Knox-Rootabaga Jazz Festival 2015

The 2015 Knox-Rootabaga Jazz Festival, April 1 and 9-11, features the Anat Cohen Quartet, Lowdown Brass Band, Daniel Leahy Group, Knox Faculty and Friends Combo, Knox Alumni Big Band, and the Knox Jazz Ensemble. Founded 35 years ago, the festival has brought many of the nation's top jazz artists to perform in Galesburg.

"Clarinetist Anat Cohen, this year's headliner, is renowned for both her expressive virtuosity and her engaging stage presence," said the festival's musical director, Nikki Malley, assistant professor of music and director of the Jazz Program at Knox College.

"Our Friday night feature, the Lowdown Brass Band, is a horn-driven tour de force from Chicago, while the Faculty and Friends Combo on Thursday showcases the talented jazz musicians that we have in our area and teaching at Knox.

"We're also pleased to expand the festival this year, thanks to a Challenge America Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, which is supporting an educational outreach to the community by the Daniel Leahy Group," Malley said. "These jazz all-stars from our area will give a free, public concert at Knox along with a seven-stop Jazz in the Schools Tour for grade school students in the area."

Tickets are available at the door at each event or in advance through the Knox College website. Also available through the Knox College website in advance are Festival Passes for $30 per person, which cover admission to all events.

Schedule of Events for the 2015 Knox-Rootabaga Jazz Festival:

April 1, 7 p.m., Kresge Hall, Knox College
Supported by a Challenge America grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Daniel Leahy Group will give a free, public concert at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 1 in Kresge Hall on the Knox College campus. The group also will perform Jazz in Schools concerts at seven grade schools in Galesburg and Knoxville.

April 9, 8 p.m., The Burg's Bar and Grill, Galesburg
The Knox Faculty and Friends Combo performs from 8 p.m. to midnight, Thursday, April 9, at The Burg's Bar and Grill (formerly McGillacuddy's), 58 S. Cherry St., Galesburg. Tickets are $7 at the door.

April 10, 8 p.m., The Burg's Bar and Grill, Galesburg
The Knox Alumni Big Band performs from 8 to 9 p.m., followed by the Lowdown Brass Band from 9:30 p.m. to midnight, Friday, April 10, at The Burg's Bar and Grill, 58 S. Cherry St. Tickets are $10 at the door.

April 11, 10:30 a.m., Galesburg Public Library
An interactive performance and discussion, "Rootabaga Kids," will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, April 11 in the Galesburg Public Library, 40 E. Simmons St. Members of the Lowdown Brass Band will give an inside look at how they compose and perform their unique style that combines jazz, funk, hip-hop, reggae and pop. Free admission.

April 11, 5 p.m., Orpheum Theatre, Galesburg
The Knox Jazz Ensemble, directed by Nikki Malley, assistant professor of music at Knox College, opens for the Anat Cohen Quartet, starting at 5 p.m., Saturday, April 11, in the Orpheum Theatre, 57 S. Kellogg St., Galesburg. Admission is free to the main floor and balcony. A limited number of tickets for mezzanine seating are available in advance through the Knox College website.

Top of page, Anat Cohen; Above, The Lowdown Brass Band, Knox Jazz Ensemble, Faculty & Friends Combo

About the Performers:

Anat Cohen Quartet
Born in Tel-Aviv, Israel, clarinetist and saxophonist Anat Cohen has been voted Clarinetist of the Year six years in a row by the Jazz Journalists Association as well as Multi-Reeds Player of the Year for 2012, and has won the Downbeat Magazine Reader's Poll for best jazz clarinet for the past four years. She and her group have headlined around the world, and performed at the Newport, Umbria, SF Jazz and North Sea jazz festivals. Her most recent album as a bandleader is "Claroscuro" on Anzic Records.

Daniel Leahy Group
Led by pianist, composer and arranger Daniel Leahy, the group features David Hoffman, trumpet; David Graf, trombone; Andy Crawford, bass; and Manuel Lopez III, drums.

Knox Faculty and Friends Combo
Outstanding jazz musicians who teach at Knox and other schools in the area. Members include Kevin Malley, saxophone; David Hoffman, trumpet/piano; Todd Kelly and Edgar Crockett, trumpet; Kevin Hart, piano/vibes; Nikki Malley, vibes; Justin Haynes, guitar; Andy Crawford, bass; Jason Brannon and Manuel Lopez III, drums.

Lowdown Brass Band
Lowdown Brass Band is a Chicago-based ensemble that performs original compositions combining New Orleans, brass band, jazz, funk, hip-hop, reggae and pop. Members are Shane Jonas and Sam Johnson, trumpets; David Levine, baritone saxophone; Raphael Crawford and Andrew Zelm, trombones; John Barbush and Mikey August, percussion; Chris Neal, tenor saxophone; Lance Loiselle, sousaphone.

Knox Alumni Big Band
Some two-dozen musicians, representing over 20 years of Knox jazz alumni, rehearse in the afternoon before their evening concert at the festival. Many of the members played together as students or at prior Knox-Rootabaga festivals. The group is conducted by Justin Haynes, a 2004 Knox graduate, adjunct music faculty at Knox and director of the band program at Lewistown High School.

Knox Jazz Ensemble
Directed by Nikki Malley, the Knox Jazz Ensemble is a 19-member band that performs four concerts a year in Galesburg and travels regularly to national collegiate festivals, most recently at the Notre Dame Jazz Festival, Elmhurst Jazz Festival, and University of Louisville Jazz Festival. The band has also toured Spain five times. Ensemble members are:

Saxophone
Stephanie Hawes, Cedar Park, Texas
Sam Waldner, Los Angeles, California
Crystal Singletary, Cary, Illinois
Nathan Chadderdon, East Galesburg, Illinois
Coltan Parker, Oswego, Illinois

Trombone
Mike Supej, Oswego, Illinois
Jack Harman, Burbank, California
Dy'Anna Augustus, Chicago, Illinois
Will Dowling, Middleton, Wisconsin

Trumpet
Linda Sanabria, Salinas, California
Kailee Gawlik, Manhattan, Illinois
Raeann Boero, Mahomet, Illinois
Matt Timmerberg, Naperville, Illinois

Rhythm
Kyle Kunkler, piano, Downers Grove, Illinois
Till Schulz, guitar, Flensburg, Germany
Katie Hutton, bass, Macon, Missouri
Brian Tanaka, drums, Bloomington, Illinois
Lily Gaetgaeow, percussion, Nonthaburi, Thailand
Paula Castanos, vocals, Gurnee, Illinois