Sun Valley Resort is wrapping up its 37th annual jazz festival, with musicians fanning out across the valley through Sunday for a weekend built on three-part harmonies, Cajun fiddle and a whole lot of swing. The Parnells, a duo of Corey and Whitney Parnell, are among the festival's featured acts.
The Parnells Bring Family Harmony to the Inn
The Parnells are a duo of Corey and Whitney Parnell from Portland, Oregon. Casey Parnell is also a member of Precious Byrd, a band known for rock and pop hits.
The family band has shared stages before with Jewel, Kris Kristofferson and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band — a résumé that helps explain why attendees from as far away as Florida keep coming back.
Jazz Journalists Preview Puts Numbers on the Weekend
Just how big is this festival? That depends on who's counting. The festival's own website advertises more than 100 performances across five venues, while a preview from the Jazz Journalists Association puts the figure at 130 sets over four days, featuring 55 musicians and a 21-member Big Band Bash led by Terry Myers. The preview describes five venues: three inside The Inn, plus the Sun Valley Opera House and Satchmo's.
The Jazz Journalists Association also spotlighted the Travis Anderson Trio, describing it as a nationally touring, Minneapolis-based ensemble led by pianist Travis Anderson.
Festival Lineup Mixes Dance Lessons and Live Music
Dance lessons are part of the festival's broader programming — Visit Sun Valley notes that instructors teach more than 20 hours of free lessons for beginner and intermediate dancers over the course of the weekend, with four dance competitions giving attendees a chance to show off what they've learned.
Tom Rigney and Flambeau are among the festival's Saturday performers.
Festival Winds Down With Sunday Night Afterglow
The festival's finale arrives Sunday with an Afterglow dinner and dance. Visit Sun Valley describes the Afterglow as an elegant evening of jazz that gives way to a big band dance to send festivalgoers home.
Beyond the headline acts, the festival's broader identity leans on genre-spanning programming — special sets dedicated to Gospel, Dance Thru the Decades and the Big Band Bash, alongside what the festival's own site calls a mix of high-energy bands, soulful gospel and swing dancers. Whatever the final tally of sets, stages or musicians, the Sun Valley Jazz and Music Festival runs through Sunday, October 18, closing out its 37th year with the same blend of family harmonies, horn sections and dance floors that has kept visitors returning from across the country.
