Entertainment for a cause, Salem Jazz and Soul Festival kicks off on Saturday

By Ryan Mooney, Globe Correspondent

One of the unfortunate effects that a poor economy has on public schools is budget cuts, which often lead to the loss of programs that are not deemed “necessary” to the education of American youth.

Often times, according to Gerry Ryan – an acoustic guitar player from central Massachusetts, who is well known throughout coffeehouses, clubs and festivals throughout New England – the first to go is the music curriculum.

To preserve music in schools, Ryan is helping to put on the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival, which kicks off at the Salem Willows for the sixth time on Saturday morning, and runs from 11:15 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

“The main mission of the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival is we try to raise money for music education,” said Ryan, one of the event’s coordinators. “That’s the goal. I mean we like giving people a good time, too, but it’s also a non-profit organization that raises funds for education throughout the North Shore.”

Larry Claflin, executive director and one of the founders of the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival, says that the two-day event has raised nearly $25,000 in its five previous years to support music education programs in schools and group homes throughout the North Shore.

Accordingly, a music education tent will be on site to accompany the more than 40 vendors, kid’s events and non-stop entertainment. For adults, organizers have once again secured a beer pavilion – one of the more recent additions to the event – sponsored by Ipswich Ale.

The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival organization also runs an annual art contest for grade-school students, titled “What Music Means to Me,” of which the winners will be announced on stage Saturday.

For true fans of Jazz and Soul music, the most enticing part of the weekend will be the lineup of acts scheduled to perform. For the second year in a row, Ryan says the organization has lured a number of musicians straight from New Orleans – the birthplace of Jazz – to entertain.

“One of the big bands is the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, they’ve been around for 30 or 40 years, they’re on Sunday afternoon,” Ryan said.

Also scheduled to take the stage on Sunday are HDRnB, Soule Monde - Russ Lawton and Ray Paczkowski, who play alongside Phish frontman Trey Anastasio with the Trey Anastasio Band – and Joel Larue Smith. A collection of student musicians from around the North Shore/Cape Ann area known as the North Shore Jazz Project All-Stars will open.

Saturday’s lineup features Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band – as in Jai Johanny Johanson, the drummer best known as a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band – The Pimps of Joytime, Dub Apocalypse and Silvia Moreno. The Salem High School Jazz Band will kick things off on Saturday.

The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival organization is a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization, run solely through volunteer efforts. For more information on the organization and the weekend’s festivities visit salemjazzsoul.org.

“In past years we’ve drawn about 2,000 – 3,000 people,” Ryan said. “It’s wonderful, right there on the Salem Willows, a great place to listen to good Rock ‘n Roll, Jazz and Blues.”

Ryan Mooney can be reached at globe.mooney@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter @mooney_ryan.