship on the church grounds where Dizzy and his family attended. Area clergy and musicians will lead this worship service set in the tones of soulful jazz. Sponsored by the Cheraw Ministerial Association.
Historic Cheraw Cell Phone Tour
Free self-guided tour includes Gillespie Home Site Park, the Gillespie’s home church, and the school Dizzy attended. Tour brochures available at the Lyceum, Market Hall and the Chamber office.
Ticket information
Advanced tickets for the MAIN EVENT Evening Concerts are available at the Cheraw Community Center Monday-Friday 8:30 am until 5:00 pm or by clicking here. The Two-Day Weekend Pass is $35.00, and the Single Evening Pass is $20.00. Most of the weekend’s activities are free. Check schedule for details. During the festival weekend, tickets and souvenirs will be available at Market Hall (corner of Market and Second Streets) Friday 2:00 pm - 6:30 pm and Saturday 10:00 am-6:30 pm. Call 843-537-8420 ext. 12 for more information or click here for details.
Judie Kopfman, Cheraw, SC