Riverfront Jazz Fest 2024 Lineup
Interested in Performing at Jazz Fest? Email riverfrontjazzfestival@gmail.com with your press kit and website
and visit our official facebook page for updates on this year’s fest!
Saturday August 31
3PM - Simpatico featuring: Randy Tico, Leigh Vance and Dan Zimmerman
To call Randy Tico a bassist touches on only part of his musical identity. Tico has gained a solid reputation as an inventive and versatile bassist, working with Jeff Bridges & the Abiders, Flora Purim and Airto, Matrix, Strunz and Farah, John McEuen, Kenny Loggins, Jose Feliciano and many others. Simultaneously, Tico has also extended his talents into the areas of composing for film--"Steal Big, Steal Little" directed by Andrew Davis (the Fugitive), "The Housekeeper" and "Joe's Gyro Palace" for the FX Network's Independent Film Series, episodes for the syndicated TV series "Freddy's Nightmares"--as well as original scores for theater (see Theater projects page), studio work and realizing his own ambitious multi-media pieces. Diverse as these projects might seem, it all relates to Tico's expansive musical overview and an adaptability to various creative assignments.
5PM - Take That Back feat. Joan Hutton and Sue Orfield
Take That Back started as the meeting-of-the-minds of two veteran musicians, Joan Hutton and Sue Orfield. Drawn together by a passion for original music, both bandleaders are composers and improvisers, each with her own unique musical voice. Joan Hutton plays bass clarinet and alto sax and Sue Orfield plays the tenor sax. They joined creative forces with an incredible rhythm section of some of the Twin Cities’ busiest players–Ted Godbout (piano), Kameron Markworth (bass), and David Schmalenberger (drums)–and together they released an album of original music in 2022 (Take That Back, Shifting Paradigm Records) and have a new album scheduled for release on Shifting Paradigm in July, 2024.
7PM - Amina Figarova Group
Hailing from Azerbaijan, the New York-based Amina Figarova is an internationally influenced—and recognized—composer, pianist, and bandleader. Those three roles come to the forefront in Figarova’s sextets, bands with a remarkable chemistry that brings her detailed arrangements to life. Every member of the group stands out as a first-rate individual, but their dedication to Figarova’s eclectic and powerful compositions gives this group its depth of feeling and elite status. The Amina Figarova Sextet has been a hit at major festivals like the Newport Jazz Festival and New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
Sunday September 1
3PM - Point of Jazz Quintet
Made up of UW-Stevens Point graduates, the Point of Jazz Quintet plays jazz standards, original music, and contemporary compositions. Mat Chapman (trumpet), Jayce Gorski (saxophone), Kadin Yach (piano), Colt Maichle (drums) and Jessie Crandall (bass) grew as musicians together while in school and continue to play as a group with the goal of making great music while having fun. Money raised through this event goes towards supporting UWSP Jazz students, which each member of this group has been grateful to benefit from.
5PM - Zach Finnegan Sextet
Zach, a rising star in the world of jazz trumpet, calls Chicago, IL home and is also a UW-Stevens Point Jazz Program graduate and a recipient of a Riverfront Jazz Festival scholarship. His musical journey skyrocketed when he finished his first global tour alongside five-time Grammy Award winner Michael Bublé in 2023, entertaining audiences in arenas and stadiums worldwide. With an impressive discography of 13 albums with a debut album released in June of 2024, Zach's trumpet has lent its brilliance to esteemed ensembles such as Knower (Louis Cole and Genevieve Artadi), the Buddy Rich Big Band, Alan Gresik Swing Orchestra, and the Blueshift Big Band.
7PM - Davina and the Vagabonds
Davina Sowers and the Vagabonds have created a stir on the national music scene with their high-energy live shows, level A musicianship, sharp-dressed professionalism, and Sowers’ commanding stage presence. With influences ranging from Fats Domino and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Aretha Franklin and Tom Waits, the band is converting audiences one show at a time, from Vancouver to Miami and across Europe. Not to mention, they’ve earned feverish acclaim from the Chicago Tribune, NPR, and more in addition to performing on BBC’s international favorite late-night program Later… With Jools Holland and appearing on PBS’s Bluegrass Underground.