‘So much sunshine’

It’s high time for “Summertime,” in more ways than one.

Tiffany Gridiron, a spellbinding singer in the tradition of Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Nancy Wilson, is the perfect choice to open this year’s Summer Solstice Jazz Festival.

“It’s such a beautiful time of year. There’s so much sunshine, it’s so joyful, there’s so much music,” Gridiron enthused.

Backed by a top-notch band featuring organist Clif Metcalf, saxophonist Sam Corey and drummer Jeff Shoup, Gridiron will headline a special kickoff concert from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Beggar’s Banquet.

She’ll work her vocal magic on a wide-ranging set of tunes from the Great American Songbook (“Summertime” included) and several of her own lyrical, swinging originals.

Unlike the festival proper on Friday and Saturday, Thursday’s concert is a ticketed fundraising event, hosted by the festival’s advisory board.

As a passionate festival supporter, Gridiron jumped at the opportunity to kick it off.

“The festival is free to the public, and it’s such a generous offering to the community,” she said. “I have a number of friends who, for a variety of reasons, just won’t go to clubs. This festival gives them a chance to engage with the music.”

Thursday’s event “will give people who appreciate the festival an opportunity to make a contribution,” she said. “I just love the festival so much and have a deep personal relationship with it, so it’s great to participate in this way.”

Gridiron has officially performed twice at the festival, but an unofficial appearance with Shoup’s group in 2019 was a significant turning point in her life.

“I had a kind of musical hiatus for a few years where I thought I could put away singing,” she said. “But it turns out that I couldn’t.”

Shoup invited her up to the stage to sing “Save Your Love for Me,” recorded in 1960 by Nancy Wilson.

Gridiron responded with a relaxed, soulful reading that made the song sound as if it was written just for her.

Soon, Gridiron was back on the scene, singing with a newfound depth and maturity. She also developed her skills and voice as a composer, recording a 2023 album of original songs, “From My Heart to Yours.”

When she says she’s looking forward to “playing” with the band Thursday, her choice of verb says it all. Despite her charisma and vocal skills, Gridiron is a musician to the root.

“The vocalist is part of the band, and I love that,” she said. “You can do the same song 20 times and never do it the same way.”

“Tiffany is a rare talent, and we’re so lucky to have her in the community,” Shoup said. Shoup placed Gridiron in the select coterie of singers who somehow seem to play all the instruments at once.

“I remember people talking about playing with Thelonious Monk, saying that it felt like he was somehow playing their instruments from the piano,” Shoup said. “That applies to Tiffany as well.”

The ensemble backing Gridiron at Beggar’s Banquet will offer her a mix of familiar and fresh experiences.

She’s worked with Shoup many times and has sung with Corey as her bass player, but she’s never worked with Corey on saxophone or with Metcalf.

“I’m really excited to work with Clif, and I’m excited to work with Sam on saxophone,” she said. “He’s an equally exquisite musician on both instruments.”

She’ll sing a few original tunes and a generous selection of classics, including “Billie’s Bounce,” a favorite of drummer Randy Gelispie, and a bag of Duke Ellington tunes.

“It’s going to be fun and hot, like a summer kickoff — just joyful and playful,” she said.

“I know we’re going to do ‘Save Your Love for Me,’ because that brings it full circle,” she added. “And it’s a great song to do when you have an organ available.”