The first season of the Weekend Starts free outdoor music series concludes with the Jake Hertzog Trio with special guest Lauren Clare (voice) from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13. The concert is at the Lower Ramble, across West Avenue from the Fayetteville Public Library. Weekend Starts is a collaboration between the city of Fayetteville and the U of A Department of Music.

The Jake Hertzog Trio features Jake Hertzog (guitar), Garrett Jones (bass) and Chris Peters (drums).  The Jake Hertzog Trio is a jazz/rock group that has released five albums and has headlined venues such as the Blue Note in New York City and the Salo Jazz Festival in Finland.  Under the alias Hey Jazz Guy, Hertzog has contributed over thirty articles to Guitar Player magazine's 'Lessons' section. Guitar Player has coined him the "Jazz ambassador to the non-jazz world."  Jake Hertzog was the grand prize winner at the guitar competition at the 2006 Montreux Jazz Festival.  Jake Hertzog is an assistant professor in the Department of Music at UA.

Lauren Clare is a vocalist, songwriter, producer and pianist.  In 2019, she collaborated with her tribe, The Chickasaw Nation, in the production of her composition which was featured as the theme song for the nation's annual meeting. Lauren has  performed alongside jazz heavyweights Michael Wolff, Dave Liebman, and Alexa Tarantino. Most recently, Lauren debuted a second project devoted to her love of jazz entitled Coloring Twelve. At the U of A, she teaches voice, directs the Voices jazz ensemble, and teaches the songwriting workshop. 

In addition to the music, this Friday's Weekend Starts will have circus arts training.  Learn to juggle, walk a tightrope, and much more. 

The Ramble is the newest part of the growing Fayetteville arts corridor. There is convenient parking in any of the Fayetteville Public Library's lots. Feel free to bring a picnic blanket or lawn chairs. The concert will be on the Gregg Avenue side of The Ramble. 

In the event of inclement weather, updates regarding cancellations or rescheduling will be provided on the city website. We encourage attendees to check for updates before heading to the event. For more information, go to Fayetteville Arts and Culture.