By AML Publisher
Photos Courtesy of Bernadette Uzcategui

“It's always a great party with fantastic food and sophisticated music. We look forward to it every year,” said Tak Papariello, General Manager of Main Line Land Rover and Jaguar. Pictured are Papariello and Jazz Fest Co-Founder Jennifer Bailer

Call it the ‘sixth’ year itch. Organizers of the annual Main Line Jazz and Food Festival knew this year it was due time to change up the format of their popular June event. The past five years the festival has been held on a Sunday afternoon in early June, along Wayne’s North Wayne Avenue. Jennifer Bailer of Main Line Jaguar and Land Rover, one of the original founders of the festival, said they wanted to change up the approach to keep the party atmosphere fresh. “We had always envisioned an evening event, under the stars with the Jazz Fest. Our sponsors, restaurants and guests’ feedback have confirmed that’s the way to go! Due to the heat and always having it on a Sunday, not being able to stay for the fabulous headliners, it’s now clearly a natural progression,” explained Bailer.

That ‘progression’ has been the talk of the Main Line since word has gotten out all restaurants on North Wayne Avenue will be serving alcohol (and food) outside all day long for the first time ever. North Wayne Avenue will be closed off starting at 7am the day of the event, Saturday June 13th, to allow the dozens of local businesses who are exhibiting to set up. All restaurants located on Wayne’s restaurant row will have tables and dining areas outside starting at 11am, in lieu of the previous five years where patrons were confined to a beer tent. “We’re hoping that holding the festival in the cool of the evening will garner bigger crowds and make performing a little more comfortable for the musicians, too. It helps that township regulations on outdoor dining changed, in our favor, last year. Now the restaurants on the street can put out tables and offer an enticing respite to concert goers,” explained Laura Munich, a local musician who is part of the exciting lineup and a Jazz Fest cofounder. “We’d always hoped to include some evening concerts and are thrilled that everything has come together to allow us to create an evening event. We envision the 100 block of North Wayne Avenue transformed into a European piazza, with bistro tables and umbrellas, friends and neighbors sharing delicious food and conversation under the twinkling lights strung across the street.”

Belgian Frites, Foam and a Fantastic Jazz Fest Await…Al Fresco For All Who Will Attend. AroundMainLine.com is the online media sponsor of the 2009 Jazz Fest. Come visit AML at our booth, beer in hand, on June 13th and say hello!

The new evening approach, which organizers hope will offer a more adult ambiance, will no doubt set the stage for a record attendance, anticipated in excess of 5,000 locales. The festival itself has become a Main Line tradition that offers local musicians a great stage to celebrate their talents. ”From the inception, the street itself, with all it has to offer, logistically and culturally was the perfect place for a food and jazz festival. We wondered why it had not been done before-the walking traffic, the Septa accessibility, the talent, and the restaurants. In these uncertain times, it’s more important than ever to relax, in the cool of the evening and enjoy great food, music and company. By having the Jazz Fest on a Saturday with evening entertainment, it’s great for the attendees not to have to wake up early the next day,” encouraged Bailer.

And, for area jazz lovers and aficionados, the scheduled performers will not disappoint. This year’s lineup offers one of the most diverse groups of Philadelphia and local jazz musicians in the festival’s history. “We have everything from a Latin jazz dance band to nujazz-funk fusion to straight-ahead jazz,” said Munich who is part of the lineup. Munich adds the new approach for Jazz Fest 2009 will make it the most successful year to date. “With our eclectic musical and culinary offerings, our festival is the only event of its kind on the Main Line. Folks can really make a day, and evening, of it! Families can come out in the afternoon, peruse the art and craft vendors, then settle in for an evening of great live music that represents the full complement of jazz’s diversity and history. All that while you enjoy a great meal under the stars at any one of a number of the region’s best restaurants. What could be better?”

Deanna Muth, owner of Wayne’s popular gift shop The Pear Tree, will be open late for Jazz Fest.

Tak Papariello, of Main Line Land Rover, the presenting event sponsor and a 2009 exhibitor, says this type of community event is the ideal opportunity to connect and reap the benefits with potential and established clients in a personal and effective manner. “One of the key components of the ‘Land Rover Way’ is ownership experience. The relationship between the dealership and the client extends out into the community. The Main Line Jazz and Food festival is the kind of community event that attracts our neighbors and our Land Rover owners. Not only does the casual setting allow potential customers to experience the distinctive brand, it also gives us an opportunity to host a great event. It’s always a great party with fantastic food and sophisticated music. We look forward to it every year.”

