Rubber City Jazz and Blues Festival at Akron ArtWalk

Enjoy a lively evening in Downtown Akron, celebrating local art and jazz with live performances in the Main Library auditorium and Akron Art Museum garden, and music and art activities for all ages.

Don't miss this special Friday evening in Akron's Historic Arts District!

Send summer out on a high note as you browse the open art galleries at Summit Artspace, try your hand at a new musical instrument, get a bite to eat from a local food truck, enjoy live music performances in the Akron Art Museum garden and Main Library auditorium. 

Akron Main Library Auditorium:

• Chris Coles’ Love Deamon - 5 pm 
  
  Christopher Coles is a Knight Arts Challenge award-winning saxophonist, who has performed worldwide, and is currently on the faculty of the Oberlin Conservatory and the University of Akron. The Love Deamon Song Cycle is a collection of songs that takes critical moments in the story arc of Gaara of the Sand, from Masashi Kishimoto's popular manga series Naruto.

• Bobby Selvaggio Quintet ft Sean Jones - 6:15 pm
  
  Bobby Selvaggio is an accomplished alto saxophonist, composer, and arranger, and has released numerous well-received albums, including "Quantum Man," which was one of Downbeat's best of 2017. He has dedicated himself to keeping jazz alive in Cleveland and his passion for jazz education has led him to serve as Director of Jazz Studies at Kent State University. 
  Sean Jones is artistic director of the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra, Artist-in-Residence at San Francisco Performances, and a member of The SF JAZZ Collective.

Akron Art Museum Garden:

• Musical Instrument Petting Zoo - 5-8 pm
  
  Ever wanted to try a saxophone? A drum? An effects pedal?  Aspiring musicians of all ages can try their hand (and breath!) at all kinds of musical instruments, and find their passion! 
  
  
• Ronell Regis’ Grenada to the World - 5:30-7:30 pm 
  
  Ronell Regis is a saxophonist and composer born in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn, New York City. It was in Brooklyn where he was exposed to immense diversity especially in the Caribbean realm, through his Grenadian parents. Through his compositions, he blends his experiences in gospel, R&B, jazz, hip-hop, and reggae at any given moment. Examples of this aspiration can be found in his work through his suite, Grenada to the World, a dedication to his family’s history in Grenada while also pinpointing the culture/history of the island. Highlighting the importance of the black diaspora and its musical evolution is at the forefront of his work and purpose. It is all in correlation with the push towards equality.

Every three months, ArtWalk is held in the Historic Arts District on Friday nights from 5 – 9 pm. Community members are invited to the quarterly celebration to enjoy food, music, art, and more. Each ArtWalk will have a specific theme that engages visitors with the arts in new ways. ArtWalk is always free and open to the public.

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