‘Healing through Music' festival planned for 9/11 anniversary

Goshen — The seventh annual Goshen Jazz Festival takes place on an anniversary most Americans will hold forever in their hearts, the day thousands of Americans died in acts of terrorism. “We didn’t arbitrarily pick this date,” said Ken Tschan, artistic director of the Goshen Public Library Theater Series. County Executive Ed Diana proclaimed the second Saturday of September Willie “The Lion” Smith Day. Smith (1893-1973) grew up on Green Street in Goshen and became master of the stride style of piano, where the left hand strides between lower bass notes and high-range chords. “We were thinking of changing the date when we realized it was going to land on the eleventh this year,” Tschan said. “But the more we talked about it, the more we thought, let’s do this.” It was decided that the event would go on in a “respectful and memorial manner.” Titled “Healing through Music,” the event begins at 11:30 on Saturday morning with a memorial service accompanied by a color guard. The artistic director of the event, Chris Sullivan, will play “God Bless America” on the bass. Village Trustee Mal Stewart, who served in the military and is a volunteer firefighter, will say a few words of remembrance. Ken Tschan will read a poem. Other members of the village board will be invited to speak. The festival will run from noon to 9 p.m. in five different venues at staggered times. Headliners from previous years will return to bring the culture of American jazz to the community. Most artists will play a piece dedicated to the memory of the September 11. ‘This is not show business’ Tschan took over the annual event from Vince Hammond, the festival’s “founding father.” Started in 2004 as a project of the Goshen Rotary Club, it’s the longest-running jazz festival in the county, he said. “My job at the library is to bring cultural events of significance to the Goshen community and the outlying areas,” said Tschan. Continued on next page Continued from previous page After the library took over the festival, organizers tried to add other features, such as an art show and car show. But they decided to scale back and focus on the music. The festival may grow in the future, he said, but — especially in this economy — it’s important not to “bite off more than we could chew.” “This is not show business,” he said. “This is a cultural project of the Goshen Public Library. Jazz is America’s music and has historical relevance as it fits into American culture.” Performers include the Joe Tranchina Duo. Tranchina is an established pianist, composer, arranger, and accompanist. In addition to his extensive experience as an accompanist for instrumentalists and vocalists, including his wife, Gabriele Tranchina, he has performed in most of the major jazz and club venues in New York City and the surrounding area, including Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola (Jazz at Lincoln Center), Birdland, the Oak Room, The Blue Note, the Iridium, The Zinc Bar, the 55 Bar, the Lenox Lounge, Shanghai Jazz and Trumpets. He has also performed in the concert venues of Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, and Jazz Mobile, among others, and has toured abroad in Germany, Switzerland, Greece, and Japan. Also appearing is the Gary Mazz Trio, the Michael Jackson Trio, the Elegant Swing Trio, and the Steve Raleigh Duo (please see schedule for more information). Whether you love jazz or have not yet exposed yourself to this truly American form of music, come out and be healed, soothed and moved by the talent and experience of a truly cultural event. For more information, call the library at 294-6606. Schedule Noon to 3 p.m. — The Joe Tranchina Duo at Howell’s Café, 27 West Main Street 1 to 4 p.m. — The Gary Mazz Trio at Big Dave’s Barbecue, 47 West Main Street 2 to 5 p.m. — The Michael Jackson Trio at Mullaney’s Pub, 148 West Main Street 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. — The Elegant Swing Trio at the New Street Tavern, 14 New Street 6 to 9 p.m. —The Steve Raleigh Duo at 170 West Main, 170 West Main Street