A little jazz, a little wine and some garden fresh vegetables under the stars. Schnepf Farms is debuting its newest entertainment venture next weekend, bringing live jazz to Queen Creek.
It is the first jazz venue in Queen Creek, said Schnepf Farms owner Carrie Schnepf. The idea for the lounge-style concerts came from Schnepf's regular customers.
"They've said, 'You know, we just need some music out here that we can enjoy without driving up to Scottsdale,' " Schnepf said.
So Schnepf decided to put her restaurant's fairly new wine-bar patio to good use, offering live jazz and periodic wine tastings on weekends.
Local artist Alice Tatum will be the first performer, playing with Barb Catlin, Mesa Community College's jazz director. Tatum is helping Schnepf book subsequent performers and plans to play there herself at least once a month.
Tatum was close to several members of Carrie Schnepf's family growing up. Now, Tatum is glad to have a place for jazz in the south East Valley, which is closer to her parents' Gilbert home and many musicians' homes than many Valley venues.
"It's nice to have music on that side of town," Tatum said. "There's so many homes out there now. It used to be fields."
