CUMBERLAND — The inaugural City Center JazzFest kicks off Wednesday and runs through Saturday in downtown Cumberland.
Pianist and composer Quentin Walston will headline the festival with a performance Saturday evening at Loft 129 on Baltimore Street.
The event is an extension of the popular Jazz Pub Crawl, which began in the downtown in the 2010s and grew in popularity through the years.
JazzFest is organized by the Cumberland Jazz Society. Larry Jackson, a Jazz Society board member, said past success has led to the expansion.
“We saw an opportunity to turn it into something bigger,” said Jackson. “The feedback from the pub crawl through the years has been great. People have really shown support.”
Jackson said the event has grow thanks to support from the Downtown Development Commission, Allegany Arts Council and the Levitt Amp Music Series sponsored by the Morton H. Katz Foundation.
“The synergy that has taken place from these organizations has been wonderful,” said Jackson.
The event kicks of Wednesday with a free concert at Loft 129 featuring Crosswinds Big Band led by Dale Rodevick. The band will perform from 7 to 9 p.m.
On Thursday, jazz and blues vocalist Shayna Steele will perform at the Canal Place Festival Grounds beginning at 7 p.m.
Steele has performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival and North Sea Jazz Festival as well as recording “Gone Under” with Snarky Puppy, which was has received 2.1 million views on YouTube.
An after-party gathering will take place at the Mad Hatter Boba Emporium, 48 N. Centre St., beginning at 8:30 p.m. featuring music by Rich Norwood on saxophone and Seth Maynard on guitar.
The Jazz Pub Crawl will remain as a central part of the festival and will take place Saturday. The opening concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Centre Street Collective, 36 N. Centre St., with the Mark Cappellini Trio with Cappaellini on drums, Artur Arturo on bass and Dan Baker on guitar.
The feature event begins at 8 p.m. Saturday at Loft 129 with the Quentin Walston Trio.
Walston, from Brunswick, is also an educator in addition to a performer holding a Jazz Studies degree from James Madison University.
Walston’s original compositions have played on National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System network.
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at Loft129.org.
The pub crawl portion of the festival will close with a performance by ToMaJiTo Jazz Funktet featuring Tom Harrison on keyboard, Jim Roderick on bass, Marc Lawrence on drums and Tom Simpson on trumpet. Music begins at 10 p.m.
Also taking place on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Lily Books & Cafe, 127 Baltimore St., is a roundtable on the history of jazz and the contributions of Don Redman (1900-1964), composer and band leader from Piedmont, West Virginia. Hosts for the discussion will be Jackson and Jim Roderick.
At noon on Saturday, the DDC will sponsor a free show from RiverKnott Jazz, which will play until 2 p.m.
At Queen City Cigar, 115 S. Centre St., a Jazz & Cigars listening session featuring the music of Miles Davis and more curated by Brian Bowers will begin at 3 p.m.