Twin Cities Jazz Fest co-directors talk festival's longevity, passing the torch

[CAMILLE THURMAN, "I JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT LOVE"] CAMILLE THURMAN: (SINGING) I just found out about love, and I like it. Yes, I like it. I like what love has been doing to me.

I hold you close in my arms, and I like it. Yes, I like it. Oh, what a wonderful future I see.

INTERVIEWER: Well, that song we are listening to is from Camille Thurman, who performs Friday night at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival in downtown Saint Paul. She is one of a whole lineup of talented musicians performing this Friday and Saturday at Mears Park and over 15 venues across town. It is one of the largest free jazz festivals in the country.

Now, this year, there will be a passing of the torch. Founder Steve Heckler has served as director of the organization since 1999. This year, he worked alongside a new co-director, Dayna Martinez, who will fully take the reins after this year's events. So Steve and Dayna are on the line. Thanks for being here.

STEVE HECKLER: Well, thank you--

DAYNA MARTINEZ: Thanks for having us.

STEVE HECKLER: --for having us.

INTERVIEWER: Yes, I'm glad you're here. And I'm loving all the jazz music that we've heard so far. We'll hear a little bit more in a bit.

Now, Steve, you announced your retirement in October, and you worked on this year's festival alongside your replacement, Dana. That's a unique leadership choice. Why did you decide to work in tandem for your final year?

STEVE HECKLER: Well, yeah. I think it's the best way to do it. I think for the successful transition, a new person needs to know the ropes, right-- what's going on, how this all works.

There's so much behind the scenes of a festival, and things get a little more complicated the larger an event gets. And we thought it'd be fair. We just don't want to throw someone in the midst of all the stuff and not know basically where a stage gets set up, or how the grants work, or how anything works, just the people. So we brought Dayna in, I think, six months ago, and-- I think that's right, Dayna.

[LAUGHS]

But anyway--

DAYNA MARTINEZ: Yeah.

STEVE HECKLER: --it's been a fantastic transition.

INTERVIEWER: Well, Steve, this is the festival's 25th year, and you were one of its co-founders. What do you make of the legacy you've created?

STEVE HECKLER: I'm, well, humbled and surprised by the whole thing. And by the way, I like that song you played when you--

[LAUGHS]

INTERVIEWER: Me, too.

STEVE HECKLER: --started the whole interview. I like your choice of music. It's good.

I'm just humbled by it. This started as something a little different than a festival. And the support from the community, the support from jazz people, and just learning how much jazz is in this town-- how much support of the arts is in Minnesota and the Twin Cities-- it's just been overwhelming.

And to leave a legacy like this that has helped the community, helped musicians, and artists. It's just very humbling. It was a perfect time to transition, and I'm just grateful that people support it in the city, and support arts, and specifically jazz.

INTERVIEWER: Well, Dayna, taking on a long-running festival is a big job, and you certainly seemed well positioned for it. I know you've got an extensive background in arts and leadership, including the Ordway. But what's it like to take on a role like this?

DAYNA MARTINEZ: Well, I've got to say it's just very exciting. I'm really grateful that we are able to do this transition year. I'm learning today from Steve. We're setting up right now in Mears Park, and I'm learning all kinds of things.

But I've known Steve for a while, and he's really built this festival up into a wonderful community-based accessible event. And I'm just excited to be able to continue that legacy for sure and then and then build on it. I just think it's a wonderful event to have, especially now that we're coming out of the pandemic--

[LAUGHTER]

--the key word.

INTERVIEWER: We are re-emerging. So there are a lot of longtime fans of Jazz Fest, so I'm curious. Is there pressure to keep things the same, or are you excited to put your own spin on things?

DAYNA MARTINEZ: Well, I really am interested in thinking about the future of jazz, and the future is reliant on young people being interested in this great art form. And that's one of the things that I really want to expand upon. Steve already has. At this festival coming up, we've got over 100 youth musicians performing. And I want to be able to continue that for sure and then also have more education opportunities throughout the year, too.

INTERVIEWER: Do you feel like you've gotten a chance to put your stamp on this year's festival?

DAYNA MARTINEZ: Well, I'm learning, right. So--

[LAUGHTER]

STEVE HECKLER: Yeah.

DAYNA MARTINEZ: --I think I'll be able to get more of the lay of the land when I'm watching those wonderful artists up on stage. And my plan for this year is to be everywhere all at once.

[LAUGHS]

I'm going to try it.

INTERVIEWER: Good luck.

[LAUGHTER]

DAYNA MARTINEZ: Yeah. Yeah.

INTERVIEWER: So for both of you, over the past 20 years, there was a festival boom in the Twin Cities. Lots of festivals popped up, but few are still around. Just to name a few that are no longer with us-- Basilica Block Party, Rock the Garden, 10,000 Lakes, Soundset, Eaux Claires. So what do you think is behind the longevity of the Twin Cities Jazz Festival?

