JazzFest taps New Orleans and new location

Old Town Takoma Park to host annual music event with two stages and sounds from the Big Easy

‘‘We’re trying to get people into Takoma Park and move into a much more visible place than we have been in recent years,” said Bruce Krohmer, co-founder and producer of the free event that was formerly held on a single stage in Jequie Park. ‘‘We’re pumping up, we’re getting funkier, especially this year because we’re New Orleans-based.”

Ford, who Krohmer called ‘‘R&B royalty,” said he was recruited for the gig when word spread that organizers were looking for a clarinetist from New Orleans. He decided to play when he learned that the festival will host vendors who are raising money to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, including the Tipitina’s Foundation, a New Orleans-based nonprofit that helps disadvantaged musicians throughout Louisiana.

‘‘It’s just a very important situation,” Ford said. ‘‘We’re really suffering right now, big time.”

Ford said he hopes attendees at the festival will get a taste of New Orleans culture, from the music that will be played and the Cajun food that will be sold, to the midday Mardi Gras parade that Krohmer said will include beads and parasols.

‘‘They want to keep that New Orleans flavor,” Ford said of the organizers. ‘‘They want to show all the people the culture of New Orleans, those who have not been fortunate enough to see New Orleans, and maybe by seeing, hearing and tasting New Orleans, they might want to come down here and help.”

Other vendors will sell Thai and soul food, Southern barbecue and ‘‘country delicacies.” Three visual artists and several local nonprofit groups also will be on hand.

Ford will play in Takoma Park with a band composed of musicians he’s never met. Jazz being an improvisational art, Ford said he isn’t worried, adding that he once played a show with Japanese musicians who didn’t speak any English.

‘‘When you’re dealing with professional musicians, it’s not a problem,” he said. ‘‘I’m sure they’re going to do a phenomenal job.”

Also appearing on the bill will be the swing band Blue Sky 5, the Squeeze Bayou Cajun Band and the Sherwood Blues Band as well as local bands Chopteeth and Natty Beaux, which includes members of the Billy Coulter Band and the Alexandria Kleztet.

Two performers at this year’s festival —pianist Matt Wigler and ragtime player Brendan Ernst — are only 14 years old.

‘‘It looks like a great festival; I’m excited,” said Wigler, an eighth-grader from Ellicott City who recently played at The Birchmere in Alexandria, Va.

‘‘It’s just a great opportunity to share music that we really enjoy playing with people who really dig what we’re doing,” said drummer Mike Flaherty, who will perform with his Dixieland Direct Jazz Band and was recruited to play drums for Ford. ‘‘To come out and listen to jazz — a lot of people aren’t exposed to that. ... Once they feel the spirit and the energy of the music, it’s impossible not to tap your foot.”

If you go

The Takoma Park JazzFest will take place 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday on Carroll Avenue between Willow and Tulip avenues in Old Town Takoma Park. Live music will be performed all day on two different stages. A Mardi Gras-style parade will take place around 1:45 p.m. The event is free. Sponsors include The City of Takoma Park, the Old Takoma Business Association and the House of Musical Traditions. Visit www.tpjazzfest.org for more information.