Arizona's Outdoor Music Festivals

Arizona's Outdoor Music Festivals: Where to go-and When to Soothe Your Savage

Since the wind teamed with the trees and sent a howling song through the forest, music has been a natural and constant part of the environment. Since then we've imitated, twisted, reshaped, and civilized those earthly sounds, yet the link to our environment endures unsevered. We still look for excuses to enjoy music out-of-doors.Music festivals are the latest inventions aimed at getting listeners back beneath the trees and under the sun. And Arizona has more than its share of good ones. These open-air events offer a relaxed and casual alternative to stuffy concert halls and smokey nightclubs, and usually at bargain prices. Many are even free. And since they're scheduled throughout the year, and from one end of the state to the other, there's no excuse not to attend at least one.

Music festivals cover a diversity of styles as varied as the people who attend them and as distinct as the locations where they're held; from old-time country music served up sawdust-style around a corral in Payson, to contemporary classical music performed in the open amphitheaters of Arizona's Arcosanti, to avantgarde jazz and poetry in downtown Tucson.

Despite the variety of styles, most festivals are geared to a general audience where care is taken to involve both the novice and the aficionado. Jazz festivals, for instance, aim at pleasing everybody. So expect to hear a mixed bag of big band music, Latin jazz, blues, and funk, as well as straightahead jazz.

Arizona has a long and distinguished tradition of outdoor classical music presentations, including the Flagstaff Festival of the Arts from June through August. Here too, the program appeals to a wide spectrum of very specialized tastesmusic theater productions and pops concerts as well as chamber music recitals and operatic performances.

When it comes to country music, Arizonans really get serious. In fact, most country festivals in the state are really contests. They're family affairs; and the most popular is the old-time fiddlers' contest. It's become an Arizona tradition.

Contestants from all over the country compete in several age categories, from a junior-junior class that includes four year olds, to a senior class full of fiddling septuagenarians and octogenarians. Each is usually required to play three tunes: a hoedown, a waltz, and a tune of choice, accompanied by one or two acoustic guitars. Judges rank them according to originality, timing, clarity, and expression.

Country fiddling is an individualized art: two fiddlers might play the same tune, but each approaches it differently, adding personal embellishments and accents. Each contest is also a little different, and, as a result, controversies often arise over what is and what isn't "old-time country." And what's allowed in Payson may be outlawed in Tucson. Except in the trick and fancy category, where anything goes, fiddlers are generally restricted to old-time style. That includes Eastern, Irish, and Scottish styles, as well as Cajun and French. Disallowed are rag style, Texas style, (too jazzy), and bluegrass. At bluegrass contests, it's a different story.

Phoenix-based multi-instrumentalist Joe Bethancourt plays both bluegrass and old-time country style music. The difference between the two, he says, is subtle, but important.

"Bluegrass grew up in the city, not the country. It's 'city billy' music that came up in Kentucky, East Tennessee, and North Carolina." Bluegrass also sticks to a format of mandolin, guitar, banjo, and bass. The fiddle is optional.

"Bill Monroe invented it," Bethancourt explains, "he established the format. It's polished, a little more intricate than old-time time country," and, he says, bluegrass is hard to play. "The dividing line between amateurs and professionals is hazy. Generally, if they can play it well, somewhere along the line, they've been paid for it."

time country," and, he says, bluegrass is hard to play. "The dividing line between amateurs and professionals is hazy. Generally, if they can play it well, somewhere along the line, they've been paid for it."

But whether it's country pickers, classical strummers, or jazz singers, music festivals provide an ideal opportunity to sample more closely the different kinds of music in the great outdoors.

(Late February) TUCSON'S OLD-TIME FIDDLERS' CONTEST

Arizona's oldest fiddle contest-this year was the 44th annual-kicks off rodeo week on the last Sunday in February at Armory Park, 220 South 6th Street, in downtown Tucson, from 2:00 p.m. until dark, and it's free! Fashioned after an old barn dance contest, this event is more casual than others around the state. Contestants are judged primarily on danceability, only trophies are awarded, and in the special "Arkansas Traveler" competition, everybody plays the same songonly differently! There's even a beard growing contest. For more information, write Tucson Parks and Recreation Department, 900 South Randolph Way, Tucson, AZ, or call (602) 791-4089.

