Rob Dixon Reflects on Local Acts Playing Indy Jazz Fest 2021
Every year, Indy Jazz Fest artistic director Rob Dixon looks forward to introducing festival attendees to Indianapolis’ treasure trove of local jazz talent.
“I get the biggest kick out of them getting to discover the great talent of these musicians who are doing it day in and day out here,” Dixon says.
Slated to take place Sept. 18-19 at Garfield Park, this year’s Indy Jazz Fest lineup pairs internationally acclaimed artists like Cory Henry, Thundercat and Victor Wooten with local standouts like Amanda Gardier, Native Sun and Premium Blend. In anticipation of the festival, our Seth Johnson caught up with Rob Dixon to discuss this year’s altered format, as well as what local acts festival attendees should plan to check out each day. Read their full conversation below.
SETH JOHNSON: What went into the planning for this year’s Indy Jazz Fest, and why did you choose to change up the format?
ROB DIXON: We’d been talking about going back outdoors for the longest time — probably for the last four or five years. Financially, it made sense for us to do it at smaller venues in the past. There was just less financial risk, ya know?
In 2019, we said, “We’re going to go back outside in 2020 and do it big.” But then, of course, COVID happened, so we had to pivot and say, “Hey. We’ve gotta do everything virtually with the commissions.” So the outdoor thing has been two years in the making, and now it just completely makes sense. We were going to do some commissioned concerts at the Madame Walker Legacy Center and Schrott Center for the Arts with Kenny Phelps and Steve Allee, but we’ve postponed those to November and December just because the COVID numbers are ridiculous again. But we’ve consulted with some doctors and professionals in the medical field, and they said an outdoor event is a lot safer than doing things indoors. So it just completely makes sense that we do it outdoors, and the stars aligned.
JOHNSON: Why did you specifically choose to have the festival at Garfield Park? How was your relationship with them sparked?
DIXON: That too has been a longstanding conversation with Indy Parks. Even from the time the Indy Jazz Foundation started doing it, there were talks of partnering with Indy Parks. But particularly, in the last two years, we’ve been talking with George Benn about doing something in one of the parks.
We actually thought about many different parks, but Garfield Park seemed like it made the most sense. It’s near Fountain Square, in an area that’s really up-and-coming. We were able to record a virtual concert last year at Garfield Park, and that was the catalyst that moved this forward. It’s just a great community space for live music. We’re looking forward to being a part of Garfield Park, not only this year but in future years.
JOHNSON: In previous years, Indy Jazz Fest has had some sort of theme. Considering you have Thundercat and Victor Wooten on this year’s lineup — two of the best bassists in the world — it would seem the unofficial theme for this year has something to do with the bass. Would you agree?
DIXON: It was actually by happenstance that we booked bass players, and then we realized it. We came up with all these subthemes we could do, like “The Low End Theory” and “Bass Exploration.” We came up with all these cool names, but we couldn’t land on one, so we were just like, “Well, let’s not have a subtheme. Let’s just call it Indy Jazz Fest.”
JOHNSON: Tell me more about some of the local acts people should get excited about seeing at Indy Jazz Fest 2021.
DIXON: Two bands that stick out in particular are Jared Thompson and Premium Blend and Native Sun because they did the virtual performances last year. Having those groups actually perform live makes it something that’s special for them because they were part of Jazz Fest last year but it had to be all virtual. Both of the groups have a fantastic show prepared, so I’m looking forward to that.
And then, we have some other great local bands. Amanda Gardier has put together a fantastic group, and it’s great to have her in the fold. I’m excited about my group, Rob Dixon & Triology. I’m extending it so it’s actually going to be a seven-piece band with a couple special guests. For me, some of the tunes are going to actually be realized the way I hear them in my head.
Of course, Pavel & Direct Contact always give a great show, so that’s going to be fantastic. We also always have an educational component, which is going to be stellar this year. We’re going to have the Indiana All-State High School Band perform Sunday at noon, so that’ll be great.
JOHNSON: Considering this year’s lineup is a mix of renowned national acts and local standouts, what are you hoping people take away from Indy Jazz Fest 2021?
DIXON: A big objective for the organization [Indy Jazz Foundation] is to highlight the great musicians we have in town. It’s almost like if I had a restaurant with the best desserts in town, where people came for the main course but could stay for desserts. That’s how I feel about the local musicians. People can come for Thundercat and Victor Wooten, but then they get to experience these local groups and they’ll be like, “Whoa! I had no idea!”