By Cameron Wall
The 26th annual Rosslyn Jazz Festival will take over Gateway Park on Saturday, Sept. 10, and this year’s lineup features a set of four powerhouse jazz acts: D.C. native Akua Allrich, Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré, trombonist Glen David Andrews from New Orleans’ historic Tremé neighborhood and Grammy-winning Grupo Fantasma.
In addition to the musical roster, the festival will feature a Visual Art Jam Session that showcases artists and poets creating new works based on their emotional interpretation of the music performed throughout the festival. The resulting pieces will be displayed chronologically on a clothesline.
There will also be popular local food trucks parked at the festival, including Captain Cookie, The Big Cheese, Fava Pot, Pressed Panini, Urban Poutine and more. Visitors can also buy clothes at an on-site fashion truck. At the Kids’ Jazz Zone, located at the park’s sandbox, children will be able to create their own instruments.
As the sound of jazz has evolved, the Rosslyn festival has adapted alongside the music. The festival offers an intimate setting for fans, where they can get close to the action on stage and even potentially meet and talk to the performers after their sets.
“Jazz is not one thing; it’s never been one thing, says Josh Stoltzfus, program director for Arlington Arts and the Rosslyn Jazz Fest. “It’s by nature always evolving and always incorporating new things; it’s an open system.”
The Rosslyn Jazz Festival is one part of a larger artistic and cultural movement spearheaded by the Rosslyn Business Improvement District in partnership with Arlington Arts. Other projects, with Arlington Cultural Affairs, depict that Rosslyn, and Arlington as a whole, is a creative community that provides myriad entertainment and gives fans the chance to get involved in the arts, encouraging interaction and open dialogue.
The Rosslyn Jazz Festival starts at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Gateway Park. Go to the festival website for set times and more information.
