By Peter E. Leggett, Walker West Music Academy

For the past 14 years, on the 2nd Saturday in September, people of all ages and backgrounds have gathered at Selby Avenue and Milton Street in Saint Paul for the Selby Avenue Jazz Fest. Founded by Golden Thyme Coffee Shop owner Mychael Wright, The Selby Jazz Fest has grown into a massive all day event that draws more than 10,000 people. Featuring headliners over the past several years like Gerald Albright and Harvey Mason, the festival has become a place for the Summit-University community gather and usher in the fall.

This year, Walker West Music Academy hosted a kick-off event for the Selby Jazz Fest. It was held at Walker West’s new 760 Selby Avenue performance hall. The event began with an introduction from Executive Director Peter Leggett who shared with attendees information about Walker West’s new facility. Leggett then invited festival founder Mychael Wright up to the stage to thank him for his years of support of Walker West and to celebrate the long-term success of the organization.

Performer DeVante Jackson on saxophone, Victor Hafoka on piano, Tyler Edwards on drums, and Gavin Taylor on bass started the evening off with a chilled out set of back-beat oriented original tunes. Following their set, headliner Eric Kamu Gravatt took the stage with his group Source Code. Mr. Gravatt is famously known for his years of playing with jazz-fusion group Weather Report and John Coltrane pianist McCoy Tyner. With him, Kamu brought Zacc Harris on guitar, Dave Hagedorn on vibraphone, Solomon Parham on trumpet, Ron Evaniuk on acoustic bass, and Dave Graf on trombone. The group sailed through 90 minutes of music at some of the highest intensity levels heard in Walker West’s new performance hall which brought audience members to their feet for a standing ovation to end the evening.