Mark Herbert and the festival

By Torrey Townsend
HippoPress.com

Last Thursday Mark Herbert took time from his hectic schedule to tell me the tale of how the jazz and blues fest came to be.

“Originally,” he told me, “Mayor Baines wanted to have a jazz fest.”

Together, Herbert, Mayor Baines and Palace Theatre director Peter Ramsey formed a “loose committee.” After talking it over, everyone decided that a jazz fest was not quite what the group was looking for.

“We figured for the first time we would have a wider show with blues, too,” Herbert said.

This small committee, which also included Russ Pullman, director of arts and music for the Manchester school system, met up with Tim Jensen, who helped the group elevate the idea to higher levels.

Tim Jensen, who works for Don Law in Boston and is responsible for events such as Harborfest, suggested that for the first time out, a jazz and blues festival in Manchester should offer as wide a range of artists as possible, in order to double the attendence. “And I think it was wise advice,” Herbert said.

He recalls how fond Baines was of the concept, and how the event was essentially the mayor’s idea.

“The mayor basically threw some ideas around and then left the ball in our hands. He particularly liked KD Bell. He was one of the mayor’s choices. We want a party in the streets,” Herbert said.

He also believes that despite popular opinion, the festival is not aimed at elders only.

“We’re appealing to teenagers who like jazz and blues...We’re hoping to make the blues fans happy and the jazz lovers happy,” he said.

Mark Herbert’s own Little Big Band, in which he plays saxophone, will appear at the Jazz and Blues Festival on Friday at 9:30 p.m.