EAU CLAIRE— The 58th annual Eau Claire Jazz Festival is fast approaching with festivities beginning on Friday and continuing through Saturday. The festival is a celebration of all things jazz and includes four key components: student sessions, the jazz crawl, masterclasses and a concert series, according to Eau Claire Jazz Inc. (ECJI) executive director Quentin Volk.

“The Eau Claire Jazz Festival is designed to provide world-class opportunities not only for visiting students but also for the entire UWEC Jazz Studies program,” ECJI founder and director of the UW-Eau Claire Jazz Studies department Robert ‘Bob’ Bacca said in an email to The Leader-Telegram. “Beyond the music, the festival is built to showcase our unique town— bringing the world to Eau Claire, celebrating Eau Claire and uniting with our community to create something unforgettable.”