The River Street Jazz Cafe. Aimee DIlger|Times Leader
The 31st annual Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest will be having a preview concert at 8 p.m. Saturday at the River Street Jazz Cafe in Plains Township.
Gerald Veasley, president of Jazz Philadelphia and bass musician, put together an all-star lineup for the preview concert “Gerald Veasley’s Unscripted All-Stars.” The concert features artists Alex Bugnon, Carol Riddick and Clarence Spady, as well as Veasley.
“The River Street venue is a wonder place to present music, and they have been wanting to get involved with the festival because the festival itself attracts folks from all over the state of Pennsylvania so we thought it would be a nice way to kickoff the festival by having performances there,” said Veasley.
The Boscov’s Berks Jazz Festival is presented by Berks Art in Reading. The festival will begin on April 1 and run until April 10.
Performances will take place throughout Berks County in different places and venues. The lineup is large and features musicians of many different genres of jazz, such as blues, straight-ahead, traditional and contemporary jazz.
“Our goal every year is to present a diverse lineup of musicians and styles of music to provide something for everybody who likes the music,” said John Ernesto, general manager of the Boscov’s Berks Jazz Festival.
Aside from nonstop live music, festival attendees can also expect to experience great restaurants and great things to do like checking out local museums or learning about the culture of Reading.
“A lot of people come to go shopping,” said Ernesto. “They mix it up when they get here to do different things. Reading and Berks County have a lot to offer.”
Since the Boscov’s Berks Jazz Festival has been around it has brought in many tourists. Some people book hotels a year in advance, which shows how much this festival is appreciated by the people inside and even outside the community.
“People should go to the festival to experience music that is extremely entertaining and enjoyable,” said Veasley. “What’s interesting to me is seeing how people who come for the first time leave so excited because they feel like they have been missing out on something that had a lot of energy, great entertainment value and for some folks, especially in our region, it is only a short drive away.”
If interested in purchasing tickets for the preview concert “Gerald Veasley’s Unscripted All-Stars” at the River Street Jazz Cafe visit the website www.riverstreetjazzcafe.com. Also, visit www.berksjazzfest.com to find out more about the Boscov’s Berks Jazz Festival lineup, venues and suggested hotels to stay while attending the festival.
