32 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday August 4, 2006 www.oakvillebeaver.com All that jazz set to take the stage downtown By Krissie Rutherford OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Jazz fans will soon be flocking to Oakville. The 14th annual Downtown Oakville Jazz Festival kicks off Wednesday, Aug. 9, and over the course of five days of performances, is expected to draw more than 40,000 people. Brian Auger's Oblivion Express and Larry Coryell are kicking off the concerts this year, a show that will mark the first time in 30 years the pair have played together. "They are two jazz icons," said festival chair Peter Tulloch. "That should be a terrific show, I'm really looking forward to it." Auger has a Grammy nomination under his belt, 10 albums charting in the top 100, a No. 1 single and has earned himself the title `The Godfather of Acid Jazz' for his group's combination of jazz, rock, soul and funk. Coryell has recorded on more than 70 albums and is known to fans as the `Guitar God.' The pair will play both Aug. 9 and 10 at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts, both 8 p.m. starts. Tickets are still available by calling 905-815-2021. The free outdoor concerts kick off Friday night at Centennial Square, Towne Square and the Jazz East Stage, featuring acts like Reuben Wilson and the Masters of Groove, Red Peppers Dixieland Band, Sean Meredith Jones, Liberty Silver and Oakville's own Russ Little. "They're all, in their own regard, wonderful acts for different reasons," said Tulloch, a real estate agent who has been involved in organizing the festival for the past decade. Years ago, it was part of Midnight Madness. Since 2000, the Jazz Festival has been organized by the Downtown Oakville Business Improvement Area (BIA). "I think it's a good event for the community, it's my way of giving back to the community," said Tulloch. "It's a way for me to get a front row seat so see some of my favourite artists as well." Here's the line-up for Friday, Aug. 11: At Centennial Square, Sean Meredith Jones, 6:30 8 p.m., Cimarron, 8:30 10 p.m., Reuben Wilson and the Masters of Groove, 10:30 p.m. 12 a.m. At Towne Square, Red Peppers Dixieland Band, 6:30 8 p.m., Swing Rosie, 8:30 10 p.m., Liberty Silver, 10:30 p.m. 12 a.m. At the Jazz East Stage, Dan Bodanis, 7 9 p.m., Red Peppers Dixieland Band, 9:30 11:30 p.m. Saturday August 12 the concerts start at 1:30 p.m. and run as late as midnight. At Centennial Square, Hogtown Synchopators, 1:303:30 p.m., Russ Little Quintet, 4-6 p.m., Plan C, 7-9 p.m., Tony Monaco, 9:45-11:45 p.m. At Towne Square, Bell Youth in the Spotlight, 2-4 p.m., Stan Fomin, 6-7:30 p.m., Easy Answers with Terra Hazleton, 8-9:30 p.m., Michael Kaeshammer, 10 p.m.12 a.m. At the Jazz East Stage, Jordan Klapman and 100 Years of Waller, 7-9 p.m., Bobby Rice, 9:30-11:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13 is the final day of the festival and features Centennial Square Sunday Blues. At Centennial Square, Swamperella, 1-2:30 p.m., Margaret Stowe, 3-5 p.m. At Towne Square, Isaac Agyeman, 1-2:30 p.m., Canefire 3-5 p.m. The Downtown Oakville Jazz Festival is produced by the Downtown Oakville Business Improvement Area (BIA). Sponsors include NorthWest Mutual Funds Inc., Sunveil Sunwear, Downtown Oakville, The Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts, Bell, AM 740, Wave 94.7 fm, Lockwood Chrysler, Paradiso, The Bronze Frog Gallery, Peter W. Tulloch's Real Estate, Holiday Inn, Oakville-Centre, Classicorgan.com, L'Atelier Grigorian, 24-7 Webs Inc., Green Light Graphics, Blockbuster, Canadian Sound and Global Aerospace. For more on the Downtown Oakville Jazz Festival, visit www.oakvillejazz.com -- Krissie Rutherford can be reached at krutherford@oakvillebeaver.com.