Got Joy? 24rd Children’s Benefit Concert to Feature Jonas Magram Jazz Quintet, Three Special Guest Artists

On Friday and Saturday, December 13th and 14th, Jonas Magram will host his 24th annual Children’s Holiday Benefit Concert at Café Paradiso, in Fairfield. Showtime is 8pm. This year’s fundraiser will feature the Jonas Magram Jazz Quintet (“JMJQ”) and three very special guest artists: violinist Annie Savage, double bassist, Gary Palmer, and electric bassist, Gabriel Espinosa. Tickets are just $10 in advance, and $12 at the door, available at Café Paradiso.

JMJQ regulars include Jonas Magram (vocals, tenor sax), keyboard master, Steve Hillis, Steve Jeffries (soprano sax, percussion) and Fred Swartz (drums).

Violinist Annie Savage will perform both nights. Annie is a renowned performer, music educator, and Iowa native. She has studied at the Berklee College of Music and the Interlochen Arts Academy, and has graced many stages in the Midwest and beyond, for 25 years. Many Fairfielders will remember her as a key member of the Awful Purdies. Annie will bring her new-found passion for jazz to the Fairfield stage for the first time.

Acclaimed double-bassist, Gary Palmer, performs on Friday night. Gary earned his Master’s degree in Double Bass Performance from the University of Iowa. He has performed with the Glenn Miller Orchestra and toured with the Guy Lombardo and Dick Jurgens Orchestras, and has appeared with many local jazz performers. In addition, Gary has been the Principal Bass with the Cedar Rapids Symphony and Quad Cities Symphonies.

Saturday night’s show will feature Latin jazz pro, Gabriel Espinosa. Born in Mérida, Mexico, Gabriel began his study and love music of at the tender age of six, and was performing professional by his early teens. His formal jazz education includes graduating Magna Cum Laud from Berklee College. Gabriel has recorded and produced a number of CDs, including “Celebrando,” which spent 26 weeks on the jazz charts. Gabriel currently heads the Jazz Studies department at Central College in Pella. This will be his first performance with JMJQ.
Known for creating of lots of joy, JMJQ will introduce many new pieces to its repertoire for the benefit. New tunes include “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” “Watermelon Man,” “My Romance,” “Light My Fire,” “Misty,” and “On the Street Where You Live.” Some “play-it-again” favorites will be included as well: “Favorite Things,” “Christmas Song/Chestnuts,” “How High the Moon,” “I’m Beginning to See the Light,” and JMJQ standard, “Route 66.

The concert is the centerpiece of Jonas’ annual Children’s Holiday Benefit, which has raised approximately $250,000 over the last 24 years. This year’s beneficiaries will include the Jefferson County Resource Center (administered by Southern Iowa Economic Development Association), the Ottumwa Women’s Crisis Center, and Airline Ambassadors, an international non-profit that provides a variety of critical services including the training of airline personnel to spot and stop child trafficking. This year’s fundraising target is $20,000, a goal that will require new donors to step forward. Those wishing to make a tax-deductible donation can get details by emailing Jonas at ChildrensHolidayBenefit@gmail.com.

Come get some joy and help support one of our community’s longest standing charitable traditions.