(REHOBOTH BEACH, Del.) - Back for its 28th year the Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival starts Thursday, Oct.12 kicking off its opening night at Cape Henlopen High School.
Thursday's opening act will be headlined by Rick Braun on trumpet and flugelhorn, Norman Brown on guitar, and Richard Elliot on tenor saxophone.
Denny Santangini, president of the Delaware Celebration of Jazz, said more music and more locations will be featured at the festival this year.
"Twenty-three shows in five days and that's really exciting for us because we've never done this many shows," said Santangini. "Unfortunately we don't have the [Rehoboth Beach] Convention Center this year, so we use the Rehoboth Elementary School, as a mini-convention center."
Shields Elementary in Lewes will also be a concert hall this year as well as restaurants such as Dogfish Head's Chesapeake and Main on Rehoboth Avenue, and the Bottle and Cork and Rusty Rudder in Dewey Beach.
Santangini said a variety of music genres will be featured this year from smooth jazz to rock n' roll to gospel.
"We also are adding in Motown show at the Bottle and Cork and then later that evening will be Clarence Spady doing Prince. So it's not exactly jazz, we're trying to expand out to bring other people into town that are not smooth jazz enthusiasts," said Santangini.
All proceeds raised from ticket sales are going toward a good cause.
"All our money is raised to be given to the Beebe Medical Foundation in turn with Tunnell Cancer Center," said Santangini, making special note of the festival's late vice president, Leon Galitzin, who passed away in June.
"He was passionate with me on it. We're trying to help cure it and by our donations, that's the way we feel we can help get rid of this disease," said Santangini.
Tickets are available online at RehobothJazz.com. Some shows are already sold out but there are a number of free jazz concerts the festival will offer.