(Early April) COCHISE CHAPTER OLDTIME FIDDLERS' CONTEST

Southwestern Arizona's country music lovers claim their fiddlers' contest near Willcox draws more fiddlers than any other in the state-last year seventy-two players between the ages of four and eighty showed up. This year, the two-day festival was held Saturday and Sunday, April 7 and 8, indoors at Grandma's, ten miles southeast of Willcox. For more information, write Betty Collins, Box 243, Dragoon, AZ 85609, or call (602) 586-2676.

(April 29) TUCSON'S SEVENTH ANNUAL JAZZ SUNDAE

The Tucson Jazz Society presents a free afternoon of warm sunshine and cool music at the Reid Park Bandshell, in the heart of downtown Tucson. Starting at 3:00 p.m., this program includes two local jazz groups as well as a nationally famous headliner (past years have featured such artists as Louis Belleson, Lew Tabachin, and Harold Land). The music ends around 8:30 p.m. For more information, call the concert's co-presenter, the Tucson Parks and Recreation Department at (602) 791-4873, or the Tucson Jazz Society's Hotline at (602) 623-2463.

(April through October) ENEKE MUSICIANS' SURVIVAL SERIES FESTIVAL Where but in Old Tucson could you find cowboy hats nodding in time to African Yoruba rhythms interpreted by futuristic jazz groups like the Emerging Forces Art Ensemble of St. Louis? Where else in Arizona could you find ENEKE, the coalition of artists and avant-garde jazz musicians who make this unique cultural mix possible each year? ENEKE's Musicians' Survival Series this year presents three concerts between April and October, featuring internationally acclaimed reedman Douglas Ewart and his Clarinet Choir (four clarinets!), the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, and the Emerging Forces Art Ensemble, as well as local groups. The decidedly urban programs are planned as family events, with dancing and poetry reading included as integral parts of the festivities. ENEKE is derived from a bird in a Nigerian proverb. (At press time, we learned the April festival will be the twentieth and twenty-first of the month; the others were not yet scheduled.) For more information, write ENEKE at 2814 B North Fontana, Tucson, AZ 85705, or call (602) 884-9118.

(Early May and early October) JAZZ IN AZ FREE FESTIVAL Twice a year, crowds in excess of 7000 arrive to enjoy a Sunday afternoon with Whether its multi-instrumentalist Joe Bethancourt (ABOVE) playing everything from western swing to oldtime country music on guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and more, or a fiddler at the Prescott Bluegrass and Fiddle Contest playing bluegrass music "cello style," the fine pickin' and grinnin' at Arizona's country music festivals makes it hard for anyone to sit still.ing is first-come-first-served at Scottsdale Mall. The program runs from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., and listeners are welcome to bring food and drink. For more information, call the Jazz in AZ Hotline at (602) 254-4545.

(May 16 through 20) INTERNATIONAL MARIACHI CONVENTION Mariachi musicians from all over the United States and Mexico gather in Tucson the week of May 16 through 20 to study under the world renowned Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan, a group considered the best in the world at this traditional Mexican music form. The conference usually includes a Garibaldi Night. Named for the square in Mexico City where Mariachi bands congregate, it's a moonlight stroll around the Tucson Community Center with the groups' guitarists and trumpeters. Generally, a joint concert with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra closes the festival. For more information, write the Tucson Festival Society, 8 West Paseo Redondo, Tucson, AZ 85705, or call (602) 622-6911.

Music Festivals (June 23 and 24) THE ELEVENTH ANNUAL PAYSON OLD-TIME COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL

Payson's two-day country music extravaganza is the biggest event in the Mogollon Rim area, annually drawing some 10,000 spectators and participants, who gather to hear a wide range of traditional country music groups-all family oriented. Held in the pine forests at the Payson Rodeo Grounds on Saturday and Sunday, June 23 and 24, the festival attracts both professionals and amateurs who compete for cash and prizes in eight different categories including Family Band, Country Band, Bluegrass Band, Five String Banjo, Flat-top Guitar, and Specialty Instrument (autoharp, mandolin, dulcimer, accordion, harmonica, dobro, etc.) There are also con-tests for Best Yodeler, Best Balladeer, Best Folksinger, and even one for Buckdancers (judges watch to see that the hands are held loosely at the sides and that the feet do all the work). And there's a country dance on Saturday night. Admission is $4.50 for adults, $2.50 for children. For more information, write the Payson Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box A, Payson, AZ 85541, or call (602) 474-4515.

