You couldn’t have asked for a better day or lineup for the 25th Annual Selby Ave Jazz Fest, a celebration that started out as a response to the one-year anniversary to 9-11 and has evolved into a multi-block party fueled by community, food and most of all music. Mychael and Stephanie Williams, who started the first fest have handed the keys to Walker|West Music Academy, a pillar in the Rondo Neighborhood. And it’s safe to say this music festival is in good hands for another 25 years based on the lineup arranged on a balmy Saturday afternoon.

Up first was a band that didn’t have far to travel: The Minnesota State Band. Here are some fun facts about them:

They are the only state band in the nation.
The band was organized in 1898.
They were so popular at the time, none other than John Philip Sousa poached musicians for his own band. Even the original conductor, Colonel Christian Selling, was recruited by Oscar Hammerstein to come work for him in NYC.

The Minnesota State Band is a non-profit, all-volunteer band, and there were a lot of members gathered in front of the stage. Currently, they are being conducted by Keith Liuzzi, who has been at the position for ten years, and he kicked off the set with “The Express,” a march written by a fellow band member, Glen Newton. And then he handed the baton over to another band member, W. Rayford Johnson who led the band through a couple of W.C. Handy tunes. Then Liuzzi invited a young lady (Adriane) who sang a couple lush ballads like “Bye Bye Blackbird” and “Someone to Watch Over Me.” Then it was onto “The Incredibles” or at least the musical score from the Pixar movie. And then another band member was highlighted: Tom Wells, who played earlier in the day with his own band The Selby Ave Brass Band, a band we caught last year at the Twin Cities Jazz Fest in June. The band played a medley of his tunes entitled “Stand Up Tunes For a Sit Down Band.”

Minnesota State Band at Selby Ave Jazz Fest

If you are spotting a musical trend, let me assure you that it continued when David Feily stepped on the stage and later announced that he lived so close to the outdoor venue he could almost see his home from the stage.

David plays the guitar. He moved to the Twin Cities from Maryland and found a musical home in the Twin Cities playing with groups like BZ3 Organ Trio, LA Buckner’s BiG HomiE and Minneapolis String Project. We even saw him playing at the Twin Cities Jazz Fest this June with Lucia Sarmiento.

David plays a fusion of jazz, funk, R&B and rock. What that sounds like is a propulsive lively affair. He was backed by Nelson on sax and Sam on keys who were given a generous amount of solos to improvise. Then there was LA Buckner on the drums who seemed to super-charge the band with his play and megawatt smile.

David kicked off the set with “Flight Time” before inviting Jay Bee onto the stage to sing. (David plays with Jay Bee every Thursday at Bunkers.) Then a song dedicated to a friend, Max Graham, that recently passed away called “Mondo Max” followed by “Shred4theCommonMan”from his newly released EP Thunderground. And even though it was a little early in the season, he played “Flurry.”

Up next was a Mississippi, a group of local jazz musicians, they being:

Pete Whitman on sax
Kavyesh Kaviraj on keys
Jeff Bailey on bass
Kevin Washington on drums

Like the previous performers this band is tied to the Rondo Neighborhood. Jeff said he was born and raised there. Kavyesh and Kevin teach at Walker|West. As individuals, the group has played with the Minnesota Orchestra, Glenn Miller Orchestra, Curtis Fuller, The Temptations, and Wynton Marsalis. We even saw Kavyesh playing with the JazzMN Big Band in June at the Twin Cities Jazz Fest. He’s unbelievably creative and his play was equally matched by Pete on the tenor and soprano saxophone as the band weaved through a collective fusion of songs like “Fake Rose” “Smoking Jacket” and the zen-like “Sound of Water.” Then they played a song written by Kevin, a song dedicated to his late mother who recently passed away called “Morning Eye.”

It was not only amazing to me the amount of musical talent concentrated in the Rondo Neighborhood, but also the sense of community that seems to foster the young and care for the young at heart. It was in every essence of the phrase a block party. Everyone seemed to know each other, and for the day they were able to reconnect and hug it out with music playing and food wafting and kids playing and elders sitting in the shade and everyone having a good time. And those few crowded blocks became even more so when a favorite son took the stage to close out the day.

Stokley aka Stokley Williams is a singer, songwriter, producer and sought-after studio musician. To say he has played with everyone is not an understatement. Here are a few: Janet Jackson, New Edition, Luther Vandross and Toni Braxton. Locally, he has played with Sounds of Blackness, Brother Ali and Prince. Under the musical patronage of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis he was part of the musical group Mint Condition. But before any of that he was a young lad in the Rondo Neighborhood taking lessons at Walker|West, a full-circle moment for a musician who moved across the stage like he was still a teen.

After Mint Condition disbanded, Stokely embarked on a solo career with his debut album Introducing Stokley released in 2017 and Sankofa in 2021. But this weekend was all about reunions. He even started the week before as a part of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis musical retrospective at the State Fair.

Stokley kept the Rondo party grooving from songs from his two solo albums like “Vibrant” “Organic” and “Level.” He sang a new song, “Drive.” There was a medley. He did a little dancing. But what he did more than anything else was swoon certain members of the crowd.

I’m not versed in the R&B scene, so it was surprising to see how many females in the audience acted like Stokley was singing directly to them. He had the voice. He had the moves. And for an hour on the corner of Milton and Selby, he had everyone’s undivided attention.