smooth seabreeze jazz

artful things niceville

For those of you who haven’t been to one of the twenty-three Seabreeze Jazz Festivals, you need to make plans to attend. It’s four full days of awesome entertainment! You can also take one of the two cruises and get some one-on-one time with artists like Eric Darius and Chris Standring who were featured this year.

Ticket options go from general admission to VIP. You'll meet folks and make friends from all over who also enjoy smooth jazz, chill, dance, and vacation at the beach. The VIP tickets go fast but provide a seat closer to the stage and in the center of the music.

You can see this past year’s lineup on a few pages deeper in amuse. Not everyone that performs at the festival is a smooth jazz artist. I've never seen Charlie Wilson perform live but always enjoyed his music as I grew up listening to the Gap band. One of the “Seabreeze Rising Stars”, Justin Lee Schultz, was very entertaining and I look forward to seeing where his bright future goes.

I chose not to write as much in this year’s coverage because I wanted to include more images of some of the smooth jazz music fans. These folks get up early each day (some as early as 3:30 am) and stand in line to make sure they can save their seat. It was fun to meet them, talk about their favorite artists, and joke around about lots of crazy stuff. Ask me when I see you and I’ll let you know what they said. Some people told me it was too early in the day to get their photo taken, ha ha ha. There are so many more of them that I didn’t get to photograph but I’ll try again next year. If you see me walking around stop me and ask me to take your picture too. I will be happy to.

I did get to reminisce with music by Spyro Gyra, Hiroshima, Peabo Bryson, and Ruben Studdard performing the best of Luther Vandross. We all danced with Cello Green, Sheila E, and Charlie Wilson. The energy returned with Eric Darius featuring Rebecca Jade and her smiling face vocals. The ladies

SEABREEZEJAZZFESTIVAL.COM VISIT FOR 2023 TICKETS

kieko

Justin Lee Schultz

I was excited to hear Justin Lee perform at the 2022 Seabreeze Jazz Festival. After meeting Justin-Lee Schultz (Seabreeze Rising Star and keyboards), Jamie-Leigh (sister and drums), and Julius Schultz (dad and guitar) I could see they enjoy what they do. Maybe you have already seen them perform on tv? If you haven’t, you need to check them out. Music makes it better.

Seabreeze Rising Star

of Jazz in Pink returned with a couple of different artists with them.

The after parties were held Thursday through Sunday until late night with many musicians coming together to jam for the crowds. Down to the Bone, Gerald Albright, Lindsey Webster, Adam Hawley, and Norman Brown were the hosts who brought the parties to you. There were lots of refreshments to end the day dancing while getting you ready for a good night’s sleep.

The mornings were the roughest times for me - maybe I’m getting older? I didn’t say that. I would be excited about the day’s lineup while thinking about the best strategy to capture the best angles of all the musicians. I would also try not to get in the way of the other folks capturing video for the big LED stage screens. I guess that’s why they call it “work”? I usually must remind myself to eat for energy, drink lots of water for hydration, and to have fun while doing it.

There is nothing more exciting than capturing that special moment... that smile, that jump, the feelings, and the mental focus from the performers, musicians, and singers. You see the emotions of vocalists sharing their words from their hearts, I love it. When all the band members come together and truly are having fun playing music followed by the applause from the audience... true magic. I hope you can tell I enjoy this stuff.

People over the years have asked me who is my favorite musician, act, or singer. I usually say the one who lets me photograph them while they perform. It is one of my passions and a challenge I will always try to pursue.

THIS WAS THE 2022 SEABREEZE JAZZ FESTIVAL SCHEDULE AND IT GETS EVERY BETTER EVERY YEAR!

Wednesday, April 20

Eric Darius Dinner Cruise

Thursday, April 21

Chris Standring Jazzy Brunch Cruise, Blake Aaron, Jazz In Pink, Marion Meadows, Alex Bugnon, Spyro Gyra, Justin Lee Schultz - Seabreeze Rising Star, Charlie Wilson, and After-Party featuring Down to

the Bone.

Friday, April 22

Hiroshima, Eric Darius featuring Rebecca Jade, Cindy Bradley, Marchus Anderson with special guest Cello Green, Randy Scott - Seabreeze Rising Star, Sheila E, Damiien Escobar, and After-Party featuring Gerald Albright.

Saturday, April 23

Lin Rountree, Brian Simpson featuring Jessy J, Ken Ford “The King of Strings”, Brian Bromberg and His Unapologetically Funky Big Bombastic Band featuring Everette Harp, Ryan La Valette - Seabreeze Rising Star, Ruben Sings Luther featuring Ruben Studdard, and After-Party featuring Lindsey Webster and Adam Hawley.

Sunday, April 24

Kayla Wares and Kim Waters, Four 80 East featuring JJ Sansaverino, Peabo Bryson, Keiko Matsui, Mark Jaimes - Seabreeze Rising Star, Boney James, and After-Party featuring Norman Brown.