(Late June through August) FLAGSTAFF FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS

The largest, most comprehensive musical festival in the state happens every summer in the cool, crisp mountain air at Flagstaff's month-long Festival of the Arts staged in and around Flagstaff, Northern Arizona University, and neighboring communities. Besides offering one of the most impressive and extensive fine art music programs in the Southwest, the program may include a jazz festival. Also in the works: pops concerts, music theater productions, and performances by internationally acclaimed ballet companies and others. The Peaks of Jazz Festival, unscheduled at press time, is planned as a full day event, including several nationally famous jazz headliners, as well as the best of Arizona's bands and singers.

The major portion of the Festival of the Arts begins the last two weeks in July and runs through the first two weeks in August. Classical music offerings usually include performances by chorale groups, the Fes-guest soloists, operatic recitals, and numerous chamber music recitals staged at a variety of sites around Northern Arizona,including Sedona's Church of the RedRocks, and Shrine of the Ages on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. For moreinformation, write Flagstaff Festival of theArts, P.O. Box 1607, Flagstaff, AZ 86002,or call (602) 774-5055.

(July 21 and 22) THIRD ANNUALPRESCOTT BLUEGRASS AND FIDDLECONTEST

The mile-high town of Prescott, in thepines of its own national forest, hosts itsversion of a country music festival on Saturday and Sunday, July 21 and 22 for twofull days of music. Included will be per-formances by professional bluegrass groupswith special guest stars, a fiddle contest,a cloggers dance contest (for country dancegroups), and a special gospel program Sunday morning. One of the most popular festivals of its kind (over 6000 people attendedlast year) it happens in a natural amphitheater at beautiful Watson Lake Park, fourmiles north of Prescott, on State Route 89. Camping is available nearby, and lawnchairs and blankets are suggested. Formore information, write Prescott Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 1147, Prescott,AZ 86302, or call (602) 445-2000.

(August 11 and 12) FIFTH ANNUALGLOBE OLD-TIME FIDDLERS'CONTEST

A small but spirited fiddlers' festival willbe held August 11 and 12 at the GilaCounty Fairgrounds, three miles east ofGlobe-the mining town eighty-three mileseast of Phoenix. There's free campingnearby, and San Carlos Lake, a haven forbass fishermen, is a short drive east. Formore information, write Globe Old-TimeFiddlers' Contest, c/o Robert Forester, 815East Apache, Globe, AZ 85501, or call(602) 425-2087.

(September 22 and 23) FOURTEENTHANNUAL PAYSON STATE FIDDLERS'CHAMPIONSHIP

Payson has the biggest fiddlers' fest inthe state, in terms of spectators anyway -4000 to 5000 people arrive each year forthe two-day event. And the Payson folkssay they're the only ones who send theirgrand champion to the National Old-TimeFiddlers' Championships in Weiser, Idaho!This year's bash will be held Saturday andSunday, September 22 and 23. The musiclasts all day. Between contests, countrybands perform, and there's a country dancebeneath the stars Saturday night. Admission is $4.50 for adults, and $2.50 forchildren. For more information, write Henley Anderson's a violin maker and restorer, one of the very few in Phoenix and the Southwest. A onetime bassist, Anderson was lured away from the musician's life when he became intrigued with restoring instruments of the violin family. He apprenticed himself to a master restorer. Says Anderson: "I don't make much money on restorations, you can't charge enough to compensate for all the time and cost of the materials, so I look at it as a ser-vice to the music community. And sometimes a customer comes back and buys one of the violins that I make."

