Music is in the air as Dunnellon prepares for annual jazz festival

Jorge Ramos, maker of handcrafted guitars, on right, explains his technigue Aug. 3, 2013 at R&M Guitars on East Pennsylvania Avenue in Dunnellon. Dunnellon resident Harry Stephens, also repairs and restores guitars, talks to Ramos after showing him some of his recent finds. - 

John Singley/Correspondent

By Lora E. Ide Correspondent
Published: Sunday, August 25, 2013 at 7:59 p.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, August 25, 2013 at 7:59 p.m.


With fall around the corner, music lovers are starting to think about cooler temperatures and getting ready for the return of a longtime local music festival — Jazz Up Dunnellon.

As if anticipating the moment, Adrian Blevins, a former construction worker, happened to have set up a roadside sale on a recent Saturday. He displayed about 10 guitars and a few amplifiers on a hill on U.S. 40 just outside the river city. When people would stop for a look, Blevins, a stone mason by trade, chatted about the enjoyment of singing, playing and listening to music.

“For a lot of people, music is a serious drive, or passion,” he said.

In Dunnellon, where planning and work for the Jazz Up festival, which is set for Oct. 12, is well underway, there are a lot of people who feel the same way about music. They include the mayor, Nathan Whitt, who for years provided the music for chamber of commerce banquets; and longtime professional singer and guitar player Jon Semmes, who entertains during the Singing River Tours he conducts out of the Angler’s Resort across U.S. 41 from City Hall.

Read more: http://www.ocala.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013130829802&tc=ar