Polyrhythms' 10th-Annual Bill Bell Jazz & Heritage Festival, August 16 through 18

Friday, August 16, and Saturday, August 17

Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center & Park, 601 Ninth Street, Rock Island IL

Sunday, August 18

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad Cities, 3707 Eastern Avenue, Davenport IA

With this year's weekend event held in conjunction with Rock Island's annual Family Fun Day and the area-wide Alternating Currents Festival, Polyrhythms is proud to host the 10th-annual Bill Bell Jazz & Heritage Festival, an August 16 through 18 celebration of cultural heritage in the Quad Cities named after the late musician, educator, and East Moline native lovingly known as “The Jazz Professor.”

The Friday and Saturday events will be held at Rock Island's Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center. On the outdoor stage from 6 to 6:45 p.m., the Polyrhythms Trio will perform, this seasoned group of musicians assembled by the late Polyrhythms founder Nathaniel Lawrence in 2021. The venerated group is composed of Musical Director Manuel Lopez III on drums, lifelong friend of Polyrhythms Ronald Wilson on the bass, and one of the very special generations of musicians that Polyrhythms has embraced over the years, Corey Kendrick on the piano. From 7:15 to 8:15 p.m., guests will be treated to Jerm Theory, a band of best friends and homegrown blues and funk musicians who have been germinating their sound since the early 2000.

Meanwhile, from 8:45 to 10 p.m., John Miller & the Romaniacs will play a traditional “gypsy jazz” style of music, based on the type immortalized by Django Reinhardt. This Romani-French jazz guitarist and composer, alongside another influential artist Stephane Grappelli on violin, assembled a quintet in 1935 playing their version of American jazz, which had this french-swing Gypsy sound. The Romaniacs’ repertoire includes classic Django tunes, modern Gypsy jazz, and French musettes, and their happy romantic music combined with the talent and camaraderie of this quartet is sure to leave audiences smiling and tapping their toes.

Inside the MLK Center, Polyrhythms is excited to again host the Black Authors Forum and Book Fair during the Bill Bell Jazz and Heritage Festival. Shellie Moore-Guy will host an assemblage of local authors presenting their work and speaking about their writings, and the writers' books will also be on sale.

Starting at 10 a.m. on Sunday, August 17, “Soul of the City” MLK's Family Fun Day will feature a morning parade, food and merchant vendors, informational booths, and bounce houses and a playground for the children, as well as a Black Author's Book Fair starting at noon. The Main Stage music begins at 5 p.m. and features Quad City Griots fusing the elements of hip hop and jazz improvisation. With the incredible songstress Semenya McCord on vocals and Frank Wilkins from Boston on piano the festival will bring to life the exciting standards and originals from the Great American Songbook from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. And headlining Saturday night are BYOBrass from Cedar Falls, who, from 8:30 to 10 p.m., will be performing music in the stye of New Orleans with their second-line, 10-piece brass band.

On Sunday, August 18, beginning at 2 p.m., the festival moves to Davenport's Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad Cities, and will feature the Kuchina Jazz Trio playing Latin-infused compositions and arrangements led by percussionist James Culver with special guest Saul Lubaroff on saxophones. At 3:30 p.m., Semenya McCord and Frank Wilkins will perform the second set of their jazz vocal quartet show showcasing their lovely jazz tones. And at 5 p.m., the final headliner for this year’s festival will be Iowa City's The Swampland Jewels, who will take audiences on a trip down south embracing the diverse influences of Iowa down to the Gulf Coast with the sounds of TexMex and Cajun-Creole tunes.

Speaking on the area music mentor and festival namesake, musician David Berson said, “He inspired and encouraged not only through his tremendous musical gifts, but also through the strength of his character. He felt very strongly about the well-being of others and saw music as uplifting. He saw potential in students where others did not and inspired his students to be the very best they could be."

All of the events in the 2024 Bill Bell Jazz & Heritage Festival are free, and more information on the August 16 through 18 event is available by visiting Polyrhythms.org/bill-bell-jazz-heritage-festival.