A world-class jazz extravaganza is taking place in the community during the 39th annual Knox-Rootabaga Jazz Festival on April 2-6, with guest artists the Xavier Breaker Coalition and the Mark Guiliana Space Heroes. Other featured performers will be the Nikki Malley Quintet, Galesburg High School Jazz Band, the Knox Alumni Big Band, Faculty and Friends Combo, and the Knox Jazz Ensemble. View the schedule.

Drummer, composer, and arranger Xavier Breaker previously performed at Knox with CALJE, Stu Mindeman, and Chinchano, and now returns to Knox leading his own critically acclaimed, Chicago-based band. The Xavier Breaker Coalition, formed in 2013, has been featured in many festivals including the Chicago Jazz Festival, and the band released its debut album, Dreamology, in 2015.

Mark Guiliana, chosen as Best Jazz Drummer in the Modern Drummer Readers Poll 2017, is in demand across the spectrum from jazz to rock to electronic music, with his verve and precision a prime mover of Blackstar, David Bowie’s multiple Grammy Award-winning final album. Now, Guiliana is unveiling his latest group, Mark Guiliana Space Heroes, featuring the “two-horn” front line of saxophonists Jason Rigby and Shane Endsley and bassist Chris Morrissey.

The Rootabaga Jazz Festival represents a unique partnership among Knox College, the Galesburg community, and local music and arts supporters. The festival focuses on collaborations between guest artists and students, as well as performances in various venues around the community.

The National Endowment for the Arts approved a $10,000 Challenge America grant for the 2019 Knox-Rootabaga Jazz Festival performances and free educational programs, including those especially aimed at children and families. The Challenge America category features NEA support for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations—those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability.  

Learn more about this year's Rootabaga Jazz Festival and purchase tickets at www.knox.edu/rootabaga. The Festival Pass is $30 per person and includes access to all events on Thursday and Friday nights and mezzanine seats on Saturday night at the Orpheum Theatre. Individual tickets may also be purchased at the door.

The Rootabaga Jazz Festival is part of the Knox Jazz Year, which also includes The Jerome Mirza Jazz Residency and the Knox Winter Jazz Series, which has been rescheduled for April 27.

The festival is sponsored in part by the Lucile Sudbury Charitable Trust.

(Photos below: Scenes from the 2018 Knox-Rootabaga Jazz Festival)

2019 Rootabaga Jazz Festival Schedule

April 2

Nikki Malley Quintet
United High School, Monmouth IL
7:00 p.m.
Free and open to the public

The Nikki Malley quintet will perform a joint concert with the United High School jazz band and concert band directed by Madeline Wood on Tuesday, April 2 at 7 p.m. in United High School in Monmouth, Illinois. The concert is part of the Rootabaga Jazz School Tour. On Tuesday, April 2 and Wednesday, April 3, the Nikki Malley quintet will tour seven area schools performing for elementary, junior high, and high school students.

April 4

Faculty and Friends Combo
Fat Fish Pub, 158 N. Broad St., Galesburg
7:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.
Admission: $5, Knox Students free with ID

The Faculty and Friends performance features Knox's accomplished jazz faculty and local jazz musicians from the vibrant live music community of central Illinois.

April 5

Galesburg High School Jazz Band
7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

Knox Alumni Big Band
8:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

Xavier Breaker Coalition
9:30 p.m.-midnight

Fat Fish Pub, 158 N. Broad St., Galesburg
Admission: $10/Knox Students free with ID

April 6

Rootabaga Kids: Xavier Breaker Coalition
Galesburg Public Library
10:00 a.m.
Free and open to the public

This family-friendly event promises to be a very engaging and entertaining experience.

Mark Guiliana Space Heroes featuring Chris Morrissey, Jason Rigby, and Shane Endsley
Orpheum Theatre, 57 S. Kellogg St., Galesburg
5:00 p.m.
Free floor & balcony seats • $20 reserved mezzanine

The night opens with the award-winning Knox Jazz Ensemble, followed by Mark Guiliana Space Heroes.