Boscov's Berks Jazz Festival - 2013

Berks Jazz Festival 2013

When:  April 5 through 14, 2013  Where:  Various venues in and around Reading, PA  Who:  Everyone and Anyone  Tickets:  Tickets for the festival are now on sale and can be purchased at the VF Outlet Box Office at the Sovereign Center in Reading, or via Ticketmaster.  Ticket Info.

Organizers  The Berks Arts Council

The Berks Jazz Fest, is a 10 day celebration of jazz, blues and pop music held in and around Reading, PA on April 5-14, 2013.  This year’s Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest, organized by the Berks Arts Council, will be the largest in the festival’s 23-year history, featuring more than 100 acts over the span of 10 days.  The Berks Fest will be kicking off with a special performance by vocalist and four-time Grammy winner Dianne Reeves and the Reading Symphony Orchestra celebrating its 100th anniversary. Highly anticipated performances include Incognito, Esperanza Spalding and Brian Culbertson, among numerous others.  For a full list of participants and show times and locations, click here.

It's a Wide Variety of Jazz

There is a ton of entertainment being offered in and around Reading.   This small town about 40 miles northwest of Philadelphia offers not only the yearly Berks Fest, but many other entertainment, dining, and career opportunities for residents.  For more information about this vibrant, growing community, click here: Reading Pennsylvania

John Ernesto, the general manager of the festival, always gathers a wide variety of jazz entertainers, says Dana Hoffman, the publicity coordinator for Berks Jazz Fest. “He always gets a good mix of artists from jazz,” she says. Hoffman says that Ernesto and other festival organizers aim to cater to a wide range of audiences. “Straight-ahead jazz is different than smooth jazz and they both have very dedicated audiences,” she says. But she adds that there are favorite acts that people look for every year and that are welcomed with open arms by audiences, like local artists Rick Braun and Gerald Veasley, for whom this will be the 15th and 16th Berks Jazz Fest, respectively. “It wouldn’t be a Berks Fest without them,” Hoffman says.

These favorite returning acts are balanced against new and up-and-coming artists. “Ernesto goes for an overall different, world music kind of feel with just a few concerts sprinkled here and there,” Hoffman says. This year’s most anticipated up-and-comers include Cyrille Aimée & the Surreal Band, who Hoffman says have “a gypsy-jazz kind of feel,” and the Eldar Djangirov Trio. “Eldar is an amazing pianist,” she says.

Insider Tips

Get a room!:  We usually stay at the Crowne Plaza in Reading.   Because many of the events happen right at the hotel at all different hours of the day, you have your room as your home base to recoup before heading out to another fabulous concert!

Bring Cash:  Even though you may have pre-paid tickets to the various events, there will always be vendors offering jazz clothing, jewelry, and souvenirs.  The various artists also have their new CD's available for purchase.

Plan on Great Food and Jazz:  We always have to make a stop at one of our favorite Reading restaurants, Judy's On Cherry.  Judy's, and many other area restaurants, also host jazz brunches and dinners during the Berks Fest.  A couple of other great restaurants are The Ugly Oyster and The Thai Cuisine.

Enjoy the Berks Jazz Fest!

Richard and Pam Graham