Red Clay Jazz Through June 29

Miss E.C. Scott. Courtesy photo

The 5^th Annual Red Clay Jazz Festival is lit up! Events have been poppin’. The big concert day is Saturday, June 30 from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Lani Maile at Kaua`i Lagoons Resort, 3351 Ho`olaualea Way in Lihu`e, but there are still some smaller, more “intimate” events prior to the Saturday concert.

For example, Thursday, June 28, the Kaua`i Jazz Quartet played on the Aupaka Terrace at the Kaua`i Marriott.

And on Friday, June 29, there’s a “Meet the Artists” party in Kilauea where you can mix, mingle and chat with the featured festival artists while sampling gourmet pupu and sipping vintage wines accompanied by the guitar stylings of Kirk Smart.

Friday’s “Meet the Artists” night is hosted by Koloa Rum Co. and will be held at the Common Ground in Kilauea from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. It’s a rare opportunity for jazz aficionados to get up close and personal, ask questions and listen to the artists talk story about their love of music and passion for jazz.  For more information about this event, call 808-245-7464. To read more about the artists, click here.

Saturday is the BIG day, where the music flows for hours and it’s a total jazz bath. The gates at Lani Maile at Kauai Lagoons open at 3 p.m. and it’s a go, whether rain or shine.

Each festival showcases a local musician plus one from the other islands and two from the mainland. Locally, the Kirk Smart Quartet leads the event at 4 p.m., followed by the Berklee School of Music All Stars at 5:15 p.m.; Venissa Santi Sextet – Afro Cuban Holiday at 6:30 p.m.; and  Miss E.C. Scott at 7:45 p.m.

Tickets for the Saturday event are $40. Food and beverages will be provided by the Kaua`i Marriott, Hukilau Lanai, The Westin Princeville Ocean Resorts, The Right Slice and Reggie Berry’s “The Interactive Lounge.”

For tickets, information and more, click here; email info@redclayjazz.org; or call 822-3148 or 245-7464.

Tickets for the Saturday concert are $40 in advance at local outlets and online until Friday, June 29 at 10 p.m.; $50 at the door.