All That Jazz

The Cuyahoga Community College JazzFest has been going strong for 35 years, but there are a few changes for this year’s festival. While the event used to be held across a full week, this year the same number of concerts will take place across the course of three days at Playhouse Square. Many local groups will now be featured on an outdoor stage at U.S. Bank Plaza, where food and drink will be available for purchase. The rest of the shows take place inside the Palace, Ohio and Hanna Theatres. The festivities kick off tonight at 7 at the Ohio Theatre as Sean Jones, the bandleader of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra and the former lead trumpet player for Wynton Marsalis’ Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, leads his quartet in the music of Christian McBride. Ticket prices vary, but you can get a festival pass for $270 from the Tri-C website, where you will find the full concert listings. Concerts continue through Saturday. (Eric Gonzalez) tri-c.edu/enrichment/arts/jazzfest