First-time bass player Jacquelyn Davis spoke at a recent Saturday night “Homelands” Juneau Symphony concert about the importance of Juneau Alaska Music Matters (JAMM) in her development as a musician. “You don’t know how important music is to me,” said Ms. Davis, “music is the sun when there is no sun.” Given the slog of rain Juneau has had the last two months, I instantly related to her sentiment.
Thank goodness Juneau has such a thriving music scene. At the start of this rainy stretch, we had one of the best-ever Alaska Folk Festival events. For the 50th celebration, we saw Grammy-winner, Rhiannon Giddens electrified the crowd and was able to dance to western swing. Before long, Juneau Jazz and Classics started off two weeks of incredible music with dancing to Memphis Gold. Then our own Zuill Bailey teamed up with virtuoso pianist Bryan Wallick for a sublime performance worthy of Carnegie Hall. This was followed up with two more Grammy winners, Mark and Maggie O’Connor playing a mixture of traditional and original music. A week later the festival got Juneau up and dancing to the Lionel Hampton Big Band. After a week to catch our collective musical breath, we had something entirely new and different – Trollfest. One family, three bands, and a magical immersion into the crazy fish art of Ray Troll made for another fun night of dancing the night away. Closing out the rainy month of May was the Juneau Symphony’s “Homelands” performance, billed as fiery, nostalgic and colorful. The performance featured another virtuoso pianist, Jeffery Biegel, and Juneau’s own singer-songwriter Annie Barthlomew. The concert fulfilled its billing and then some.
I don’t know where my mental health would be right now without Juneau’s vibrant music and art scene. Like no other year, it’s been the blessing we all needed. From deep in our collective well-being, gunalchéesh to the board of the Alaska Folk Festival, to Zuill Bailey, the music director of Juneau Jazz and Classics, to Erin Heist, the organizer of Trollfest, and to guest director Tigram Arakelyan and the entire Juneau Symphony for bringing us the sun of music when we had no sun.
Kate Troll
Juneau
