Jazz is a difficult genre to define, as it includes everything from swing, to bebop, to experimental fusion. Jazz has taken a backseat to popular music in the past few decades, but organizations such as the SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival keep its beat going strong.

"Jazz festivals provide a link to the history of the music while promoting current artists who are taking jazz into ever-evolving directions," says Kevin Tobin, festival manager.

Programming has become increasingly diverse since the festival began in 1987. Says Tobin, "Jazz is a big word. While not every artist we present can be considered jazz, we can find linkages within the various genres, or chord structures with a song, where we can find the link to jazz music." At the festival, you will not only hear "pure" jazz, but also blues, R&B and soul, considered "first cousins to jazz."

Performances are held in parks and on street corners in downtown Saskatoon, bringing the city alive with music. The festival is the second largest of its kind in Western Canada. "A festival that attracts over 70,000 from a local population of 200,000 is unique not only in Canada but throughout the world," Tobin says. It is also a major supporter and promoter of local musicians. More than 75 percent of artists featured are from Saskatchewan.

"As we have seen our audience grow each year, we can only determine that there is a need for a festival that can be enjoyed by the young and the young at heart."

For more on the SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival, visit www.saskjazz.com.

The SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival receives grants from the SaskFestivals program, which is funded in part through the financial assistance of SaskCulture Inc., with funding from the Saskatchewan Lotteries Trust Fund for Sport, Culture and Recreation.

Above: Jack Semple performs at the SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival.

Photos: James Hare