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Atlanta Jazz Fest returns to Piedmont Park
Some of the most influential artists in history have taken the stage at the Atlanta Jazz Festival, and the tradition continues this weekend. Paul Milliken talked with jazz pianist Kenny Banks Jr. about how the city inspired his debut album and his upcoming performance on Sunday.
ATLANTA - From Dizzy Gillespie to Nina Simone to Ray Charles, some of the most gifted and influential artists in history have performed at the Atlanta Jazz Festival.
And the tradition continues this weekend, as the 48th annual Atlanta Jazz Festival presents a packed schedule of music greats performing live — and for free! — in Piedmont Park.
This year’s festival runs Saturday through Monday, featuring five acts on the stage each day. Performers include Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Marsha Ambrosius (taking the stage Saturday at 7 p.m.), Grammy-winning musician and composer Derrick Hodge (Saturday at 9 p.m.), and legendary jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves (Monday at 7 p.m.).
Acclaimed pianist Kenny Banks, Jr. kicks off Sunday’s lineup at 1 p.m. — and if he looks particularly comfortable performing in Piedmont Park, that’s because he happens to call Atlanta home.
"I play in East Atlanta Village every Monday night for a jam session, and it’s like my living room," says the pianist. "I’m so comfortable there; I’m too comfortable there! I could walk in there in my socks and feel like, you know, ‘I’m good!’"
In fact, when Banks recorded and released his debut album last year, he named it after the neighborhood.
"All the songs [on the album] are songs that we did at that jam session for the last few years, that we have been doing and embellishing," he says. "So, I was like, ‘Let’s just put it on the record.’"
We recently brought Kenny Banks, Jr. to the FOX 5 Atlanta studios for an interview and a private piano concert — to hear more from the musician, click the video player in this article. And click here for more information on this year’s Atlanta Jazz Festival, produced by the City of Atlanta Mayor’s office of Cultural Affairs.
The Source: Good Day Atlanta's Paul Milliken spent the morning in Piedmont Park, chatting with Adriane Jefferson, executive director of the Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs, and also interviewed pianist Kenny Banks, Jr. in preparation for this report.