Bill Bell Jazz Festival, MLK Center present 9th Annual Fest, Family Fun Day
By Emily Bell
Polyrhythms is joining with the MLK Center, Rock Island Parks & Recreation and the Rock Island County NAACP to combine the annual Family Fun Day with the ninth annual Bill Bell Jazz & Heritage Festival. This year’s festival will be August 18 and 19 at MLK Park in Rock Island, and August 20 at Rivermont Collegiate in Bettendorf. MLK Park is across the street from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, 630 Martin Luther King Drive in Rock Island. Rivermont Collegiate is located at 1821 Sunset Drive in Bettendorf. The festival headliner this year is former Bill Bell student and subsequent Arsenio Hall music director Michael Wolff. All performances are free.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center’s annual Family Fun Day Parade is on Saturday, August 19 and kicks off a full day of events at Family Fun Day. The parade begins at Frances Willard Elementary School, 25th Avenue and Ninth Street, at 10 a.m., moves north on Ninth Street and ends at the MLK Center and Park on Seventh Avenue. Participants are encouraged to ride bikes, build a float, decorate a vehicle or walk along the route.
In 2014 Polyrhythms were looking for an event that celebrated the history, uniqueness and diversity of local neighborhoods and inspire a sense of pride and belonging. They decided to base a new event on the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which is an annual celebration of local music and culture. “He (Bill Bell) inspired and encouraged not only through his tremendous musical gifts, but also through the strength of his character. He felt very strongly about the well-being of others and saw music as uplifting. He saw potential in students where others did not and inspired his students to be the very best they could be,” said David Berson.
For more information on the Fun Day and festival, including how to register, click here.
Polyrhythms 9th Annual Bill Bell Jazz & Heritage Festival 2023
Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, 630 Martin Luther King Drive, Rock Island
FRIDAY AUGUST 18
5 p.m., Teranga Drum Circle
6 p.m., Black Authors Book Forum
6-8 p.m., Polyrhythms All-Stars Jam Party Pt. 1 (m3 and past artists of the festival)
8:45-10 p.m., WeFunk (Iowa City P-Funk Tribute – (15 artists)
SATURDAY AUGUST 19, FAMILY FUN DAY
10-12 p.m., Parade Saturday, down Ninth Street
12:30 p.m., Opening Ceremonies, DJ Swift
1-4 p.m., at the Francis Clay/Moe Payton Memorial Stage:
1-1:15 p.m., Dance Lessons, Stephanie Ross
1:15-1:30 p.m., Ebony Dance Illusion
1:30-1:45 p.m., Tia & Camaron Shumpert Duet
2 – 2:15 p.m., Royal Drama Dance Team
2:15-2:30 p.m., Knowledge D’Vine, Poetry/Spoken Word
2-3 p.m., Housing Forum by George Guy, Fort Wayne Housing Authority CEO
3–5 p.m., Pulling Focus Film Festival
5-6 p.m., Polyrhythms All-Stars Jam Party Pt. 2 (m3 and past artists of the festival)
7-8 p.m., CJ Parker
8:45-10 p.m., The Matt Fuller Band
SUNDAY AUGUST 20
Rivermont Collegiate, Becherer Hall Auditorium, 1821 Sunset Drive, Bettendorf
3 p.m., doors open
3:30-4:15 p.m., Guitar & Trumpet Duo
Steve Grismore – guitar
Dr. Edgar Crockett – trumpet
5-6 p.m., Kuchina Trio
James Culver – drums
Corey Kendrick – piano
Andy Crawford – bass
6:45-8 p.m.,
Michael Wolff – piano
Mike Clark – drums
Saul Lubaroff – saxophone
Frank Russell – bass
