This week, the longest running jazz party returns for its 57th edition.
Put on by the West Texas Jazz Society, the West Texas Jazz Party will take place from June 2-3 at the Odessa Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.
The West Texas Jazz Party will feature three concerts this week, all taking place in the Devonian Ballroom, beginning with an evening show from 7-11 p.m. June 2, a brunch concert from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. June 3 and then an evening concert from 7-11 p.m. later that day.
Jazz artists from all over the world will be coming by to perform at the two-day party.
“We always get very excited for this event,” West Texas Jazz Society President Eric Baker said. “It’s our flagship event. It’s what really put the jazz society on the map all those years ago. Effectively, what got it all started is that some people loved jazz, decided to get together and bring in some musicians and host a party. Over time, that party has continued and generations have come and gone through West Texas but the jazz party remains. We’re now on year 57. We have our eyes firmly set on the 60th anniversary coming up in a few years.”
This year’s artists include Johnny Varro, Jon Erik Kellso, Harry Allen, William and Peter Anderson, Dan Baerrett, Daniela Soledade, Nate Najar, Rebecca Kilgore, Frank Tate, Richard Simon, Chuck Redd, Ricky Malichi, Brian Piper, Roassano Sportiello and more.
Varro is a pianist who’s also the longest standing member and has attended the most jazz parties.
“Johnny got his start many years ago, playing with some of the best jazz musicians around New York,” Baker said. “His piano style is well-versed in that great American songbook. He can play just about any song that you can throw at him. He’s also our music director, so he puts together all of the sets. He’ll decide who gets to play with who at each time slot.”
William and Peter Anderson both also hail from New York, playing the saxophone and clarinet, respectively.
“They’re just two of the most known and up-and-coming musicians we have,” Baker said. “They’re such huge, fan-favorites. We have a married couple returning and a guitarist named Nate Najar and a vocalist Daniela Soledade. Daniela comes from Brazil. There are a couple of nice sets of bossa nova jazz.”
While some people may not know the difference between a jazz festival and a jazz party, Baker talked about the differences between the two.
“A jazz party is a little bit different from a jazz festival in one major way,” Baker said. “A jazz festival is usually held across multiple venues and it includes various, established bands or groups. But a jazz party is where we’ll bring in a group of 20 musicians and we’ll put them in a group of five or six people at a time. While these musicians may have played with one another over the course of their careers, they’re not usually in established touring groups. So they get together once a year here in Odessa and we’ll decide the songs that they’ll play, just a few minutes before they walk out on stage.”
The musicians also don’t use any sheet music, according to Baker.
“They improvise all the music together, right there on the spot,” Baker said. “It’s a magical experience, hearing musicians creating music that will never be performed that way again, in front of your eyes. Each group will go up and perform for about 25, maybe 30 minutes. And then a whole other group of musicians will rotate in. We have multiple drummers, multiple bass players, multiple piano players. They all come in and perform in different groups over the course of the weekend.”
The main jazz styles that are featured at the Jazz Party are swing and bossa nova.
“These jazz parties are one of the last bastions of the great American songbook and keeping that specific style alive and in the eyes and ears and hearts of listeners across the country,” Baker said. “The jazz party does specialize in the great American songbook, or swing jazz.”
Originally, the West Texas Jazz Party was held at Lincoln Tower back when it was still a hotel.
Over the years, the West Texas Jazz Party changed locations between Odessa and Midland before returning to downtown Odessa at the Marriott.
Baker talked about how special it is to have the Jazz Party take place just a few blocks from where it all began.
“It’s special for me that the jazz party is back home (in downtown Odessa),” Baker said. “Over the years, it switched back from Midland and Odessa. In the ‘90s, we became the West Texas Jazz Society, bringing together the Odessa and Midland society into one. For many years, it would go back (and forth) between cities. But with the addition of the Marriott hotel, we now have a space close to home, just a few blocks from where it started and I think that’s special for the city of Odessa. I think it helps maintain the standard of being a music-friendly community. I think it’s important for Odessa to be well-known for the arts and entertainment.”
