Most of the annual fall festivals scheduled for 2020 on Delmarva have been postponed until next year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. One such event is the mammoth Rehoboth Beach Autumn Jazz Festival, which was to kick off with a performance by Blood, Sweat & Tears on Oct. 14 and run through the weekend.
There is a bit of a silver lining for local jazz fans, however. The Rehoboth festival’s organizers have teamed with the Rusty Rudder in Dewey Beach for an event there dubbed Mini Jazz Fest. It will take place Friday through Sunday, Oct. 16-18.
Complimentary jazz festival masks will be given to patrons upon arrival. Doormen will take the temperatures of all who attend, and anyone with a fever will be denied entry in the name of safety. All will be asked to follow the standard guidelines for social distancing.
Mini Jazz Fest kicks off at 9:30 p.m. Friday with Gerald Veasley & Carol Riddick ($69, $79). Saturday afternoon will see free performances by JJ Sansaverino at 1:30 p.m. and Club Phred at 2:30 p.m.
Saxophonist Marcus Anderson plays at 4 p.m. Saturday ($39, $44). Veasley returns at 9:30 p.m. Saturday to play a duo show with Alex Bugnon ($69, $79).
More: DiFebo’s in Berlin closes. Agave expands near Rehoboth: What’s going there
Jazz vocalist and Grammy nominee Maysa will team up with Art Sherrod Jr and Jeff Bradshaw for a brunch performance at 12:30 p.m. Sunday ($69, $79). Maysa and a host of performers from throughout the weekend will jam at the Closing Party at 6 p.m. Sunday ($85 includes a plated dinner).
The Dogfish Head brewpub in downtown Rehoboth also has a jazz show set for this weekend. The Sharon Sable Trio will play from 8-11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16. Sable’s “Love Evermore” album features remakes of compositions by the likes of Dizzy Gillespie. Admission is free.
Another jazz-oriented festival in Rehoboth, True Blue Jazz, will host its eighth annual event Oct. 16-17. Most of the activities will take place virtually at www.truebluejazz.org. There will, however, be watch parties and a few live performances at the Boardwalk Plaza Hotel on the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk.
In Ocean City, Fager’s Island will revisit one of its pre-COVID traditions by presenting some dinnertime jazz music Monday, Oct. 19. Local lounge vocalist Bryan Clark, who has a loyal following, will sing classics from the Great American Songbook beginning at 6 p.m.
More: Ocean City’s WinterFest getting changes. Here’s what you need to know.
Elsewhere in OC, tickets have sold out in advance for a performance by Off the Edge: Dueling Pianos, which is set to take place in the Morley Hall at Seacrets at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16. There were three tiers of seating sold for the event, yet the number of tables was limited as Maryland continues its 75% capacity rule.
Email Roger Hillis at rogerhillis@gmail.com