Video: “Walker’s Theme” (live), Gerald Albright

Spend a Sunday in the Preserve in Hoover with several jazz giants. The fourth annual Preserve Jazz Festival will feature a day of music on the lawn. The lineup:

• Gerald Albright
• The Southern Gentlemen: Birmingham’s Eric Essix, plus Joey Summerville and Michael Ward
• Phil Davis
• Hungary’s Collaboration Trio
• Neo Jazz Collective

The festival takes place June 6, with performances starting at 3 p.m.

Tickets — $35 in advance, $38 at the event — are available online. Admission is free for children age 12 and younger.

For more information, visit the Preserve Jazz Festival site.

Check out the lineup via videos …

http://vimeo.com/10959776

Video: “Birmingham,” Eric Essix

Video: “Ladybird,” Neo Jazz Collective

So much good stuff happening in the Birmingham area at the tail end of May …

First, the Preserve Jazz Festival at Moss Rock Preserve in Hoover, one of our favorite music festivals in town put on by our friend, jazzman Eric Essix. The lineup includes Jazz Attack (with Rick Braun, Jonathan Butler and Richard Elliott), Tracy Hamlin and Essix.

Tickets are $33, $38 at the door. 3 p.m. Sunday.

Video: Rick Braun interview

• • •

The Birmingham Shout film festival kicks off tonight at WorkPlay in Lakeview with “Sissyboy.” The two-day event features gay and lesbian feature films, documentaries and shorts from the folks at Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival.

Tickets for tonight’s film are $20, $25 at the door ($15 for members and students). Tickets for Saturday are $20 in advance or $12 per film ($15 in advance for members and students, $7 per film). 8 tonight, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday.

Video: “Sissyboy” trailer

Also:

• Birmingham Weekly: “The 2009 Shout Out”

• • •

Go back in time with the Birmingham Urban League Young Professionals Throwback Prom. Bust out the big lapels and ruffles and dance to the tunes of DJ Brian B. It takes place at Highland Conference Center on Southside.

Tickets are $20, $25 at the door. 8 tonight.

Video: DJ Brian B cutting it up and scratching

We Jazz June contest

Our lucky pair who’ve won two free passes (a $70 value) each to Sunday’s Preserve Jazz Festival are …

• Emily Beaumont, Homewood
• Adrienne Stevens, Southside

Thank you to everyone who entered the contest.

Even if you didn’t win, you still have time to buy tickets for this terrific music event at Hoover’s Moss Rock Preserve. See details and video previews on our site.

Enter now for your chance to win tickets to the Preserve Jazz Festival

Back on the job but not quite ready to work? Take a few minutes to enter our giveaway.

Enter our special We Jazz June contest. Two lucky winners will win two passes (a $70 value) each to the second annual Preserve Jazz Festival on Sunday in Hoover.

To enter, visit our special We Jazz June contest page.

Hurry! Entry deadline is noon CDT today!!

Make it a smooth Sunday with the second annual Preserve Jazz Festival on June 1 in Hoover. The music will flow from 3 p.m. well into the night.

The lineup:

• Guitar and Saxes: Gerald Albright, Jeff Lorber, Peter White and Jeff Golub
• Bob Baldwin and Joey Sommerville
• Kelley O’Neal Band with Cece Phillips
• Mart Avant’s Night Flight Big Band

And you still have time to enter our We Jazz June contest to win free passes!

You must enter by noon Tuesday, so hop to it.

Video previews, after the jump …

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We’re giving away four tickets to Hoover’s June 1 music festival

Like great live music? And a beautiful spacious park in which to hear it?

Enter our special We Jazz June contest. Two lucky winners will win two passes (a $70 value) each to the second annual Preserve Jazz Festival on Sunday, June 1, in Hoover.

Founded by jazz guitarist Eric Essix and Jason Henderson, the festival returns to Moss Rock Preserve with an outstanding lineup of artists:

• Guitar and Saxes: Gerald Albright, Jeff Lorber, Peter White and Jeff Golub
• Bob Baldwin and Joey Sommerville
• Kelley O’Neal Band with Cece Phillips
• Mart Avant’s Night Flight Big Band

We think it’s a well-done event, and you will, too.

To enter, visit our special We Jazz June contest page.

Hurry! Entry deadline is noon CDT, Tuesday, May 27, 2008.

Our thanks to the Preserve Jazz Festival for providing the passes.

I’ve been a faithful City Stages fan for years, at least 15 or so. Most of the last 10 years, I’ve paid for my tickets and happily headed downtown for three days of music and fellowship.

I dare say I’ve spent more supporting the festival than most people I know. I consider that a point of pride, almost to the point of foolishness.

After all, even if the lineup was weak — and many a year, the lineup was weak — I could count on seeing old friends and discovering worthy up-and-coming acts.

Not this year. Not with my money.

Updated with Preserve Jazz Festival attendance, plus additional links.

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