Wichita Jazz Festival free preview concert Wichita Jazz Festival free preview concert

Watermark Books, 4701 E. Douglas, is hosting a Wichita Jazz Festival free preview concert at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 18. The concert will feature the seven-piece Wichita Jazz Festival Sessions band, led by William Flynn, guitar professor at Wichita State, and local jazz musicians and educators Bill Harshbarger and Gray Bishop.

The Sessions band is part of a new program launched this year by the Wichita Jazz Festival that offers top area high school musicians an eight-week jazz education and performance program culminating in an appearance at this year's headlining festival concert.

The performance will be opened by KMUW-FM 89.1 jazz host Chris Heim, who will speak briefly about the month-long Billie Holiday centennial birthday and Jazz Appreciation Month features on KMUW, some of the new writing and research on Billie Holiday, and this year's Wichita Jazz Festival events.

The Wichita Jazz Festival runs Thursday, April 23, and Thursday, April 24, with the headlining concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 24, in WSU's Miller Concert Hall.

More information about this event and the Wichita Jazz Festival is available at http://www.wichitajazzfestival.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/WichitaJazzFestival