By TOM CARR
SUTTONS BAY -- The 16th Annual Suttons Bay JazzFest will include something new this year: A dance floor.
The event is scheduled for July 26 at Suttons Bay Marina Park and will feature the Chris Copeland Big Band with Harry Goldson and Claudia Schmidt playing selections from the golden era of swing.
"We've had so many requests for a dance floor," said Piper Goldson, event co-founder. "We thought this just might be the year to try something different."
The daylong event will feature five acts beginning at 1 p.m. under a large tent and will include gourmet food and award-winning Leelanau Peninsula wines.
The showcase of different jazz styles will culminate in Copeland's band at 7 p.m. playing favorites from Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and others.
Copeland called clarinetist/reed player Goldson "our direct link to the swing band era" because he has performed and recorded with several of that era's band leaders, including Claude Thornhill, Chuck Foster and Teddy Phillips; and gigged with Harry James and others when they needed a reed player while visiting Chicago.
Vocalist Schmidt is well-known in northern Michigan and tours the Midwest and elsewhere extensively. She has appeared on public radio's "A Prairie Home Companion," among other well-known shows and venues.
In addition to providing a day of music, the festival has focused for years on providing scholarships to promising young musicians. Pianist Sam Faught, who won an award from the festival in 2004, is returning this year with his band.
The schedule for the July 26 Suttons Bay JazzFest includes:
-- Big Noise Jazz, 1 p.m., featuring Faught, along with guitarist Matt Riley, bassist Leland Southwell and percussionist Andy Wheelock, who received the John Philip Sousa award in 2006.
-- The Cooper, Hay, Van Lente Group, 2:15 p.m., playing jazz standards and original compositions. Jim Cooper, with 30 years' experience, plays piano and vibes and leads the group. He is joined by pianist/bassist Dave Hay and drummer Mike Van Lente, who has performed with Clark Terry, among others.
-- The Betty Joplin Quartet, 3:45 p.m. Grammy-nominated singer Joplin has appeared at the New Orleans Heritage, Montreux Detroit and other jazz festivals. She has toured with the Duke Ellington Orchestra under the direction of the Duke's son, the late Mercer Ellington, and has recorded with the late Arthur Prysock.
-- The Tad Weed Trio, 5:15 p.m., led by pianist Tad Weed, who divides his time between Los Angeles and the Midwest. Weed has performed with Carmen McRae and Woody Herman, among others. The group plays a varied mixture ranging from Scott Joplin to Herbie Hancock.
-- The Chris Copeland Big Band featuring Harry Goldson and Claudia Schmidt, 7 p.m.
Festival tickets are $20 in advance and $30 at the gate. They are available at several locations, including the Traverse City Visitors Center, Tamarack Gallery, Cottage Books or by calling 231-271-4444.
