Smooth Sounds: Concert Added to 27th Annual Balcones Heights Jazz Festival
June 25, 2021 - Balcones Heights
Sax appeal. Latin Grammy award winner Joe Posada will perform at the 27th Annual Balcones Heights Jazz Festival on July 16. Photo: Courtesy.
By Jade Esteban Estrada, Staff Writer | San Antonio Sentinel
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- The City of Balcones Heights has added a July 16 concert to the 27th Annual Balcones Heights Jazz Festival, a year-long series
- The show will be headlined by jazz luminaries Nils and Johnny Britt
The City of Balcones Heights has added a July show to its year-long concert series, the 27th Annual Balcones Heights Jazz Festival. San Antonio’s own Joe Posada Trio will open the concert and nationally recognized musicians Nils and Johnny Britt will headline. The free event will take place from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. July 16, 2021.
“We are excited to be featuring a post-pandemic live jazz concert this summer with a stellar line-up of talented national and local artists at the beautiful, sparkling Wonderland Amphitheatre,” said Lorenzo Nastasi, director of economic development and public affairs at the City of Balcones Heights. “As we continue planning the next few concerts with one in October and a repeat Christmas concert in December, we are looking at adding new genres to help create a new music festival series.”
Latin Grammy award winner Joe Posada, a native of San Antonio, is one of Tejano music’s most celebrated recording artists and saxophonists. He is also recognized as a timeless vocalist, an accomplished composer and lyricist. His group, the Joe Posada Trio, is renowned for their ability to energize and inspire music lovers with fused sounds of jazz and Tejano.
For over a decade, guitar virtuoso Nils has been one of the most successful forces in the contemporary jazz genre and fellow headliner Johnny Britt is a multi-talented singer, songwriter, producer, trumpeter, arranger, and composer. Brit himself was discovered by the founder of The Temptations, Otis Williams.
Last year, the Balcones Heights Jazz Festival evolved from a summer concert season to a year-long concert series, adopted before the pandemic to include concerts throughout the season.
As live entertainment was halted as a result of Covid-19, the City of Balcones Heights featured its first ever virtual Christmas Jazz Festival in December 2020. The 27th Balcones Heights Jazz Festival was postponed in the summer of 2020.
Since 1994, the Balcones Heights Jazz Festival has captivated jazz aficionados from in and around Texas with an impressive line-up in the venue’s family-friendly atmosphere along the edge of the sparkling pool and fountains of the Wonderland of the Americas.
The festival will be hosted by David Muñoz, host of iHeart Radio’s Smooth Jazz San Antonio.
General admission is free for outdoor seating at Wonderland of the Americas Amphitheatre located at 4522 Fredericksburg Road in Balcones Heights. Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Food trucks will also be available.
Learn more about the festival here.
Jade Esteban Estrada is a staff writer for the San Antonio Sentinel, where he covers public health and other citywide issues. jade@sasentinel.com | Twitter: @getjaded