Building on last year’s momentous milestone celebration, the 16th Annual Duck Jazz Festival promises to be an invigorating celebration of jazz, the Town of Duck, the Outer Banks community and everything live music has to offer.
This year’s theme, Duck Grooves: The Sound of Jazz, is meant to reflect the dynamic, evolving nature of jazz and how that parallels the Outer Banks.
“We take each wave as it comes here on the Outer Banks,” says Town of Duck Public Information and Events Director Kay Nickens. “The sound of jazz flows and adapts to the arrangements of the music, so finding harmony between the music and the environment – and the people appreciating both while celebrating the high energy of a sweet 16 party – is what we are aiming for this year.”
Kicking off the festival on Saturday is Adam Hawley, an acclaimed artist known for his melodic jazz performances and Billboard hits. Joined by his wife and vocalist, Kat Hawley, their set offers an introduction to a weekend filled with vocal jazz.
Sunday will feature Shayna Steele, known for her powerful voice, alongside Gerald Veasley, a returning favorite who has not only performed on stage, but also has co-hosted the festival in the past.
The line-up also includes The Hot Lanes with Bobby Jasinski, a 16-piece big band; The David Esleck Trio featuring Jordan Garrett; and the perennial favorite, the First Flight High School Jazz band under the direction of Bob Ebert. A highlight of the lineup and the festival finale is Tito Puente Jr., bandleader, percussionist, songwriter and producer who carries on the legacy of his father, Tito Puente, known as The King of Latin Music. Like any fun sweet 16 party, there will be dancing!
Also returning, this time to the Main Stage, is the all-female band Brass Queens, who brought the house down in 2022 with their high-energy performance. In an effort to broaden the festival’s inclusivity, Dr. Kelsey Klotz from the University of Maryland will present a lecture on the history of women in jazz.
These additions are in response to community requests for diverse musical styles and cultures as well as the desire for more vocal performances and audience engagement. Yearly surveys provide feedback that allows for continuous improvement, ensuring the festival evolves to meet the needs of its audience while maintaining high-quality entertainment.
Festival organizers are also collaborating with local businesses to create additional pre- and post-festival events, encouraging attendees to enjoy the vibrant local scene throughout the week.
“It’s an honor to be able to bring that level of entertainment and the community pride to the Town of Duck and the entire Outer Banks,” Nickens says. “To keep something going that has historical and cultural relevance is really cool. It is so special to be able to show that, yes, we’re a tiny little place, but we pack quite a punch.”
Thursday, October 9
Paul F. Keller Meeting Hall 1200 Duck Road
6 p.m. Voices and Virtuosos: The History of Women in Jazz, an educational lecture led by Dr. Kelsey Klotz, Assistant Professor of Musicology at the University of Maryland
Friday, October 10
Paul F Keller Meeting Hall 1200 Duck Road
9 a.m. Children’s Jazz Story Time and Rhythm Play with Ascencion Music Academy
Town Green 1200 Duck Road
Sunset: Movie on the Green presented by Carolina Designs Realty; movie is Sing
Saturday, October 11
Town Green
4 p.m. Adam Hawley
Sunday, October 12
10 a.m. Gates Open
11 a.m. Music Starts
MAIN STAGE
11 a.m. Shayna Steele
1:10 p.m. Gerald Veasley
3:25 p.m. Brass Queens
5:25 p.m. Tito Puente, Jr.
Amphitheater
12:10 p.m. First Flight High School Honors Jazz Band
2:20 p.m. David Esleck Trio ft. Jordan Garrett
4:30 p.m. The Hot Lanes with Bobby Jasinski
About the Author Laura Martier
Laura Martier is a long-time Outer Banks resident who currently divides her time between her home in Southern Shores, where she lives with her partner Dan Martier and dog Deva Om, and Nosara, Costa Rica. After almost 17 years of non-profit management, fundraising and community building, Martier now dedicates herself solely to seeking adventure and expressing herself though music and writing.
