Sounds of Jazz blows into Cape Coral
By GRAY ROHRER
grohrer@breezenewspapers.com
Blowing into town along with winds that reached 20 mph, the 20th Annual Sounds of Jazz festival delighted an audience of about 2,500 people at Jaycee Park Saturday evening.
Worries about whether the winds would drown out the sound for those at the far reaches of the park were quickly put to rest by Todd King, special events coordinator for Cape Coral.
“Oh yeah, they turned it up,” King said as the unmistakable mix of bass guitar, saxophone and drums emanated from the speakers on stage as if on cue.
Set against the backdrop of the Caloosahatchee River, with jazz enthusiasts bringing lawn chairs and blankets to lay on the green of Jaycee Park, an atmosphere of accessibility to the musicians was created.
“It’s an intimate setting. I mean, it’s beautiful,” said Deborah Krackhardt, director of marketing, promotions and events for two local radio stations – 95.3 OLZ and Smooth Jazz 100.1 – sponsoring the event.
For Cape Coral resident Tom Cerzan, a 10-year veteran of Sounds of Jazz, the accessibility of the musicians is part of what keeps him coming back year after year.
“It’s the music, I have a great time,” Cerzan said, adding that he exchanges e-mails with jazz giant Doug Cameron, a previous headliner of Sounds of Jazz.
Cerzan was not as familiar with Saturday’s headliner, former NBA player Wayman Tisdale, but still anticipated a good show.
“I’ve heard of (Tisdale). He’s a heavy hitter,” Cerzan said before the show.
Despite the gusts of wind, the music was the only thing that blew away the audience.