The atmosphere is an important part of the festival experience. Jazz can be heard under large tents, in meeting halls, or in intimate caberet settings. The history of Old Sacramento, dancing at a local hotel or a day at the fair ... these are among the various experiences awaiting the festival goer.

As the song goes, "I Love a Parade". The festival kicks off with a preview of the jazz bands, passing by against the backdrop of Old Town.

The international bands provided some great music. A highlight of the festival was to hear the Sac à Pulses Jazz Band from France in a magically picturesque street performance.

This year our festival badge included free admission to the Crocker Art Gallery. What a beautiful place. The last time I've been there was probably way back in elementary school. No flash photography is allowed, and I didn't have a tripod with me, so unfortunately some photos are not a sharp as they could be.

With over a hundred bands, not to mention special featured sets, it is impossible to hear all of them. Presented here are some of the bands I listened to this year- Boba JB (Krakow Poland), Paco Gatsby (Guatamala City Guatamala), Muggsy Remembered (London England), Buck Creek (Reston VA), Black Swan (Portland OR), Midnight Rose (Stockton CA), Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums (San Francisco), and Titanic JB (Burbank CA). Also included are shots of Dr. Bach & the Jazz Practitioners (Auburn CA), Ophir Prison Marching & Kazoo Band (Orphir CA), Hot Tomatoes Dance Orchestra (Golden CO), and California Repercusions (Redwood City CA) . You can browse the thumbnails and/or images, or from any image page use the drop-down list to select the desired band.

I brought my axe and played a fews tunes in a couple of jam sessions at Round Table Pizza in Old Town on Friday and Sunday evenings. No pictures of your's truely, but here you'll find some of the other musicians that participated.