Soak up all the jazz at 3-day Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival for ninth year in Akron

It's that time of year again for one of Akron's main signature events, the Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival.

The ninth annual event will run Thursday through Saturday at nine downtown Akron venues, both indoor and out, featuring nearly 30 acts with musicians from near and far.

The festival will kick off with two performances at Blu Jazz+ Thursday: Sam Blakeslee Large Group from 8 to 9:15 p.m. and the Nick Paparone Jam Session from 9:30 to 11 p.m.

The large group, led by New York-based trombonist and University of Akron master's graduate Blakeslee, is a 17-piece contemporary jazz orchestra that features original compositions and arrangements. For the later jam session, musicians can show up with their instruments to join Northeast Ohio guitarist Paparone.

A diverse array of music will play over three days, culminating with headliner Aneesa Strings at 9 p.m. Saturday at the Knight Stage at the Akron Civic Theatre. Strings, a bassist, vocalist and composer from Oakland, Calif., started her career at age 13. Hometown jazz guitar master Dan Wilson will open the show at 7:30 p.m.

What's new at the Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival

The festival also will offer a series of panel discussions Saturday highlighting Akron's history as well as jazz education pertaining to artists of today.

"The thing that is really new for this year [is] our panelists discussions, which are going to be focused on tradition and history," said festival co-founder Theron Brown.

He'll moderate the discussion "Tuneful Traditions: Representing Akron's Forgotten Jazz & Blues History" with local journalist Roger Riddle, musician Victor Head and historian Rose Vance-Grom at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the High Street Stage, 10 N. High St.

Rochelle Riley will also present "Rustbelt Revitalization: The Importance of Municipal Support for Arts & Culture and the Creative Economy" at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Akron Art Museum. She's the director of arts, culture and entrepreneurship for the city of Detroit.

"You're really getting a lot that's geared toward Akron history stuff, and then how we relate to it on a broader scope, like bringing in Rochelle Riley" to speak about Rust Belt revitalization through arts and culture, Brown said.

Another festival discussion will be "Psychedelics in Music: Fueling Artist Imagination & Creativity" with psychologist William Washington and Kent State University music professor Janine Tiffe at 12:15 p.m. Saturday at the art museum.

Other discussions will provide tips for rising artists and give insight to what touring life is like.

"Tour Life Journeys: Preparing for Opportunities in Traveling Live Entertainment" will be at 1:15 p.m. Saturday at the museum with locally based musicians Khirye Tyler, Walter Barnes Jr. and Al Parker III. Tyler, based in North Canton, was one of the producers for Beyonce's latest Cowboy Carter album. Barnes has been a bassist for Babyface and Toni Braxton, and Parker produces music with artists including Khalid. Akron hip-hop musician Torres will moderate.

Finally, "Giant Steps: Navigating the Challenges of the Jazz Scene as a Rising Artist" will be at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the High Street Stage, where accomplished artists Wilson, Akron saxophonist Chris Coles and trumpeter/Warren native Sean Jones will speak. Coles co-directs the UA jazz program, and Jones, based in Baltimore, is the new 2024-'25 visiting artist in residence for UA's jazz program.

All festival acts, discussions and events are free with the exception of the performance by Strings and Wilson, which costs $35. See ticketmaster.com for reservations.

Schedule of events

Here's the rest of the performance schedule for the festival.

Friday performances, movie :

● Saxophonist Chris Coles' "Love Demon" suite, 5 to 5:55 p.m., Akron Main Library Auditorium, 82 S. High St.

● Brooklyn-born saxophonist and composer Ronell Regis' "Grenada to the World" suite, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Akron Art Museum Garden, 1 S. High St.

● Bobby Selvaggio Quintet featuring Sean Jones, 6:15 to 7:30 p.m., Akron Main Library Auditorium. Cleveland-based Selvaggio is a renowned alto saxophonist. Jones is an internationally recognized trumpeter.

● Barbara Rosene Quintet, 8 to 9 p.m., Blu Jazz+, 47 E. Market St. Rosene is a veteran jazz vocalist.

● Movie " Sun Ra's Space is the Place," 8:30 to 10 p.m., Akron Art Museum Garden. Co-presented by The Nightlight.

● Abstract Sounds, 9:30 to 10:45 p.m., Blu Jazz+. Six-piece Cleveland band combines jazz, soul, drum and bass and funk.

Saturday performances:

● Dan Bruce's Ohm!, 11 to 11:45 a.m., Mustill Store Stage, 208 N. Howard St. Trio blends original improvised music with unique arrangements of rock and pop tunes.

● Open Tone Music Youth Ensemble, 12:15 to 1 p.m., Mustill Store Stage.

● Sunny Tabler and the Trapper Keepers, 1:30 to 2:15 p.m., Mustill Store Stage. Led by Cleveland native and drummer Tabler.

● JJ Johnson Centennial Celebration, 3 to 3:45 p.m., High Street Stage. Musicians Chris Anderson, Zach Warren, Phillip K Jones II, Zaire Darden and Jordan McBride will celebrate the centennial of the American jazz trombonist.

● Jazz Heritage Lil Orchestra, 4:15 to 5 p.m., High Street Stage. This ensemble led by Dennis Bradley Reynolds is dedicated to preserving the African American jazz legacy.

● The Michael Weber Show, 5:30 to 6:15 pm., High Street Stage. Guitar phenom is the front man for this explosive rock band.

● Open Tone Music Youth Ensemble, 5:45 to 6:30 p.m., Musica, 51 E. Market St.

● Lukas Kadish, 6:30 to 7:15 p.m, The Circle of 5ths, 47 E. Market St. Solo set by New York-based jazz guitar sensation.

● Alex Hamburger, 6:45 to 7:30 p.m., High Street Stage. Hamburger is a flutist, vocalist and composer from Washington, D.C.

● Corey Dennison, 7 to 7:45 p.m., Musica. Dennison is a guitar prodigy from Chattanooga, Tennessee.

● Jennifer James, 7:30 to 8:15 p.m., Circle of 5ths. This rising star pianist is a 2021 UA graduate with a bachelor of music in jazz studies.

● Da Land Brass Band, 8 to 9 p.m., High Street Stage. This traditional New Orleans street band is infused with a modern, high-energy funk sound.

● Aaron Smith & RDAA , 8 to 9:30 p.m., Jilly's Music Room, 111 N Main St. Jazz, fusion and soul music.

● The Smokeface Band, 8:15 to 9 p.m., Musica. Bassist SmokeFace leads this hip-hop jazz band.

● The Stix Trio, 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., Circle of 5ths. Nehemiah Baker's integrates neo soul, funk and R&B elements.

● Community Shoe, 9 to 10 p.m., Baxter's Speakeasy, 22 N. High St. Cutting-edge performance ensemble combines virtuosic musical composition, improvisation and captivating animated visuals.

● Nathan-Paul & The Admirables, 9:30 to 11 p.m., Musica. Northeast Ohio band features bold horns and a hypnotic rhythm section.

● DJ Foxytrott, 11:30 pm to 1:30 a.m., Baxter' Speakeasy.

● JT's Electrik Blackout , 10:15 to 11:15 p.m., Baxter's Speakeasy. Justin Tibbs' band fuses jazz, fusion, R&B and rock.

● Hubb's Groove, 10 to 11:30 p.m., Jilly's Music Room. Blends jazz, soul, gospel, classical and R&B.

For an interactive map of music and event venues, see rubbercityjazz.org/#Festival-Map .

Arts and restaurant writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Soak up all the jazz at 3-day Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival for ninth year in Akron