Jazz Fest Kicks Off Friday with Carmen Bradford

The Iowa City Jazz Festival starts Friday, and this year’s lineup promises a variety of main-stage acts that hail from across Iowa and the U.S.

The festival takes place along Clinton Street and Iowa Avenue, and the live music begins Friday at 2:30 p.m. with a performance by the University of Iowa Jazz Band Camp Combos on the Weatherdance Fountain Stage, outside of the Sheraton Hotel. Food vendors and the John’s JazzFest Biergarden will open for business at 3 p.m. Friday, and the FUN Zone – a site with games and crafts for kids – opens at 4 p.m.

Main-stage acts will perform on the stage in front of the Old Capitol on the University of Iowa Pentacrest. Two other spaces – the Youth Stage on Iowa Avenue and the Local and College Stage on Clinton Street – will also feature performers on each day of the festival.

This weekend lineup includes a band or musician to suit every taste. Read more about the 2011 headliners, starting at 8 p.m. on the main stage every night:

Friday, July 1: Carmen Bradford with the Iowa Jazz Orchestra

• Carmen Bradford is a Texas-born vocalist who comes from a long lineage of musicians. She was discovered in the 1980s by Count Basie and toured for nine years as a featured vocalist with the Count Basie Orchestra. She has performed on three Grammy award-winning albums, and in 1992 Bradford released her first solo album. She will perform with the Iowa Jazz Orchestra, which is comprised of musicians from across the state.

Saturday, July 2: Josh Roseman Unit

• The Josh Roseman Unit has been described as a mix of progressive funk, electro and jazz. The band has toured across Europe and is led by trombonist and composer Josh Roseman of Boston — the Josh Roseman Unit is among his most notable projects. The band started as a studio project and since developed into a full touring ensemble.

Sunday, July 3: Randy Weston African Rhythms Trio

• Randy Weston’s trademark style is his union of both African and western musical traditions. He is a seasoned composter and pianist and a New York City native who left the U.S. in the 1960s to explore music across Africa. Weston has described music as “Mother Africa's way of surviving in the new world,” and critics have praised his unique sound and fusion of styles.

Other highlights on the main stage Saturday include the North Corridor Jazz All Stars — a new ensemble formed for the festival — at 2 p.m., Elsie Parker and The Poor People of Paris at 4 p.m. and Kneebody, a Grammy-nominated quintet, at 4 p.m.

On Sunday, afternoon acts on the main stage include Kevin Hart and the Vibe Tribe with David Hoffman at 2 p.m., John Ellis and Double-Wide at 4 p.m. and the Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet at 6 p.m.

After Randy Weston’s Sunday night performance, the city will set off Independence Day fireworks over the Old Capitol.

For more information about the 2011 jazz festival – a part of Iowa City’s Summer of the Arts – click here.