Written by
Jay Kirschenmann
A 1988 backyard concert hosted by a dozen jazz fans has evolved to one of the biggest free music events in the nation: The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Festival.
Most call it "JazzFest," although the formal title more closely reflects the styles of music found there, said Robert Joyce, executive director of the host, the nonprofit Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues organization.
The 20th anniversary of the concert is Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Admission has been free since since moving to Yankton Trail Park in 1996. Among more than a dozen bands on two stages are headliners Little Feat, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Mike Miller, Funky Meters and Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience.
An average attendance of 85,000 the past five years, today's event dwarfs the first concert, which drew about 300 fans in Chris Carlson's yard.
Sam Huewe of Brandon was there.
"There was a handful of vendors, bands and a bunch of people," Huewe said. "It was just a friend of mine and myself. We both went with about $50, a lawn chair and sandals. About six hours later I come home with no shirt, shoes or money and smoking a gigantic cigar I bought there. Good times. Did I mention the beer?"
During the next few years, it evolved to hundreds of fans at concerts at the Great Plains Zoo, thousands at Sioux Falls Stadium, and on occasion swelling to around 100,000 at Yankton Trail Park.
Musical styles have expanded, too, now including Zydeco, Latin, reggae, big band, rock, soul, funk and other styles.
Long tradition
JazzFest concerts started more than 20 years ago, but this is the 20th anniversary because a few years were skipped during its pre-1996 days, Joyce said. He was a spectator before that year, but then joined the board and helped plan consecutive concerts the past 17 years.
Paging through photo books at his downtown office, Joyce smiles and shakes his head mentioning names of bands in the snapshots, including Los Lobos, The Neville Brothers, Bo Diddley and Koko Taylor.
"And I could write a pretty long list of big, big names that almost played JazzFest," Joyce said with a chuckle. He tells of the day Ike Turner's manager called saying the performer wanted to play JazzFest, then hearing Ike himself on the phone with a deep-voiced "Hello, Robert!"
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