High Country Jazz Festival

Event Line Up for High Country Jazz Festival 2023 

Jazz Festival Appetizer – Thursday, June 8, 2023 

• Jazz Dinner at Casa Rustica – June 8, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. 

Casa Rustica fuses Old-World Italian cuisine with the fresh flavors of the High Country, much like jazz fuses elements from many different musical styles to create its own space. Todd Wright and Andy Page perform live jazz every Thursday night at the restaurant. We HIGHLY recommend reservations.

Reservations: Follow this LINK or call 828-262-5128.

• Screening of La La Land – June 8, 7 p.m. at Appalachian Theatre 

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling star as Mia and Sebastian, an actress and a jazz musician pursuing their Hollywood dreams — and finding each other — in a vibrant celebration of hope, dreams, and love.

Tickets: $6 each (taxes and fees included). Follow this LINK.

Jazz Festival Day 1 – Friday, June 9, 2023 

• Jazz Lecture, June 9, 11 a.m., Blowing Rock Art and History Museum 

The Jazz Swing Feel: From Count Basie to Emmet Cohen  
This hour session led by Professor Todd Wright, the coordinator of Jazz Studies at Appalachian State University, will musically trace what it means to swing in jazz. 

Tickets/Reservations are required. Follow this LINK.

• Jazz Cocktail Hour featuring Pavel Wlosok, June 9, 4 p.m., the Rooftop Bar at the Horton Hotel 

Pavel Wlosok, the director of the Jazz program at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina, provides a “progressive” soundtrack to a beautiful panoramic view of Downtown Boone atop the Horton Hotel.

Here’s a LINK to information on the Horton Hotel’s Rooftop Bar.

• Will Boyd Quintet, June 9, 5:30 p.m., Concerts on the Lawn at the Jones House Cultural Center 

Hailing from Orangeburg, S.C. by way of Queens, N.Y., Will Boyd now lives in Knoxville, TN, where he received his Master of Jazz Studies degree. A multi-reed instrumentalist, composer, and educator, Will has played with artists across many genres, including Leslie Odom, Jr., Doc Severinson, the Four Tops, and the Harry James Big Band. Will co-leads the group with his wife, Kelle Jolly, who is a jazz radio host and founder of Knoxville Women in Jazz Jam Festival.

At least one food truck will be available to purchase food during the performance.

This performance is FREE. Please bring your own chairs. For a list of concerts, art openings, and more at the Jones House Cultural Center, click here.

• The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra®, directed by Scotty Barnhart, with guest vocalist Carmen Bradford, June 9, 7:30 p.m. at the Appalachian Theatre 

The preeminent 4/4 Swing band! Mixing blues and 4/4 swing rhythms with a driving beat, bands in Kansas City were the precursors and the standard bearers of the Swing Era and Modern Jazz. Taking band members from two KC bands and starting his own, the Count Basie Orchestra remains a driving force in the Jazz world today with an ensemble featuring band members hired by the legend himself.  

Tickets are available HERE.

• High Country Jazz Festival Jam Session, June 9, 10 p.m. – Midnight at the Beacon Butcher Bar 

Late-night jam sessions – that’s when the hep cats really start to swing!

Head over to The Beacon Butcher Bar after the Legendary Count Basie Orchestra performance for even MORE jazz. Hot licks, cool jazz, and blue notes – you could hear it all, and you never know who may show up to groove.

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Jazz Festival Day 2 – Saturday, June 10, 2023 

• Marquee Jazz, June 10, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., under the Marquee at the Appalachian Theatre 

Students from the Appalachian State University Hayes School of Music Jazz Studies program play in the grand tradition of street performers at this year’s Mast General Store High Country Jazz Festival.  

• Jazz at Lunch, June 10, Noon – 3 p.m., Lost Province Brewing & Gastropub 

A local farm-to-table restaurant in the heart of Downtown Boone featuring house-made everything! Enjoy a brick-oven pizza or classic pub fare while enjoying music performed by the Ron Brendle Trio with Andy Page. Reservations are suggested for larger groups. Learn more about the venue HERE and check the menu HERE.

• Emmet Cohen Trio, June 10, 7:30 p.m. at the Appalachian Theatre 

Emmet Cohen, the leader of the Emmet Cohen Trio, is an internationally acclaimed jazz artist and winner of the 2019 American Pianists Awards. He appears regularly with jazz greats Benny Golson, Tootie Heath, and Lea DeLaria among others. During the 2020 pandemic lockdown, he gained fame and revived the jazz genre with weekly live-streamed performances featuring a wide berth of jazz works.   

Follow this LINK to reserve your tickets.

• High Country Jazz Festival Jam Session, June 10, 10 p.m. – Midnight at the Beacon Butcher Bar 

Late-night jam sessions – that’s when the hep cats really start to swing!

Head over to The Beacon Butcher Bar after the Emmet Cohen Trio performance for even MORE jazz. Hot licks, cool jazz, and blue notes – you could hear it all, and you never know who may show up to groove.