2004 Schedule

SCHEDULES ARE TENTATIVE - EXPECT CHANGES

The event will be held in Macomb, Illinois' Chandler Park, on September 18, 2004, and is named for Macomb native Albert Omega Sears, a renowned tenor saxophone player with the Johnny Hodges, Harry James and Duke Ellington big bands.

This year’s festival features a wide variety of local, regional and nationally-recognized jazz and gospel artists. Special guest stars include jazz vocalist Janet Planet with pianist John Harmon, the Reggie Thomas Trio, Sally Weisenburg & The Famous Sidemen, and trombonist Hank Bredenberg performing with the Muskat Ramblers.

Performances begin at 1:15p.m. at the band shell in Chandler Park. Admission to all performances is free. The Al Sears Jazz Festival is being held concurrently with the Gazebo Art Festival. Food and beverages will be available.

1:15 pm	Bethany Worrell and Stuart Mindeman
	Macomb vocalist and jazz pianist. These award-winning young performers show a high degree of jazz maturity with a rich repertoire of standards.
2:00 pm	The Maple City Dixieland Band
	The mid-sized ensemble brings a wide variety of rousing New Orleans Dixieland favorites.
3:00 pm	The WIU Heritage Choir
	Jazz joins gospel when the Western Illinois University (WIU) Heritage Choir takes the stage, under the direction of Alphonso Simpson.
4:00 pm	The WIU Hopper Jazz Sextet
	These six WIU faculty members include John Cooper, trumpet; John Vana, saxophone; John Mindeman, trombone; Karl Seigfried, bass; Stephen Anderson, piano; and Kevin Nichols, drums. The group is named after former WIU jazz leader Dale Hopper.
5:00 pm	The Muskat Ramblers with Hand Bredenberg, Trombone
	Bredenberg has been featured with the Billy May Orchestra, Don Goldie’s Jazz Express and the Harvey Nevins big band. The Muskat Ramblers is a famous group of professionals with roots in the WIU music department.
6:00 pm	The WIU Jazz Studio Orchestra
	The famous Western Illinois University (WIU) Jazz Studio Orchestra swings hard with big band sounds.
7:05 pm	Janet Planet and John Harmon
	Special guest vocalist Janet Planet joins pianist John Harmon for an hour of tunes with a theatrical flair. Their work has been called a “showcase of vocal precision” and their most recent duo CD has gained enthusiastic praise from jazz reviewers. In addition, Janet Planet will host a vocal jazz workshop at the College of Fine Arts and Communication (COFAC) Recital Hall on the WIU campus at 2p.m.
8:15 pm	The Reggie Thomas Trio with vocalist Mardra Thomas
	Reggie takes to the keyboard and his wife Mardra hits the satiny vocals with selections from their recent CD “Fade to Blue.” Reggie graduated from WIU and has been featured with the Birch Creek Academy Big Band, Clark Terry and the Jim Widner Big Band.
9:30 pm	Sally Weisenburg & The Famous Sidemen
	Sally Weisenburg & The Famous Sidemen end the evening with toe tapping jazz and blues. She has been featured on National Public Radio’s Beale Street Caravan, and at the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival in Davenport.