The annual musical event reaches a milestone

Louisiana is the birthplace of jazz, so where better to celebrate such an American musical genre than in the state that created it? The Highland Jazz and Blues Festival, presented by BOM Bank, will celebrate a milestone event on Saturday, Sept. 14, at Columbia Park in Shreveport’s historic Highland neighborhood, when it will hold its 20th anniversary edition.

According to executive director and festival coordinator Emerie Eck Holtzclaw, the free public event started as a grassroots festival in Columbia Park. “It was just a way to get the neighborhood and the community together and honor the tradition and genres of jazz and blues music that have such a rich history and culture not only in our community but in our state,” she said. Today, upwards of 8,000 to 10,000 people attend the festival, and similar-sized crowds are expected at this year’s event.

This year, 12 acts will perform on two stages. “We always kick off the festival with Buddy Flett. He’s played all but one of our festivals, and we will continue to have him as long as he’ll come,” Holtzclaw said.

Different groups will perform throughout the day. “On the Gazebo Stage, we’re going to start off with the Creswell Elementary Blazin’ Beatz. It’s their bucket drum team, and they’ve played the past two years. The school across the street is providing up to 30 students that get to play on a main stage of a festival and show everyone their talent. And that’s really a fun way to let the community know what the kids of the area are doing. And so we give them that platform to showcase what they’re doing over at the school,” she said.

Lady Chops, the Northeast Louisiana Arts Council 2024 Performing Artist of the Year and former off-Broadway member of “Stomp,” will also perform at the festival. “She does interactive percussion activities with kids and adults,” Holtzclaw said.

“Then we have up to 50 to 75 Bossier Parish Talented Arts Program students playing for an hour, from individuals to groups,” she said. “We’re really trying to incorporate more of a student showcase of talent, especially since they are honoring the genres of jazz and blues music.”

The Main Stage will feature Major Handy and the Louisiana Blues Band from Lafayette. “We’ve not seen him play at our festival yet, but we are super-excited about what he’s bringing to the table,” she said. Other musical acts at the festival include Betty Lewis and the Executives, the Shreveport Bone Society, Pocket Chocolate, the LukeJazz Quartet, JaCarri Jackson and the Jazz Band, Dustin Dale Gaspard and D.K. Harrell.

Holtzclaw said Harrell is a young, emerging blues artist who placed third in the international B.B. King Blues Challenge and played with one of King’s “Lucille” guitars. “And he’s from Ruston, and he’s traveling all over the world opening for many well-known artists, and one of his missions is to make sure that everybody has the blues.”

But the Highland Jazz and Blues Festival is much more than just music. About 50 vendors will offer everything “from baked goods to arts and crafts to food vendors, so there won’t be a lack of food,” including tacos, stir-fry bowls, barbecue, seafood and more. You definitely won’t go away hungry with all of the culinary offerings for sale.

Several nonprofit organizations also participate in the festival, operating booths showcasing various community services or providing hands-on activities in the children’s area. And, of course, the park also has playground equipment for the youngsters.

The festival is a family- and pet-friendly event. The Pet Park area is where pets can obtain water or “wares for our pet-loving friends.”

“We have an official merchandise stand next to the main stage,” Holtzclaw said. “We have buttons, stickers, koozies, keychains, sunglasses, hats and T-shirts, and the official poster.” All proceeds from the festival merchandise and beverage sales go to paying for the musical acts and equipment needed to mount the festival and bring the free festival back next year. “For the range of talent that we have, we’re not charging the coverage. It’s free for the public to attend, and we want them to attend,” she said.

If you’re worried about fighting for a parking space, fret not. The festival has that concern covered with a free, continuous shuttle service traveling from Mall St. Vincent to Columbia Park all day from 10 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. or until the last person leaves.

Twenty years of entertaining visitors to Columbia Park is quite a feat, one that has grown in both size and scope. According to Holtzclaw, the first jazz festival was a rather small version of what was wanted, attracting fewer than 1,000 people. It has since evolved into a festival that brings people together and provides them with access to the arts, and it continues to do so to this day.

“I like the direction (the festival) is going,” she said. “I think that this year, we have really incorporated emergent student musicians and emergent student artists. For the first time ever, we had a poster contest for juniors and seniors in high school.” This year’s official poster was designed by Kyleigh McVay, a Parkway High School senior, earning her a $500 scholarship.

“It’s just a fun day,” she said. “It’s a great way to provide access to the arts, whether that be music or hands-on art activities, vendors or even culinary arts, the food,” she said.

Holtzclaw said that she or a board member will sometimes get stopped by someone who says they’ve lived in the neighborhood their whole life and had never been to the jazz festival. But once they attend, they’re mad they hadn’t come before.

“And that’s what we want,” she said. “We want people to walk away going, “I’m never missing this again!”