Taking the festival to a higher plane, Birmingham’s own jazz maestro Eric Essix ’s high-end Jazz Escape Festival is a luxury getaway and entertainment experience featuring some of the best names in this musical genre.
The Labor-Day weekend event Aug. 28-31 is at the Marriott’s Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa. It combines intimate jazz concerts with luxury accommodations, a full service spa and world-class golf courses in a secluded, woodland environment. The Jazz Escape’s focus is on convenience, smaller crowds, luxury appointments, a comfortable, covered outdoor listening environment, relaxation topped with huge dollops of good-ole southern hospitality.
Featured artists in the lineup include all-around musician Brian Culbertson, flutist Kim Scott, violinist Karen Briggs, Kelley O’Neal & the KAYO Band, Birmingham jazz band The Chad Fisher Group, and the Eric Essix Project. The event headliner is trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist Rick Braun,
Essix is the brainchild of the Jazz Preserve Festival in Hoover. He was directly involved in managing the event from its inception in 2007 until 2013..
The Preserve Jazz Festival quickly became a coveted touring destination for industry favorites like Spyro Gyra, Kirk Whalum, Gerald Albright, Jonathan Butler, Alex Bugnon, Earl Klugh, Jeff Lorber, Rick Braun, Bony James and Eric Darius.
“I have personally toured with and/or shared the stage with most of the acts I’ve presented,” Eric says. Making sure they are taken care of is a priority for me and, I’d like to think, a big part of the reason the Preserve Jazz Festival was so popular with artists.”
Essix decided to take a new direction in 2013, when he decided to bring a fresh approach to the festival model that’s been the norm for Birmingham. He created the Jazz Escape with plans to bring in the same level of talent, but reach out to jazz lovers worldwide who want a complete travel and music experience all in a resort location.
The event kicks off on Friday afternoon with a jazzy Mix & Mingle featuring a live performance by the band Roman Street! On Saturday, guests can either check out all the resort has to offer with its pristine golf courses, great dining and a relaxing spa or take in some of the many attractions, restaurants and shopping destinations in Birmingham. Saturday night, the always exciting Brian Culbertson performs followed by the Jazz Escape After Party in the hotel ballroom with live music and dancing featuring The Kelley O’Neal Band! Sunday morning, Jazz Escape attendees who are staying at the Renaissance Ross Bridge will be treated to a Jazz Brunch at the hotel featuring live music by the Chad Fisher Group. Later, on Sunday afternoon, the Jazz Escape showcases an exciting lineup featuring Frank McComb, The Eric Essix Project, Kim Scott, Tracy Hamlin, Karen Briggs and closing with a surprise Jazz Escape All Star Band!
The event also serves in part as a fundraiser for the Eric Essix Foundation for the Arts and Education, which seeks to enrich, inspire and elevate the lives of young people everywhere through music. For more than 20 years, Eric Essix has reached out to literally thousands of students each year bringing jazz performances and instruction into schools that are in some of the poorest counties in the state of Alabama and beyond. To further those efforts, proceeds from the Jazz Escape are used to benefit the new non-profit.
General admission tickets for the entire three-day weekend of concerts and events are $135 while VIP tickets are $175. Three-day hotel packages are $650.16 while two-day packages are $468.90. Both hotel packages include admission to the delicious Sunday Jazz Brunch for two guests! A limited number of tickets are available for those who are not staying at the Renaissance Ross Bridge. Tickets can be purchased ONLY on the events website at www.jazzescape.com. Reservations for the Renaissance Ross Bridge are secured and/or purchased on the website or by phone at (205) 916-7677. Hotel Reservations must be purchased no later than July 29, 2014.
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About The Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa
Retreat to the beautiful rolling hills and experience one of the finest hotels in Birmingham, Alabama. Secluded from every day cares, yet close to a vibrant city, the Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa embodies comfortable sophistication and the casual elegance of a royal retreat. The plush guest rooms at this AAA Four Diamond Birmingham, AL hotel include balconies overlooking stunning grounds and a signature pool featuring enchanting waterfalls and fountains that will truly amaze you. Boasting the third-longest golf course in the world, the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail course is highlighted by sweeping majestic views of the surrounding foothills. Stimulate your senses at the lavish 12,000-square-foot European spa located inside this hotel is exclusively designed to ensure complete relaxation and tranquility. Experience this Birmingham, AL hotel’s luxury and discover a delightful “escape” at Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa.
About The Eric Essix Foundation for the Arts and Education
The mission of the Eric Essix Foundation is “to elevate and enrich the lives of others through the arts and education.” It is a mission that Eric takes very seriously and it has been the driving force behind all of his educational endeavors. Eric’s desire to have a positive effect on the lives of many more young people inspired the creation of the Eric Essix Foundation for the Arts and Education and the Jazz Escape.
Over the past twenty years, Eric has conducted clinics and performances for literally thousands of middle and high school students all over the U.S. and abroad teaching the history and development of jazz and the important part that music plays in the American experience. The bulk of those performances, were in his home state of Alabama funded by the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the Essix Music Group, LLC.
A 1993 graduate of Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music, with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Production and Engineering, Eric has taught classes in The Art of Music Production at UAB’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center. He also accepted a position as a faculty member in the music department at UAB teaching jazz guitar and courses in the department’s Music Technology major. In October 2013, Eric was distinguished as a UAB ambassador and was awarded a one year Artist-In-Residence by university president Dr. Ray Watts and Vice President, Dr. Shirley Salloway Kahn.
Through fundraising for the Eric Essix Foundation, Eric’s goal to double his outreach to students from an average of 4,000 per year to 8,000 in 2015. By 2016, the Foundation would like to establish two new major programs; The Imogene Essix Reading Initiative providing tutoring to people of all ages with reading difficulties and Jazz Meets Hip Hop, an effort to expose young artists to jazz through the music of their generation with a positive message.
