STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

The trumpet stylings of Louis Armstrong emanated from Satchmo’s Lounge, aka The Boiler Room, while the twang of Patsy Cline drifted past The Ram. In the Limelight Room, Tom Rigney and Flambeau were serving up a little zydeco to go with the gumbo—make that chili dogs—being served out in the hall.

And next door in the Continental Room Motel Kalifornia was reaping concertgoers’ memories with The Eagles’ “One of These Nights.”

Sun Valley Resort turned into a cornucopia of musical stylings these past four days as the 36th annual Sun Valley Jazz & Music Festival returned.

Volunteer Donna Beaux shows off a commemorative Sun Valley Jazz Festival bag.

Festivalgoers came from across the country, raving about the yellow and orange leaves bedecking the resort, even as a smidgeon of snow topped the mountains surrounding Sun Valley. And band members were happy to accept hugs from fans who’d been coming to see them for years.

“I love the Banjomaniacs,” said Robert Diercks. “The gospel set is so good. And vocalist Jaimie Roberts and Randy Morris couldn’t be beat.”

At its heyday, the Sun Valley Jazz Festival had bands rotating among 12 stages, including two at Carol’s Dollar Mountain Lodge and one each at River Run Lodge and Warm Springs Lodge. But the festival missed a couple years during the COVID pandemic and, when it returned, it was cut back.

It’s growing again, however, said Carol Loehr, who took over the festival from her late father Tom Hazzard, who co-founded the festival with former Sun Valley General Manager Wally Huffman.

Peggy and Dale Bates nearly always manage to be the first ones on the dance floor.

“We added two stages this year and we plan on more next year,” she said. “And we’ll be doing more marketing, too, which has always been our weak link.”

Beth Riall couldn’t contain her enthusiasm, dancing in her seat to the classic pop of the High Street Party Band and singing along to songs like “Proud Mary.”

“When I trained for ski racing in Aspen, I’d stay up all night dancing,” she said. “I love this festival because it gives me a chance to dance again.”

Yves Evans was back again, singing “His Eye is on the Sparrow” and telling her long-running dry jokes. Shaymus Hanlin, who was still a kid wet behind the ears when he first appeared at the festival, easily crooned “I Could Have Danced All Night” and “Get Your Kicks on Route 66.”

Rick Hoel and Larry Washington perform under a picture of Louis Armstrong in The Boiler Room, renamed Satchmo’s during the jazz festival.

“They’ve brought in other styles of music, but I have to say I love traditional jazz,” said Frank Ward. “I think it’s the spontaneity of it that I like. And I like the gospel, too.”

Gospel sets at jazz festivals were born out of the spirituals of the African-Americans, Matt Summers of the High Street Party Band told his Sunday morning audience.

“We have six worship leaders in our band and bringing gospel music to the festival is a joy for us because we get to share where our joy, where our hope, comes from,” he said.

High Street Party Band saxophone player Steve Goff and his family have agreed to take over the management of the festival from Jeff and Carol Loehr as the Loehrs seek to retire. Goff is very familiar with the festival having played it for more than 20 years.

Steve Goff leads the crowd in singing “Oh Happy Day” Sunday morning.

He will be joined by his wife, children and grandchildren.

“We started working with them six months ago,” said Carol Loehr. “We’re not disappearing—we’re going to be involved. We’ll continue on as artistic directors as we mentor them for the next five years. We’ll be having weekly 2.5-hour phone conferences with them since they live in Nampa and we live in Wahington.”

Next year’s Sun Valley Jazz & Music Festival will be Oct. 15-18, 2026. Passes will go on sale after the New Year.