Hot Steamed Jazz Festival Successful

ESSEX - Despite a weekend filled with rain, the 14th Annual Hot Steamed Jazz Festival on June 23-25 was attended by many music lovers.

On a very wet Saturday afternoon, organizer Dick Moore said "the turnout was lower than usual because of the weather but we have a good audience and everyone is having a great time."

As of press time, President Joe Bombosi said he did not have a figure yet on how much money was made at the festival but said, "weather kept some people away but not so much it hurt us terribly."

An almost full tent of people attended the festival June 24 to listen to Vince Giordano's Nighthawks from New York, a group of ten people playing tuba, bass saxophone, string bass, violin, trumpet, trombone, piano, guitar, and drums.
The band specializes in playing music from the 1920's and 30's with songs like Duke Ellington's "Black Beauty", "Shake That Thing", and "Business in F".

At the other tent, the young musicians of Kevin Dorn's Traditional Jazz Collective had an energetic jam session swing with drums, trombone, vocals, piano, bass, clarinet, and alto and soprano saxophones.

Doris Heerlein from Simsbury, who has been coming to the festival for the past ten years, encouraged her two friends from Cape Cod to come with her this year.

Heerlein expressed her love for the musical talents of Vince Giordano's band and the talents of Dan Levinson.
Levinson played saxophone in Vince Giorano's Band, played clarinet and saxophone for Banu Gibson and Her New Orleans Hot Jazz Band, and is the leader the leader, c-melody saxophone, and clarinet for the Canary Cottage Dance Orchestra band from New York.

Banu Gibson is one of the few vocalists remaining loyal to the songs of the 20s, 30s and 40s while the Canary Cottage Dance Orchestra performs one-steps, two-steps, fox-trots, waltzes, and other dances popular at the dawn of jazz.

Maria Levy, from Bloomingdale, Indiana, said she loves the festival and has been coming for the past 10 years.
Levy said she enjoys the talents of Levinson and Jeff Barnhart and "every year there are new acts and well-known musicians and it supports a great cause."