A weekend of jazz set for the Cape Region Oct. 12-16

Summer is slowly beginning to turn to fall, which means a weekend of jazz music will soon wash over the Cape Region.

Denny Santangini, president of Delaware Celebration of Jazz, the nonprofit that puts on the annual Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival, said most of the shows are sold out and hotels are booked for this year’s festival, which begins Thursday, Oct. 13, at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center, and ends with the closing party Sunday, Oct. 16, at the Rusty Rudder in Dewey Beach.

Having moved on from COVID-related hassles over the past two years, Santangini said the festival continues to evolve, with this year’s primary change coming in the form of security, including metal detectors and security checks.

It’s for the safety of the attendees, said Santangini. It’s a sign of the times and everybody wants to feel safe, he said.

Bob Yesbek, Rehoboth Foodie and member of two local bands – 2nd Time Around and Hammond Hot Jazz Trio, has been named Producer of the Year for this year’s Jazz Fest.

Yesbek said he was caught totally by surprise when Santangini told him he was being given the honor this year.

“I pride myself on being in the know, but this was totally a surprise. It made me feel good,” said Yesbek, laughing. “It’s very exciting.”

He may be more well-known locally for his food news, but Yesbek spent three decades playing music in and around Washington, D.C., in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s. He was quick to recognize the importance of restaurants to the local music scene.

“Ninety-nine percent of all the music venues are restaurants,” he said.

Yesbek will be presented his award on opening night, and his jazz band is scheduled to play a number of times over the music-filled weekend. For a full Hammond Hot schedule, go to rehobothfoodie.com.

True Blue Jazz Festival celebrating 10th anniversary

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, True Blue Jazz Fest is also bringing jazz music to the masses the third weekend in October.

Peggy Raley and Eddie Sherman are the co-founders and producers of True Blue Jazz Festival.

The demand for real American jazz will not die, and the fan base wanting to see and hear it performed live keeps growing, said Sherman in an email Sept. 28.

“True Blue Jazz has made a remarkable 10-year journey and defied the odds to emerge as the preeminent real jazz festival in the coastal mid-Atlantic region,” said Sherman.

In celebration of the 10th anniversary festival, True Blue Jazz will present three nights of jazz at the Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Co. firehouse on Rehoboth Avenue – Thursday, Oct. 13 through Saturday, Oct. 15. Each night features shows at 8 and 9:45 p.m.

True Blue Jazz Festival begins with Youth Jazz Appreciation Night, held the evening before the professionals open. That show begins at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 12, at Bethany Blues in Lewes.

Raley said the driving force for the festival is the Youth Jazz Education Program. There will be multiple scholarships awarded, and three masterclass workshops will be held as part of the festival, she said.

For the sixth year, True Blue will feature its Smoking Hot Big Band Jazz Marathon from noon to 6 p.m., Oct. 15 at the Rehoboth firehouse on Rehoboth Avenue. All proceeds from the jazz marathon are donated to the fire company. The community commitment goes further in True Blue Jazz, said Sherman.

True Blue ends with a jazz brunch Oct. 16 at the Boardwalk Plaza in Rehoboth Beach that features Sherman and Raley. Doors open at 1 p.m.; show begins at 2 p.m.

For more information and a full schedule of Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival shows, go to rehobothjazz.com.

For more information and a full schedule of True Blue Jazz Festival performances, go to truebluejazz.org.