INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — If Indiana’s run of hot and humid days has you longing for cold-weather months, an event July 17th offers to provide a heaping helping of the holidays in song.

“We actually did a recording a few weeks ago for Christmas,” well-known local jazz saxophonist Rob Dixon told the audience of WISH-TV’s Daybreak. “But we said, ‘Hey, let’s do an early release concert!’ And ‘Christmas in July’ would be the perfect theme for it.”

The show, from the Indianapolis Jazz Collective, is set for 7 p.m. on July 17th at the Indianapolis Arts Center. It’s part of the Indy Jazz Foundation’s Jazz at the Center series.

The lineup includes Dixon, vocalist Rebecca Rafla, Steve Allee on piano, Kenny Phelps on drums, and Nick Tucker rounding out the rhythm section on bass.

Dixon and Rafla describe the setlist as holiday favorites, ‘freshened’ with a bit of ‘flair’. And the theme extends beyond the music, with holiday décor and a Christkindlmarkt.

General admission is $25, with free entry for children 12 and under. The event is outdoors, so a rain date is set for Wednesday, July 23.

The album that inspired the concert is not yet widely available, but Dixon says you will be able to buy it at the show. He says it will hit streaming platforms like Spotify or Amazon Music later in the year, making the concert a unique opportunity to access the music early.

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