Lady Chops will be one of the performers at the festival.

Music to fill the air in Highland again

The sultry sounds of jazz music will once again waft in the air of the historic Highland district when the 21st Highland Jazz and Blues Festival returns to Columbia Park on Saturday, Sept. 13, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The free festival features local and regional jazz and blues artists, as well as up-and-coming entertainers performing on three stages, along with great food, local arts and crafts, and cool souvenirs.

The festival attracts thousands of people each year to Columbia Park. To help folks get to the festival, a free ADA-compliant shuttle service provided by BOM Bank will transport festival goers to and from the park from the north corner of Mall St. Vincent near Dillard’s throughout the day.

Visitors will enjoy 16 performances from a variety of entertainers. “Some are bands, some are individuals, some are students. I think it’s a good regional mix. We have some people from northeast Louisiana, Ruston, the Monroe-West Monroe area,” Holtzclaw said.

Over 70 vendors will be on hand selling food, arts and crafts, and posters, along with area organizations sharing information about services they offer the community.

As in years past, fan-favorite musician Buddy Flett will open the festival. Flett has played at the festival every year but one, and this year is no exception. “We love Buddy, and everybody else does, too,” said Emerie Holtzclaw, executive director and festival coordinator.

The headliner for this year’s festival will be Kenny Neal and His Big 7-Piece Band from Baton Rouge.

“We added a stage this year for the student showcases. We’re super-excited to introduce the third stage. It’s so important to foster the creativity of emerging performers and students. And that’s why we call it the Inspiration Stage.”

Performers also include a percussionist called Lady Chops. “She played last year and was very engaging and fun, and we wanted to bring her back,” said Holtzclaw. Students from Creswell Elementary School and the Magnolia School of Excellence Middle School Band will also take the stage.

“We’re excited about that. It’s very important for our organization to foster the creativity of up-and-coming musicians so that we have performers for years to come.”

The jazz festival also includes a children’s area sponsored by Ochsner-LSU Health, which provides hands-on arts activities for the young folk, and the Inspiration Stage, assisted by such organizations as Bossier Arts Center, the Renzi Center, the Girl Scouts and Shreve Memorial Library.

Four-footed visitors are also welcome to the festival, which has a pet area sponsored by Heavenly Acres for Pets. “It will have pet-friendly vendors and water for your pets.”

Each year, the festival holds a poster contest for area high school juniors and seniors. This year’s winning artist is DaMetrius Haggerty, a CCTC media arts and advertising design senior at Northwood High School. The poster design concept originated from a historical jazz nightclub setting that includes various blue tones and a spotlight highlighting the jazz musicians. The poster will be available for sale at the festival, along with new souvenirs, including bucket hats, bandanas and lapel pins. Proceeds from souvenir and vendor sales go back to funding future festivals.

The Highland Jazz and Blues Festival began as a grassroots event in Columbia Park to bring the neighborhood and the community together, honoring the rich history and culture of jazz and blues music in Louisiana. Over the years, it has grown from a single stage to three and from attracting just a few hundred people to crowds of over 7,000 people. “It’s become one of this community’s favorite events,” Holtzclaw said. “It’s got a wonderful vibe where people just come and have a good time in a safe environment with great music.”

How does the board of directors keep the festival fresh from year to year? Holtzclaw said, “The music. I think the most important thing we do is honor the jazz and blues musicians and make sure we’re being who we are, but also bringing in new and fresh musicians year-round.”

She said she and the board of directors “scope out music all year round at different festivals to see who’s the up-and-coming new artist or who are the big names that we haven’t had yet.”

PAVILION STAGE BY AMBETTER HEALTH

Buddy Flett 10 AM Doug Duffy and BADD 11:30 AM

Josh Madden and his Blues 1 PM Brothers Tribute Band Curtis Mills Collective 2:30 PM Kenny Neal and His 4:30 PM

Big 7-Piece Band

MILLER LITE STAGE AT THE GAZEBO

Everett Street Jazz Daniel Scott Quintet

Stilettos Floyd Grigsby & the 5GK Band Shreveport Bone Society

INSPIRATION STAGE BY OCHSNER LSU HEALTH SHREVEPORT

Caddo Parish Schools Talented Arts Program

Lady Chops Benton High School Band

Magnolia School of Excellence Middle School

Anchor of Sound Marching Band

10:30 AM 12 PM

1:30 PM 3 PM

4:30 PM

North DeSoto Middle School 10:45 AM Jazz Band

Bossier Parish Schools Talented 12:45 PM

Arts Program 1:15 PM

2:45 PM 4:15 PM 5:30 PM