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Outdoor concert draws jazz aficionados
By Sarah Lehr
YOUNGSTOWN
Sarah Brown-Clark of Youngstown likens jazz to ocean waves.
Brown-Clark, who is Youngstown clerk of courts, joined several hundred people Saturday at Central Square for the annual Wine and Jazz Festival. Attendees set out lawn chairs on the square, downtown, and enjoyed refreshments, including wine and beer for sale.
Looking around at the crowd Saturday, Brown-Clark and her fianc Maurice Cousin of Liberty said they recognized the faces of fellow jazz fanatics from her frequent trips to Akron, Cleveland and Pittsburgh for concerts.
Brown-Clark remarked that she appreciated Youngstown’s Jazz Festival, especially because of its proximity and affordability. Tickets were $8 in advance and $10 at the gate.
Partial proceeds from the event, which coincided with the weekend’s Summer Festival of the Arts at Youngstown State University, benefitted The Hope Foundation’s DreamCatchers for Kids initiative. The program seeks to make dreams come true for chronically or terminally ill children.
Other organizers included YSU, the city of Youngstown and the Mahoning County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Saxophonist Marion Meadows headlined the festivities.
Cousin, who often vacations on smooth-jazz cruises with his fianc e, praised the congenial atmosphere Saturday.
“Look around,” he said. “Do you see anyone frowning?”
Mike McGiffin, Youngstown’s director of events and special projects, commented on the festival’s outdoor setting.
“It turns downtown into a nice, park-like setting,” he said.
Linda O’Brien joined a group of friends at the festival. O’Brien grew up in a family of musicians, and her sister was a jazz pianist.
She came to the outdoor concert Saturday both because of her appreciation for music and her desire to engage with the community.
“It brings all kind of people downtown,” she said.
Temperatures Saturday evening hovered in the 70s. Despite clouds and a persistent breeze, it did not rain.
Linda Hall of Liberty said the pleasant weather was one of several factors to draw her out of the house.
Hall enjoys many jazz musicians and is hard-pressed to name one favorite.
“As long as it’s smooth, it’s all right with me,” she said. “It’s very soothing. It takes you to another place. It takes you to a better place.”