Jazz, like an unwed millionaire, is best when smooth, live, and experienced in a scenic island setting. Let music caress your face and bestow you with riches with today's Groupon to the 24th Annual Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival. You'll get seats in the front floor section of the Avalon Casino Ballroom on your choice of one or more of the following dates:
- $19 for Friday, October 1 ($38 value)
- $40 for Saturday, October 2 ($80 value)
- $40 for Sunday, October 3 ($80 value)
- $19 for Friday, October 8 ($38 value)
- $40 for Saturday, October 9 ($80 value)
- $40 for Sunday, October 10 ($80 value)
- $19 for Friday, October 15 ($38 value)
- $40 for Saturday, October 16 ($80 value)
- $40 for Sunday, October 17 ($80 value)
About 26 miles off the Southern California coastline in the island village of Avalon, the JazzTrax Festival corrals more than 30 smooth jazz artists for three consecutive weekends of live music performances. Each day brings a new series of performances to the Casino Ballroom, a venue that overlooks the sparkling harbor and ocean waters as waves gently lap against the shore like a soft saxophone note knocking on your ear door. Friday sessions include two nightly acts at 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday sessions offer two afternoon sessions at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. in addition to evening sessions at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. An eclectic artist lineup features such diverse performers as sax maven Mindi Abair, Swiss keyboardist Alex Bugnon, legendary flutist Tim Weisberg, and supergroup Fourplay. The majority of artists will be available for CD- and broken-limb-cast signings following each performance, and CDs from artists will be available for purchase at the festival.
Ferries to the island leave from San Pedro, Long Beach, Newport Beach, and Marina Del Rey, though only one ferry line, Catalina Express, offers return boats to Long Beach following the Saturday and Sunday evening performances. Between sessions, you can walk the one-square-mile island to take in breathtaking sights, including quaint restaurants and beaches. Those who prefer not to walk can rent golf carts, the primary mode of island transit, or hire a quartet of brawny trumpeters to carry you. A full bar and cuisine will also be available on-site in the ballroom. For more information, including transit and lodging options, check out the festival's FAQ page.
Reviews
Although reviews for the Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival are still growing, local media such as About.com and The Cultured Traveler featured the fest.
- Los Angeles really does offer just about any kind of travel experience you could be looking for. October is a great month to plan an island getaway during your trip to LA. Catalina Island, easily accessible from Long Beach or San Pedro, is holding their annual Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival, which brings together 30 jazz musicians from around the world for a three-weekend musical feast of smooth contemporary jazz. – Kayte Deioma, About.com
- …jazz persists, a small but powerful companion stream of music that surprisingly is more likely to add its flavor to rock than the other way around whenever the occasional breach lets the two momentarily mingle. So, it seems fitting that a jazz festival would take place on an island that, like the music it hosts, is both an essential part of the place it belongs to yet is set apart. The festival is the Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival – Totty, The Cultured Traveler
