At Bridgeport City Council’s last meeting, Recorder Bob Greer gave those present a sneak peek into the Bridgeport Arts Council summer season.

 

In conjunction with Bridgeport Farmers Market, the West Virginia Jazz Society and local restaurants, the Arts Council plans to host a sizzling jazz event.

 

Utilizing locally-grown products, participating restaurants will prepare meals and sell them for a fixed price. Patrons will also be served live jazz, an artist or group stationed at each location, Greer said.

 

As such an event also falls in line with tourism goals of the Greater Bridgeport Convention & Visitors Bureau, that entity will be involved as well, Mayor Mario Blount said.

 

It’s all just in preliminary stages, but there’s already a targeted date, said Mary Kay Greer of Bridgeport Arts Council.

 

“We’re looking at the week of July 21 when kids are still on college break,” she said.

 

Conversations are ongoing between Bridgeport Arts Council and Eric Spelsberg of the West Virginia Jazz Society, Mary Kay Greer said.

 

Bob Workman of Bridgeport Farmers Market has been sharing the idea with restaurants and so far, it looks like a sufficient number will be on board, she said.  

 

A number of jazz artists are slated to perform.

 

“Their bios are very impressive,” Mary Kay Greer said.

 

Originally from Alabama and now of New York City, tenor sax player Sean Nowell  (husband of Clarksburg native Kirsten Wyatt) is among featured performers. Some other artists hail from Sweden, Greer explained.

 

“These guys come over here for the summer to perform and the next year, a group of guys from New York go to Stockholm,” she said. “It’s like a foreign exchange for musicians.”

 

Lars Ekman, an acoustic bass player, and Fredrick Olsson, a pianist, are among musicians to be highlighted in the Bridgeport event.

 

Though details are still being worked out, the event is shaping up to be a unique experience, Greer said.

 

“We’re trying to offer a dining experience for the community that maybe they wouldn’t otherwise experience on a regular basis and with a fixed price so it is affordable,” she said.

 

Also this summer, Bridgeport Arts Council will host live outdoor jazz events at Bridgeport Recreation Complex. Concerts in the park are slated for the third week of June through mid-August.