STEVE HECKLER: Well, my opinion is that many nonprofit festivals like we do that are community-based or community things have survived. I think these larger events-- very larger type things like Basilica and those things-- have trouble because-- it's my own opinion on this, but there's so much competition. Artist expenses have gone through the roof-- just expenses in general. Well, we've kept ours in bay.

We've kept the Jazz Festival growth to what it really is. In other words, we didn't overgrow it. We always kept it as, OK, what do we have, where are we at, what's the vibe? What is the community reach? Are we going to be able to-- where are we going with it?

And to your previous question, in the 25 years since I started this, the festival has changed as the community changed. And I'm glad to hear that Dayna says, oh, we can't keep doing it the same way. You have to adjust. Which answers your question-- is that we have survived because of that.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah.

STEVE HECKLER: I should say, even more so, we've been able to do that. We've been able to be a little flexible because we're a small organization, which gives you some flexibility.

INTERVIEWER: You've got to improvise with a jazz festival.

DAYNA MARTINEZ: Very true.

[LAUGHTER]

STEVE HECKLER: Well, that's what jazz is, right?

[LAUGHTER]

Jazz is it for me. I--

DAYNA MARTINEZ: Definitely.

INTERVIEWER: So hey, tell me about the headliners. We have Paquito D'Rivera-- tell me if I'm saying that wrong-- and Christian McBride. They take the main stage Friday and Saturday this year.

STEVE HECKLER: Oh, yeah. I'm just honored to have artists like this. One of the fun parts of being part-- I get to book artists that I idolized growing up in my whole life that I [LAUGHS] just absolutely love. And then I get to meet them. Isn't that cool?

INTERVIEWER: Yes.

[LAUGHTER]

STEVE HECKLER: And you stay out and meet them, and watch them play. That's half the reason I was doing this actually, initially. The truth be told-- full disclosure. But Paquito D'Rivera has played with Dizzy Gillespie. So he's--

INTERVIEWER: (WHISPERS) Oh.

STEVE HECKLER: --a Cuban sax player who I've been trying to get here for years.

And he's always been touring in Europe. Then we had him for three years in a row, and then COVID hit. So we had to cancel it three times. So this year, we're so excited that he will be here with his Afro-Cuban Dizzy Gillespie tribute experience band, which is just amazing.

And Christian McBride is now the up and coming-- well, he is already here, I should say.

[LAUGHTER]

The preeminent jazz master right now-- he's a bassist who has really set the tone for jazz in the last few years. He's just an amazing artist, amazing clinician. As you know, we have 100 youth performing at the festival. He is going to oversee one of the clinics that we have.

And then Camille Thurman coming with the Darrell Green Quartet is up and coming-- I would say great singer, great sax player-- as you heard. And Davina and the Vagabonds will be down, who we've tried to get [LAUGHS] many times. She's been touring a lot, so we were able to get her. And then we have over 200 local musicians here playing. I just want everyone to hear that we have over 200 jazz artists playing this festival, the different venues.

And that doesn't work if we don't have 200 jazz artists, right. [LAUGHS] It won't work if they're not here. And just the amount of talent in this city-- and a big shout out to all the schools and all the educators that have made this happen. We would be nowhere without that. That is just interesting.

And watch some of these artists excel. For example, on the main stage, Will Kjeer, who's opening Friday, was one of our kid players when he was 15, I think. He started playing with a couple of masterclasses. All of a sudden, he's at Juilliard School of Music.

INTERVIEWER: Wow

STEVE HECKLER: And he is turning into-- yeah. And so we had a bunch of those. We have a few that have gone on like that. So I think it's just heartwarming that this city and this community has so much art here in this city and that kind of talent. Otherwise, this festival would never have worked.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah, well I wish you--

STEVE HECKLER: That is--

INTERVIEWER: I'm running up on the end of the show, but--

STEVE HECKLER: Oh--

INTERVIEWER: --I wish you both great success.

STEVE HECKLER: Yes.

INTERVIEWER: And I do want to go out on some music, too. So we do have a song from Paquito D'Rivera with "Mambo Influenciado." So Steve and Dayna, thank you so much.

DAYNA MARTINEZ: Thank you.

STEVE HECKLER: Thank you.

DAYNA MARTINEZ: Thank you. It's great being on.

[JAZZ MUSIC]

Steve Heckler and Dayna Martinez have been with us. They are co-directors of the Twin Cities Jazz Festival which is this weekend in downtown Saint Paul. You can find more information, including a full lineup, at twincitiesjazzfestival.com.

[JAZZ MUSIC]

And that's it for us today. Thanks for being with us here on Minnesota Now.