SMF is one of the region’s leading arts presenters, producing an internationally acclaimed cross-genre music festival, education programs for local schoolchildren and budding musicians in jazz and acoustic music, a weekly public radio series and off-season concert events.
Schedule of Events:
12:30 pm - 1:45 pm: Faircloth Jazz Series - Noon30: Stephane Wrembel Quartet
Widely considered one of the masters of the Django Reinhardt style, French guitarist Stephane Wrembel’s music has expanded to incorporate jazz, blues, classical, swing, flamenco and rock ‘n’ roll. He immersed himself in Django’s native Sinti culture (a Western European Roma group), learning from Sinti guitarists Angelo Debarre and Serge Krief. Wrembel then pursued studies at Berklee College of Music and has since been in New York City, becoming a renowned artist, bandleader, composer and producer.
Location: Metal Building at Trustees' Garden 660 East Broughton Street, Savannah, GA 31401.
Cost: $32.00 Buy Tickets
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm: Encounters Artist Talks - Doc at 100
Celebrating the recent centenary of Doc Watson’s birth in Deep Gap, North Carolina, this free program begins with a talk led by host and author Ted Olson. Olson’s talk is followed by stories and performances shared by artists Jack Lawrence, Wayne Henderson and Jack Hinshelwood, who knew Doc as a friend and fellow performer. This event will be followed up by the group’s evening performance at the Metal Building.
Location: Savannah Cultural Arts Center 201 Montgomery Street, Savannah, GA 31401.
Cost: Free
5:30 pm - 7:40 pm: Crescent City Funk: Dumpstaphunk / Cha Wa
Dumpstaphunk is simply one of the funkiest bands out of the Crescent City. Born on the Jazz & Heritage Festival stage, and composed of Neville and Meters family bloodlines, the group ignites deep, gritty grooves that keep audiences on their feet. Alongside Tony Hall, Nick Daniels, Alex Wasily, John Michael Bradford and Deven Trusclair, cousins Ivan and Ian Neville have built upon their family’s iconic New Orleans legacy as they‚Äôve transformed Dumpstaphunk into the city’s pre-eminent 21st-century funk-fusion ensemble.
New Orleans brass band-meets-Mardi Gras Indian outfit Cha Wa radiates the energy of the city’s street culture. Their joyous music distills generations of New Orleans expression, and their name comes from a traditional Mardi Gras Indian shout. The ensemble is a new chapter in that tradition that celebrates African and Native American heritage, expanding it by incorporating second line brass, hip-hop and sweet soul music. PopMatters describes Cha Wa as “a grand gumbo of singing, intoxicating rhythms, and deep funk grooves that are impossible to resist.”
Location: North Garden Assembly Room at Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum 41 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Savannah, GA 31401.
Cost: $42
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6:00 pm - 7:30 pm: Escher String Quartet feat. Philip Dukes
Escher String Quartet has received acclaim for its profound musical insight and rare tonal beauty. Violinists Adam Barnett-Hart and Brendan Speltz have been residents in the Philip Dukes & Friends series for the past two seasons. For this season of SMF, the full quartet returns for their first featured appearance since 2021, welcoming Dukes to the stage.
Program:
HAYDN
String Quartet in D Major, Op. 64, No. 5 “Lark”
JANÁ EK
String Quartet No. 2 “Intimate Letters”
BRAHMS
String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Opus 111
Personnel:
Escher String Quartet:
Adam Barnett-Hart, violin
Brendan Speltz, violin
Pierre Lapointe, viola
Brook Speltz, cello
Philip Dukes, viola (for Brahms Quintet)
Location: Trinity United Methodist Church 127 Barnard Street, Savannah, GA 31401.
Cost: $57.00
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8:00 pm - 10:30 pm: Doc and Earl: Doc at 100 / Tony Trischka’s EarlJam
Doc Watson and Earl Scruggs both had transformative impacts on bluegrass and American acoustic music. Celebrating their 100th birth years, this co-bill spotlights each of their musical legacies through stories, tunes and songs.
Doc at 100 pulls together friends and former musical collaborators of Arthel “Doc” Watson, also featuring commentary from Ted Olson, author of “Doc’s World: Traditional Plus.” This set includes solo and ensemble performances of Doc’s music by Jack Lawrence, Wayne Henderson and Jack Hinshelwood, all renowned musicians, scholars and artists in what Doc referred to simply as “mountain music.”
Tony Trischka is considered one of the most influential living banjo players. Trischka’s EarlJam honors Scruggs, the pioneer of a unique three-finger banjo style and one of the most important figures in bluegrass. “The depth of Earl’s genius becomes ever more apparent when I transcribe his solos, which I’ve been doing my entire life and with renewed vigor. Discovering new twists and turns in his playing is pure joy and in fact the inspiration for this show,” remarks Trischka. He is joined by Michael Daves on guitar and vocals and Jared Engel on bass.
Location: Metal Building at Trustees' Garden 660 East Broughton Street, Savannah, GA 31401.
Cost: $42.00
Buy Tickets
9:00 pm - 11:10 pm: Crescent City Funk: Dumpstaphunk / Cha Wa
Dumpstaphunk is simply one of the funkiest bands out of the Crescent City. Born on the Jazz & Heritage Festival stage, and composed of Neville and Meters family bloodlines, the group ignites deep, gritty grooves that keep audiences on their feet. Alongside Tony Hall, Nick Daniels, Alex Wasily, John Michael Bradford and Deven Trusclair, cousins Ivan and Ian Neville have built upon their family’s iconic New Orleans legacy as they’ve transformed Dumpstaphunk into the city’s pre-eminent 21st-century funk-fusion ensemble.
New Orleans brass band-meets-Mardi Gras Indian outfit Cha Wa radiates the energy of the city’s street culture. Their joyous music distills generations of New Orleans expression, and their name comes from a traditional Mardi Gras Indian shout. The ensemble is a new chapter in that tradition that celebrates African and Native American heritage, expanding it by incorporating second line brass, hip-hop and sweet soul music. PopMatters describes Cha Wa as “a grand gumbo of singing, intoxicating rhythms, and deep funk grooves that are impossible to resist.”
Location: North Garden Assembly Room at Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum 41 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Savannah, GA 31401.
Cost: $42
Buy Tickets