Last year's Peaks of Jazz Fesitval, part of the summer Flagstaff Festival of the Arts, drew its audience from all over the nation to the cool mountain meadows beneath the San Francisco Peaks to hear such jazz greats as Les McCann (OPPOSITE PAGE) and Plato T. Jones (RIGHT).

Music Festivals

Payson Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box A, Payson, AZ 85541, or call (602) 474-4515.

(Early October) JAZZ IN AZ FREE FESTIVAL

The Jazz in AZ Free Festival at Scottsdale Mall is repeated on the first Sunday in October. See a full description under May above.

(OCTOBER 13) THIRD ANNUAL JAZZ ON THE ROCKS FESTIVAL.

The green scrub juniper and pine and red sandstone monoliths of the Village of Oak Creek, south of Sedona, form the setting for this mid-sized, daytime gathering of jazz musicians and fans (predominantly from the Phoenix area), usually held the second Saturday in October. Featured performers generally include mainstream jazz groups, a big band, a Dixieland band, and guest vocalists. But top billing goes to the surrounding area, where majestic Bell Rock upstages even the flashiest acts. Seating is picnic style. For more information, write Jazz Festival, P.O. Box 2633, Sedona, AZ 86336.

(NOVEMBER 4) DIA DE LOS MUERTOS (Day of the Dead)

Despite the title, this uniquely Latin American tradition is a celebration of life, through the acknowledgement of death. Presented free at Pioneer Park in downtown Mesa on the Sunday following All Saints Day, the all-day, all-evening program features, besides music, performances by dance troupes, theatrical presentations, an Aztec dance, and a candlelight ceremony. The music, a mixture of Latin American idioms from traditional Indian styles to contemporary from many different countries, is performed by guest groups from Central and South America and the festival's sponsors, the Xicanindio Artists' Coalition, Inc., P.O. Box 1242, Mesa, AZ 85201. Call (602) 964-6171.

(November 9 through 11) FIFTH ANNUAL WICKENBURG FOUR CORNERS STATE BLUEGRASS MUSIC FESTIVAL

Three days of Kentucky-style bluegrass music starts at noon on Friday and continues until 10:00 p.m. Sunday, November 9 through 11 at the Wickenburg Rodeo Grounds, an hour's drive northwest of Phoenix. Featured are the state championship competition for banjo, flat-pick guitar, and fiddle, plus battles for Best Bluegrass Band, Best Vocalist, Best Mandolin, and more. Jam sessions around campfires and in the bars keep the music going practically around the clock. Admission is $3 to $4, there is free camping available. Lawn chairs and warm blankets are suggested. For more information, write Wickenburg Chamber of Commerce, Drawer CC, Wickenburg, AZ 85358, or call (602) 684-5479.

NOTE: Schedules and dates may change, so please be sure to contact the sponsors of the individual events before planning to attend.

Paul Cantrell, who lives in Phoenix, is a free-lance writer specializing in music.

ARIZO

Being something of an almanac, a sampler, a calendar, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote “the rich are different from you and me,” but in the town of Paradise Valley, surrounded by Phoenix and Scottsdale, the rich are really different. Where else would someone spend $27,000 for a front door? Or sink $14,000 into a “habitat room” where a button lets you pretend you’re at the beach, as you loll beneath sun lamps and a fine spray of salt water. A midwinter snowstorm in July? Press another button. And then there’s the retired mortician who, beside his swimming pool, installed a $14,000 phone booth made from a custom coffin. And the Paradise Valley man who invested $60,000 in a duck pond at a house, where he spends “a few weeks every year.” Yes, Scott, the rich are different.

THE GRAND CANYON

The South Rim of the Grand Canyon on a midsummer afternoon, looks like America's busiest national park. But with 2.5 million visitors per year, the Canyon is only eighth. The busiest national parks ranked one through seven, are Great Smokey Mountains, Acadia, Rocky Mountain, Grand Teton, Olympic, Yosemite, and Yellowstone.

R.A.F.T. (RECESSION ARTISTS FLOAT TRIP) EXHIBIT

During the summer of 1982, thirty-two prominent painters, writers, and photographers from around the country gathered together for a wild ride down the Colorado River through the stunning landscapes of the Grand Canyon. They took thousands of photographs and soaked up the scenery, and April 27 through June 3, the Scottsdale Center for the Arts displays their artistic im-pressions of the Canyon. Telephone (602) 994-ARTS.

