What's Happening in Bethesda, MD…

A popular music festival is set to take place in Bethesda.

The Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival is presented by the Jazz Academy of Music, Inc. The event comprises three days of jazz, performed concurrently on five stages, as well as masterclasses, interviews with the performers, free youth jam sessions and a jam session at midnight.

The event honors two giants of the genre, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane. Paul Carr, Jason Marsalis, and Gary Bartz will appear on the Main Stage on three different nights, celebrating these music icons. Paul Carr is a proponent of the Texas tenor saxophone, a style of playing that is soulful, powerful, and raw. Carr taught privately for more than 20 years until he established the Jazz Academy of Music, Inc.

Jason Marsalis is a member of the renowned Marsalis family of musicians, which includes his brothers Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo, Ellis, and Mboya Kenyatta. Jason is a drummer and plays the vibraphone.

Gary Bartz was a member of Miles Davis’s band. He has won two Grammys for his work on jazz albums and is on the faculty of Oberlin College where he is a Professor of Jazz Saxophone.

In addition to the three musicians who will appear on the Main Stage, there will be over 40 other musicians participating. The Jazz Festival is set for February 14 through February 16 at the Bethesda Marriott on Pooks Hill Road. Celebrations like this benefit when organizers support them by using poster printing to create publicity.