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-1The Duck Jazz Festival is a special and unique event in North Carolina and we were excited to perform as part of the festival in 2015 – coastal North Carolina is not known for its bustling music scene (Laura writing here, as a native of Beaufort, can attest to this firsthand), so that the coastal town of Duck, along with sponsors such as the North Carolina Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, puts their efforts into a well-curated, day-long jazz festival that is free and open to the public on a beautiful beach-side town commons is a feat, a wonder, and a blissful experience for those coastal natives who may not make it to larger metro areas very often to catch the latest in jazz performances.

This year the festival has expanded to include two days of music – the traditional day-long festival on Sunday and they have added a Saturday afternoon set on the town commons featuring the Mint Julep Jazz Band.  We hope you will join us for this free show from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. with a swing dance lesson between sets taught by Laura and Keenan.   Then, stay for Sunday’s concerts, with performances from Davina and the Vagabonds, the Marquis Hill Blacktet, the Rad Trads, the Robert Jospe Express Trio, the Second Marine Aircraft Wing Jazz Ensemble, and the First Flight High School Jazz Band.

To be asked back to perform at this festival is an honor and a joy – the jazz fans at this festival are gracious and responsive, the best audience an artist could ask for.  See you soon, Duck!

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The Duck Jazz Festival is one of the best experiences we have had as a band – this community cares about jazz and puts on a thoughtful and perfectly executed event that draws jazz fans and music lovers from the outer banks of North Carolina and beyond. Thanks so much to the Town of Duck for creating such a fantastic music festival and inviting us to be a part of it!

Thanks to Alexandrea Lassiter of Dtownperspective for taking almost all of these photos and documenting our trip!

The jam session on Saturday night of the festival.
The jam session on Saturday night of the festival at The Blue Point.
There are wild horses statues throughout Duck, in honor of the wild horses that roam the dunes on the outer banks.
There are wild horses statues throughout Duck, in honor of the wild horses that roam the dunes on the outer banks.
Duck Donuts across from our hotel!
Duck Donuts across from our hotel!
Setting up at the Duck Jazz Festival main stage.
Setting up at the Duck Jazz Festival main stage.
Performing Ducky Wucky at the Duck Jazz Festival!
Performing Ducky Wucky at the Duck Jazz Festival!
A full band shot.
A full band shot.
The crowded lawn at the Duck Jazz Festival.
The crowded lawn at the Duck Jazz Festival.
Signing autographs at the merch table after our performance.
Signing autographs at the merch table after our performance.
Our trumpeter Paul Rogers signs a Duck Jazz Festival poster, featuring the silhouette of Maceo Parker, the festival headliner.
Our trumpeter Paul Rogers signs a Duck Jazz Festival poster, featuring the silhouette of Maceo Parker, the festival headliner.
That's a wrap - love you, Duck!
That’s a wrap – love you, Duck!

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We had such a great time performing for the 8th annual Orlando Lindy Exchange, and we’re excited to see that Jamie Lynn Photography was able to capture the fun and energy of this event, including some great shots of the band in action. Check out her photographs at the Jamie Lynn Photography Facebook page – here are two of our favorites:

This is what it looks like after the jam circle breaks and everyone rushes the stage to cheer on the band. :D
This is what it looks like after the jam circle breaks and everyone rushes the stage to cheer on the band. 😀 At Bahia Shrine in Orlando, FL
Somewhere between Oscar Aleman and Luciano Pavarotti is the Mint Julep Jazz Band horn section vocals.
Somewhere between Oscar Aleman and Luciano Pavarotti is the Mint Julep Jazz Band horn section vocals. At the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL

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We’ll be joining the stellar lineup of musicians for the spring 2014 Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance, along with the Indigo Girls, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, the Del McCoury Band, and dozens of other great local, regional, and national acts. We’ll be performing Sunday, April 20 from 7:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. in the Dance Tent – they’ll have a wood floor in the tent so everyone can cut a rug and avoid the mud. 😉

For more information about the festival, the artists, the location, camping, tickets, schedule, and any questions you may have, visit Shakori Hills’ comprehensive website at http://shakorihillsgrassroots.org.

This is our first music festival, so we are really excited – see you there!

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Starting a new band raises a lot of questions – in conversations with people, these questions have come up most frequently, so here’s a little FAQ to get you more acquainted with the Mint Julep Jazz Band:

What kind of music will you play?

We will focus on music from the 1920’s and 1930’s, but some early 1940’s tunes may creep into the mix. The band will be playing arrangements that are either transcribed from original recordings or reproductions of original recordings (or a combination of both – sometimes having a hi-fi reference helps a lot) and arrangements that our maestro Lucian Cobb creates on his own, based on songs from this era. We will be playing a few arrangements Lucian has done in the past and songs you may have heard vocalist Laura Windley perform, but the majority of the material will be new. Most importantly, this music will swing!

How many people will be in the band?

Right now, we really like the idea of having either a 7 or 8 piece band, giving us either a 3 or 4 piece rhythm section with 3 horns, plus a vocalist. With this format, we are able to play arrangements of big band or smaller group charts, giving us a fuller sound than a jazz combo. We are also able to offer a more affordable alternative to a big band.

Will you have a smaller group?

Unfortunately, we will not have a smaller group. We understand that this limits the venues we can play, especially locally, but we are more interested in creating a specific sound.

Who is going to be in the band?

We’d like to have a set lineup, but in the jazz world this is not always possible – some of our band members have bands of their own, so we are fortunate enough to have other jazz musicians that we have worked with in the past to fill their shoes. You can be sure you will see Peter Lamb (sax), Al Strong (trumpet), Aaron Tucker (drums), Jason Foureman (bass), Aaron Hill (sax), Rich Willey (trumpet), Kyle Santos (trumpet), Mark Wells (piano), and other great jazz musicians from the Triangle and beyond who we enjoy performing with and will lend their unique talents to this endeavor.

When will you be ready to play?

The goal is to be ready in March and, indeed, we’ve already got gigs in March 2012 and beyond! For more details, see our calendar page. We do have a show on February 23 for RDU Rent Party – we invite everyone to come to this sneak preview!

Where will you play?

Our bread and butter will be swing dances, and we’ve already got a wedding on the books. We are also available for community events, outdoor festivals, jazz societies, schools, private parties, charity events/fundraisers, historic and reenactment-related events, and, really, anywhere that people enjoy music. We are looking to travel outside of the Triangle area of North Carolina and would welcome gig opportunities in other cities.