Amelia’s Island Jazz Vibe
LES DEMERLE LEARNED BY DOING. DeMerle toured around with the Harry James Big Band for more than a decade and put together groups with tenor saxophonist Don Menza, trumpeter Randy Brecker and others, but the drummer first gained some notoriety around the age of 14 with a review in this very publication. Across countless gigs […]
Manhattan Transfer set for 2023 Amelia Island Jazz Festival
The Amelia Island Jazz Festival is pleased to announce that multiple Grammy award-winning vocal group The Manhattan Transfer will appear for its 2023 festival on Thursday, October 5 at the First Baptist Church, 1600 South 8th Street in Fernandina Beach. The Manhattan Transfer is marking their 50th anniversary with an international tour and the release […]
Critically Acclaimed Artists featured at the 2022 Festival
Guitarist John Pizzarelli and Saxophonist/Clarinetist Ken Peplowski, two legendary and critically acclaimed jazz musicians, headline the 2022 Amelia Island Jazz Festival, October 2-9, 2022 in Fernandina Beach, FL. Peplowski and Pizzarelli’s Trio will appear October 7 and 8 respectively in the Grand Ballroom at the Courtyard/Springhill Suites by Marriott at 2700 Atlantic Avenue near Main […]
Jazz Festival Names 2022 Scholarship Winner at Big Band Bash
18-year-old Cameron DeVane, a gifted saxophone player from Fernandina Beach, is the winner of this year’s college scholarship from the Amelia Island Jazz Festival, it was announced by Artistic Director, Les DeMerle, at the Festival’s annual Big Band Bash on February 14 at the Courtyard by Marriott. A senior at Fernandina Beach High School, DeVane, […]
Jazz Festival Finds International Fans With Virtual Presentation
The Amelia Island Jazz Festival swung through its online virtual shows this past weekend with searing jazz that thrilled hundreds of fans locally, nationally, and in several foreign countries, including Russia and Romania. “We could not be more pleased,” said AIJF Artistic Director Les DeMerle. “It was definitely a technical challenge but given the terrific […]
AIJF Reschedules Big Band Bash
Social distancing measures will be in place for gala Amelia Island Jazz Festival’s Big Band Bash, a popular dinner/dance benefit gala that will feature the Dynamic Les DeMerle 17-piece Jazz Orchestra with vocalist Bonnie Eisele, will now be held 7-10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, in an expanded Amelia Ballroom at the Omni Amelia Island Resort, […]