Main Line Jazz and Food Festival 2009
Presented by Land Rover Main Line

When: Saturday June 13th, Noon to 9pm

Where: North Wayne Avenue, Wayne, PA ‘Restaurant Row’

Website: MainLineJazz.com

Dine Al Fresco: All restaurants on North Wayne Avenue will be serving drinks and food outside, for the first time, all day long starting at 11am.

Performers and Schedule:

Restaurants participating in this year’s 6th annual festival include: Christopher’s, Teresa’s Next Door, The Freehouse, Georges’, Margaret Kuo’s, and The Boathouse

4PM: Ellas y Amigos

Ellas y Amigos is a predominately female band featuring flute, saxophone, piano, bass, drum-set and congas, with vocals in English and Spanish. Philadelphia’s sizzling Latin Dance/Jazz Band, has won the hearts of audiences everywhere it has played. Specializing in Salsa, Latin Jazz, Afro-Cuban, Puerto Rican, Brazilian and Dominican music, their expertise is applying authentic rhythms to beautiful melodies and rich harmonies, thus creating theirunique and enchanting sound.

5PM: Laura Munich with special guest Larry McKenna

Laura Munich began playing piano at the age of five, the violin at seven and has been singing as long as she can remember. She has studied at the Settlement Music School and Temple University. The Philadelphia Inquirer praised her “mix of soulful, sultry jazz” and called her “a versatile singer who knows the mechanics of music”. Her quartet plays an eclectic mix of classic straight-ahead and Latin jazz as well as creative arrangements of contemporary pop and R&B.

Larry McKenna, a well-known Main Line community ombudsman and Wayne resident, is one of the leading jazz saxophonists in America and has performed as soloist with jazz stars such as Woody Herman, Clark Terry, Jon Faddis, Buddy DeFranco, Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett, Bootsie Barnes, Frank Sinatra and many more.

6:30 PM: Highbrid

Highbrid, is a nujazz-fusion octet lead by vibraphonist, composer, and arranger Michael Cain. With intricate horn lines, soulful grooves and “de-rangements” of music by artists like Nirvana and Metallica, Highbrid brings the best of the Jazz, Jam, Rock and Soul together into a musical fondue. Led by percussionist/composer Michael Cain, the octet employs some of the most talented and versatile up-and-coming musicians in the region.

8PM: The Lars Halle Jazz Orchestra

The Lars Halle Jazz Orchestra was founded in 2000 by Lars Halle and has quickly become a highly regarded ensemble in the Philadelphia area. It consists of 17 of Philadelphia’s finest young musicians, ranging from 22 to 32 in age. The bulk of the repertoire is composed and/or arranged by Lars Halle who also leads the band from behind the drum set. The band also performs selections from the books of Count Basie, Thad Jones, Stan Kenton, and Rob McConnell.

“We envision the 100 block of North Wayne Avenue transformed into a European piazza, with bistro tables and umbrellas, friends and neighbors sharing delicious food and conversation under the twinkling lights strung across the street,” explained musician and Jazz Fest co-founder Laura Munich.

Transportation: Coming from the city or suburbs? Travel safely and responsibly with Septa’s R5—which will deliver Jazz Fest partygoers directly (and conveniently) off in the center of downtown Wayne.

Come Visit Us: As an online sponsor of the festival, AroundMainLine.com Inc. will have a welcome tent at the festival. Come by our booth and be sure to say hello!

Event Sponsors: AroundMainLine.com Inc., Joseph P. Melvin Company, CF Holloway III, Builders, Main Line Today, Wayne Jewelers, Mainline Print Shop, Wayne Business Association, Goddard School Strafford, Penn Liberty Bank, Your Next Step, MJM Builders, Albed Rug Company, TD Bank, Nolan Painters, Wayne Art Center, Wayne Presbyterian Church, Charles Schwab

Event Exhibitors Include (But Not Limited To): AroundMainLine.com Inc., Land Rover, Wayne Business Association, Penn Liberty, TD Bank, Wayne Arts Center, Cupcakes Gourmet, Maggie Moos, Charles Schwab, Main Line Today, Harmony Glass Works, Harmonia Spa, Music Workshop, Whitaker Eye Works