OLYMPIC ALTERNATIVES

Planning to attend the 1984 Summer Olympics? On your way to or from Los Angeles, take time out and enjoy the wonders of Arizona. The northern part of the state is a cool pine-clad summer playground filled with a host of outdoor attractions: the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Canyon De Chelly, Petrified Forest, and the Mogollon Rim. Plus you can absorb some Southwest Culture at the Flagstaff Festival of the Arts, June through August. Also during the summer months, you can delight in the attractions of Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tucson at reduced off-season prices. For information on what to see and do in Arizona, contact the Arizona Office of Tourism, at the address below.

NIQUES

and a guide to places, events, and people unique to Arizona and the Southwest.

MAY WEEKEND WANDERINGS

4-5 LAKE HAVASU CITY hosts the Hobie Cat Regatta. (602) 855-4115.

13 FOUNTAIN HILLS presents the annual White Castle Hamburger Fest where thousands of transplanted Midwesterners gobble imported burgers and reminisce about "back home." (602) 837-1654.

19-20 JEROME HOME TOUR. The copper mining boom town cum ghost town cum arts and crafts center shows off her beautifully restored Victorian homes. (602) 634-5716.

26-30 PAYSON, in the cool pines beneath the Mogollon Rim, offers its Annual Arts and Crafts Festival (602) 474-3303.

WHERE TO CAMP AND FISH

The U.S. Forest Service in Phoenix provides a twenty-four hour recorded message of "Forest Facts" covering all the national forests in Arizona. Facts include campground availability and restrictions, weather conditions, fire danger, construction, and dangerous animal alerts. The number for Forest Facts is (602) 244-9701. To find out where the fish are biting statewide, dial (602) 840-FISH.

COLOSSAL CAVE

As spring temperatures on the desert climb, escape the heat at Colossal Cave, twenty-two miles east of Tucson on Interstate 10. It's always seventy-two degrees Fahrenheit in the world's largest dry cave, which was formed by water seeping into the limestone beneath the Rincon Mountains. The cave is so large no one has ever fully explored its depths.

Visit Colossal Cave Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays and holidays 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Guides tell all about its geology and the Indians and outlaws who used the cave as a hideout during the 1800s. There is an admission charge. For information call (602) 791-7677.

WOMEN BRONC RIDERS HONORED

Of the six women honored with membership in the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, two are sisters living in Tucson, Arizona. Margie Greenough Hansen, 74, and Alice Greenough Orr, 81, were recently inducted into the Hall of Fame's Rodeo Division for their prowess in bronc riding, a rodeo event no longer open to women. Both sisters traveled North America, and Alice even rodeoed some in Australia, England, Spain, Canada, and Mexico. When she quit riding she contracted rodeo stock and worked in such movies as The Californian. Nowadays, they still get in a little riding as extras during filming at Old Tucson, the popular Old West movie town.

Don't miss these useful and entertaining features in forthcoming issues of Arizona Highways Magazine...

God's Country. That's what residents call their reach of a hundred miles of gorgeous forested uplands. Joan Baéza and Jerry Jacka will team up their writing and photography...in the June issue.

Famous Cowboy Artist Joe Beeler with pen sketches will illustrate the antics of rangehands of the Hashknife outfit, the huge and historic Northern Arizona ranch as interpreted by author Stella Hughes...in the September issue.

Subscribe, renew, or extend your subscription today. Our oneyear subscription rate is only $15, two years for $25. Or enjoy our new three-year rate: $35. Order one subscription at any of the three rates and send one-year gift subscriptions for only $13. (Foreign rates: $18 per year.) (INSIDE BACK COVER) White House Ruin, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, is one of several magnificent Pueblo ruins in this canyon complex. David Muench photo (BACK COVER) The Anasazi Resort in Phoenix is the Neo-Anasazi Pueblo vision of Hopi architect Dennis Numkena. A profile of the architect-artistdesigner appears on page 10 of this issue.