"All-Star Jazz Fundraiser Festival" set for Saturday, April 17 at The Grandel

More than two dozen St. Louis musicians will team up for "The All-Star Jazz Fundraiser Festival," a benefit event to be held from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 17 in the "Open Air" tent on the grounds of The Grandel in Grand Center.

The event is being organized by saxophonist Kendrick Smith (pictured), and will feature five different groups of musicians performing individually ticketed, hour-long sets. The tent will be cleared, and the seating areas cleaned and sanitized after each set before a new audience is seated. The set times and lineups are:

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.: Demarius Hicks, Kasimu Taylor, Janet Buchanan, Bernard Terry, Will Buchanan
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.: Anita Jackson, Jahmal Nichols, Jason Swagler, Mark Harris II, Dhoruba Hill
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.: Adam Maness, Brady Lewis, Joseph Hibbs, Ben Wheeler, Carlos Brown Jr.
4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.: Darrell Mixon, Dawn Weber, Josiah Joyce, Ryan Marquez, Gary Sykes
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.: Ptah Williams, Bob Deboo, Micah Walker, Joe Mancuso, Kendrick Smith

Proceeds from the event will go towards helping two small local jazz venues, Thurman's in Shaw in south St. Louis and The Cigar Inn in Belleville; radio station WSIE; and "some musicians heavily affected by the pandemic."

Tickets are $20 per set, and are on sale now via MetroTix.