Free 2018 Jazz Festival Kickoff Event

We are incredibly excited to announce that for the first time in festival history, we are kicking off the festival weekend with a FREE, yes that’s right, free Thursday night jazz concert. In partnership with Excellence in the Community, the Salt Lake City Jazz Festival is proud to present local jazz artists Caleb Chapman’s Crescent Super Band.

Concert begins at 7:30 PM at the Gallivan Center

About the Artist

The Crescent Super Band has been featured at top music festivals around the world, including the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland), Fiesta del Tambor (Cuba), Jazz a Vienne (France), MusicFest Canada, the Umbria Jazz Festival (Italy), the North Sea Jazz Festival (The Netherlands), the Berklee Jazz Festival (Boston), the Midwest Clinic (Chicago), the Park City Jazz Festival (Utah), and the Telluride Jazz Festival (Colorado). They had a headlining concert at the 2014 Jazz Education Network conference in Dallas, TX with special guests Randy Brecker and Ed Calle, as well as playing at the Jazz Education Network conference again in New Orleans, January 2017. That performance had a line-up of many grammy-winning and nominated artists including David Paich, Branford Marsalis, Kirk Whalum, Jeff Coffin, and many more. In their local state, the group regularly performs for the NBA’s Utah Jazz and is the only live music act to be invited to perform at the basketball team’s halftime show. They have also performed at the Utah Governor’s mansion and the Utah State Capitol for multiple gubernatorial events.

In May 2013, the group was invited to perform a headlining set at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Their packed concert featured guest spots by GRAMMY-winning saxophonist David Sanborn and GRAMMY®-nominated trumpeter Wayne Bergeron.

About Excellence in the Community

Excellence in the Community grew out of Jeff Whiteley’s experiences as a street musician in Paris. Founded in 2005, Excellence in the Community is 501 C3 nonprofit organization based on the premise that Utah’s best musicians and dancers represent a powerful resource for bringing people together and enhancing communities. We work to create more and better performance opportunities for Utah artists. Since our first event in 2005, we have presented over 500 concerts. Since moving to the Gallivan Center in December 2011, all of our concerts have been offered free to the public.

With a focus on quality musicianship and a great diversity of musical styles, our concerts appeal to a broad range of age groups. We are pleased to see many families with young children in our audiences.