Bethany Robinson is confident the inaugural Carmel Jazz Fest will spark more interest in jazz year-round.
“This will provide different options to hear live jazz,” she said. “Hopefully, it will spark interest in people coming to the Jazz Kitchen.”
The Noblesville High School music teacher said it will benefit her students to have opportunities to see several different jazz bands perform during the festival because so much jazz is played in 21-and-older bars or clubs.
“I’m really excited to get my students to as many events as possible,” she said.
Robinson and Sarah Scharbrough will perform from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 11 in the Carmel Jazz Fest at The Tarkington at the Center for the Performing Arts. The two-day festival, held at indoor and outdoor venues, ends Aug. 12.
“It will be my first time playing The Tarkington and I’m most excited to be playing among Indiana jazz legends,” said Scharbrough, who lives in Noblesville. “Bethany and I pull from our backgrounds incorporating jazz standards, pop classics with twists and I write lots of original tunes for our performances.”
Scharbrough said the two started performing together in 2009 and have played hundreds of times together.
“I think a fun thing that happens when we’re together is that we both bring our training — reading, lessons, disciplined musical study and then allow our ears and intuition to bend that construct,” Scharbrough said. “It’s a fun mashup of planned and off the cuff. We enjoy playing all kinds of events and styles. This coming event will have more of a jazz vibe but, per normal, with our own take on it. It’s going to be fun.”
Robinson said they will play some of Scharbrough’s original songs and some of their favorite jazz standards.
Robinson, who plays upright and electric bass, said keyboardist Scharbrough performs lead vocals. Robinson provides backup vocals.
Scharbrough’s husband, Jeff McLaughlin, a Westfield High School music teacher, will play drums for the group during the festival. Scharbrough’s brother, Stephen, plays guitar.
Robinson plays with different groups and artists around the Indianapolis area, including Katherine Nagy, who performs folk, Americana music and Irish music.
“Bass is so versatile that the thing that I love about it is I can play every genre any night of the week,” Robinson said. “It’s really fun to play so many different types of music.”
Robinson, a Fishers resident, is the Noblesville High School jazz band program director and assistant band director. She has been with the school district for 18 years. Scharbrough’s daughter was a freshman in Robinson’s jazz band this past school year.
As a Yamaha Performing Artist, Yamaha sponsors Robinson when she speaks at music conferences or as a guest artist at schools.
“I spend a lot of evenings and weekends not being bored,” she said. “Most of the time I’m able to do it around my school schedule and don’t have to take time off.”
Robinson was the 2022 Grammy Music Educator Award finalist. She was the 2015 Noblesville Schools Teacher of the Year and 2014 Indiana Jazz Educator of the Year.
Jazz groups from the University of Indianapolis, Butler University, Ball State University and Indiana University will perform Aug. 12 at the Studio Theater at the Center for the Performing Arts.
A small group of Robinson’s jazz students from Noblesville will open as a combo for Spyro Gyra, which is the Carmel Jazz Fest headliner at 8 p.m. Aug. 12 at the Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts. Spyro Gyra is a separate ticket event through thecenterpresents.org.
For a schedule and tickets, visit carmeljazzfest.org.
