“My people…Now which of my people…I mean, uh, you know I’m in several groups, I’m in, uh, let’s see, I’m in the group of the piano players, the music of the people…THE people, now that’s the better word, because THE people are my people.” – Duke Ellington
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Welcome to BackYard Jazz in Santa Rosa
We’re Supporting Local Talent…
The goal of BackYard Jazz House Concerts is to showcase the talents of the many jazz musicians living right here in our own Bay Area “Backyard,” as well as those who travel the House Concert “circuit” playing before appreciative audiences in intimate settings.
The House Concert experience is the perfect opportunity for jazz artists to share the music they love the way they love to play it. It’s an opportunity for these artists to express themselves freely, to play with and to communicate with an audience that wants to hear live jazz for it’s own sake, not as ambient background music for a social or entertainment function. Jazz for the sake of jazz. Yes!
This Summer’s Lineup – click each for more detail:
April 25: Michael Aragon Quartet
May 23: One World Band
June 27: Jules Broussard
July 18: Alastair Ingram Quintet
August 29: pickPocket Ensemble
September 26: Michael Smolens’ “earPlay Jazzquintet”
October 24: Bennett Friedman Quartet
… Bringing Jazz to Our Backyard
We can seat 100 or more guests at each outdoor concert; in the fall, we may move the series indoors for smaller ensembles and somewhat smaller audiences. Wheelchair-accessible, too!
All Outdoor concerts are scheduled between 2:30-5:30 on Sunday afternoons in Santa Rosa. To receive invitations/address/directions you must reserve a seat separately for each concert – see FAQ page for complete instructions.
Click Reserve to reserve a seat at the next concert. Reservations are only available for the very next concert. In case you have not already subscribed to our announcements, please click Subscribe so you’ll be alerted to any changes in the schedule, etc. See more about this on the FAQ screen.
And Providing an Opportunity for Young Artists As Well
Part of our vision is to create a setting that also inspires young or young at heart student musicians to pursue their interest in Jazz, so the BackYard Jazz series will also feature opening sets performed by outstanding college and high school musicians.
Inaugural Concert Celebrated National Jazz Appreciation Month
In celebration of National Jazz Appreciation Month, BackyardJazz.com, aka, Gerry and Elizabeth Sanders of Santa Rosa – click About for more info and pics – hosted its inaugural BackYard Jazz House Concert on Sunday afternoon, April 25th. Guests arrived at 2:30 to mingle and share BYO snacks and beverages. Over 80 guests and friends, and now many new friends, joined us for some great jazz and to share good company and wonderful refreshments! And no one managed to fall in the pool!
Headlining the concert was the Michael Aragon Quartet, of both San Rafael and Santa Rosa, featuring Michael on drums, Bob Johnson on sax, Pierre Archain on bass, and K.C. Filson on keyboards. Opening for them was a youth jazz band, the ironically named, Sebastopol-based, “Urban Professionals,” at 2:30 pm. Cosmic Comic Swami Beyondananda of WakeUpLaughing fame (or notoriety depending on who you ask) added a few minutes of his comic wisdom and wise comedy before the Aragon Quartet took the main stage from 3:30-5:30. See audience comments on the Aragon Concert Page.
So Join Us for Jazz: Subscribe, Volunteer, Be here….
If you are reading this announcement you are invited! But attendance is by reservation only; the suggested minimum donation for each concert is only $15. Guests are requested to bring a dish or beverage to share to help create an afternoon “potluck” for all, customary of the House Concert experience all over the country. All but cost of chair rental ($125-$150) of the donated proceeds will go to the artists, $100 to the youth band, the rest to our headliners. There are plenty of umbrellas and shady spots and guests are welcome to dip in the pool on hot days to stay cool.
Honor System: Donations should be in cash and will be collected as you enter the concert stage area. We operate on the Honor System, so if you are a no show and you reserved a seat that someone else might have used, we expect you to send a donation (check) that we can use to support that artist. 48 hours notice, however, works for us. Did I tell you we operate on the Honor System?
Volunteers: We need volunteers who, apart from donating to support the musicians, donate a small amount of time to assist with parking, setup/cleanup, etc.; they get access to the best parking spaces and reserved seats of their choice at the concert. Click Volunteer to offer help.
To receive concert announcements, join our “opt-in” mailing list by clicking Subscribe on the menu bar. BackYard Jazz hopes to have many musicians in attendance; those interested in performing should contact Gerry: jazz@backyardjazz.com. Questions? Same place, or click Contact. We look forward to meeting you for jazz in our backyard.