BELLEFONTE -Those in downtown Bellefonte on Saturday discovered it was full of jazz - jazz music that is. Jazz PA sponsored performances in Talleyrand Park and on the High Street stage during its Summer Jazz Celebration this past weekend.
Jazz bands from three Centre County high schools performed, as did local groups such as The Tarnished Six and Slide Zone, to name a few.
The highlight of the day was the instruction students, young and old alike, got from well-known talent Wycliffe Gordon, "trombonist extraordinaire," according to the Jazz PA website. Gordon flew in from New Orleans where he had been performing, to give a concert and help students and all jazz enthusiasts.
He gave advice to his audience members: "Try imitating someone you really like and several others, and before long you will have a style of your own."
He talked about a young man who picked him up from an airport one day who was looking for advice on how to improve his music. After listening to the young man and recognizing some of the jazz players he had been listening to and imitating, he said, "Have you ever listened to Louie Armstrong?"
According to Gordon, the young man answered, "He is old jazz."
Gordon went on to tell everyone, "There is nothing old about Louie Armstrong, everyone can recognize his sound. Learning history and listening to those who were known to be great can help you develop your own style. If you have many different styles you can play, it will get you more opportunities."
Gordon played his trombone with and without the plunger and urged those who play the trombone to practice with it.
One thought he left them with was, "The shortest line to success is a straight line to the practice room."
Despite the heat, many people came to listen to the outdoor music, and rather than sit in the hot sun where the chairs had been placed, they simply moved them off to the sides of the streets where there was shade.
The Friends Band played several selections, some written by local talent: one song by Daniel Yoder, in honor of his grandson, and one by Rick Hirsh called "Free Food" that is part of a suite he wrote on Talleyrand Park.
Bellefonte Mayor Stanley Goldman opened the day of jazz by welcoming JazzPA to the borough. Beforehand he spoke with Catherine Dupuis, who puts the jazz festival together, asking her how many years she had been doing this.
"We had three years in the Centre Region and this is our third year in Bellefonte, so six years," she replied, "and we love it here and hope to be here for a long time."
