Jacksonville Jazz Festival
 | This article's factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. (June 2013) |
| Jacksonville Jazz Festival | |
|---|---|
 1998 Jacksonville Jazz Festival poster | |
| Genre | Jazz music |
| Dates | May 22-25, 2014 |
| Location(s) | Jacksonville, Florida |
| Years active | 1979-1981 (Mayport) 1982-present (Downtown) |
| Founded by | Jake Godbold Mike Tolbert |
| Website | jaxjazzfest.com |
The Jacksonville Jazz Festival is a weekend of Jazz that is the "second-largest jazz festival in the nation" according to Superpages[1] and that, according to the Jacksonville Times-Union, has been dubbed by "experts" as "one of the 20 best in the nation."[2] The event in Jacksonville, Florida, USA is sponsored by the city, and the entertainment events take place throughout downtown.
Festival events
The festival includes The Great American Jazz Piano Competition which takes place at the Florida Theatre on Friday evening of the festival weekend. The winner plays a featured set at Metropolitan Park. During the Art at the Met concert in Metropolitan Park, the audience can view the work of prize-winning artisans and master craftspeople from around the nation while listening.[3] Art mediums can include: Clay, Digital, Drawing, Fiber, Furniture, Glass, Jewelry, Mixed Media, Painting, Sculpture and Wood. The wine tasting event titled 38° Latitude: A Wine Tasting Experience is another favorite pastime at the festival. Patrons may purchase a "Tasting Ticket" for entry to this special experience and receive a souvenir wine glass and eight samplings of more than 50 featured wines. Attendees have an opportunity to speak with winery representatives or to purchase bottles that they may consume at the Park.[3][4] Food & drink, arts & crafts, souvenirs & music are available for purchase from vendors within the park, and Sunday Jazz Brunch is available in Metropolitan Park, typically from 11:00am to 1:00pm. When the performers for the upcoming festival are announced, there is also an induction ceremony for the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame to honor people who have made a positive impact on jazz in Jacksonville. An official poster has been created each year for the festival.
Past performers
Over the years the festival has featured such notable artists as Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, George Benson, Al Jarreau, Diane Schuur, Patti Austin, Branford Marsalis, Count Basie Orchestra, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Diana Krall, Herbie Hancock, Ramsey Lewis Trio, Chuck Mangione, Chris Botti, Rippingtons, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, David Sanborn, Pamela Williams, Spyro Gyra, Dianne Reeves, Chick Corea, David Benoit, Boney James, Karrin Allyson, Grover Washington, Jr., Kenny G, Harry Connick, Jr., Natalie Cole, Mavis Staples and Greg Adams, to name a few. [5]
History
In 1979, Jake Godbold was elected Mayor of Jacksonville. He and aide Mike Tolbert founded the jazz festival and envisioned it as an event that would help the struggling fishing village of Mayport. It began as a one-day free concert featuring regional talent and a major headliner at Mayport. The producers expected a few hundred people to show up, but a crowd of twenty five thousand turned out. The following year, attendance was even higher and Mayport could not handle the crowds, and the Mayport Naval Base was uncomfortable with so a big crowd on their border, so the event moved to the newly opened Metropolitan Park in 1982. Costs were low (Dizzy Gillespie headlined the 1981 show for just $7,500) and sponsors were willing to support it, so it remained a free show. Churches and other groups provided food and drinks which helped them to make money. At one time, before Channel 7 decided to use it as a fund raiser, 100,00o people would attend.
The production was turned over to public television station WJCT in 1985 and they used it as their primary fund-raising event for many years. In the mid 80s, big name entertainers started raising the rates they charged to perform. The 1986 festival featured Miles Davis for approximately $25,000, more than three times the cost of the headliner five years earlier. Costs began to rise faster than sponsorship money, so the show in 1995 included a $5 admission to help cover the shortfall. Vic DiGenti, who produced the event from 1993 to 2000 stated, "We probably lost some of those people who just want to come and hang out and drink beer." In the late 1990s attendance had risen to 20,000, but that wasn't enough to cover shrinking sponsorships and inflated artists' contracts. After the show in 2000, WJCT announced their withdrawal of sponsorship, citing large losses, resulting in no festival in 2001 and 2002.[6]
The City of Jacksonville resurrected the event in 2003, and named Tony Bennett as the headliner. However, Bennett was the most expensive act in Jazz Festival history. He was paid $100,000 for his 75-minute performance at Metropolitan Park, plus $10,000 for expenses. The festival in 2003 once again did not charge admission. It was a sunny weekend and nearly 60,000 people attended, but the festival's overall profits were half a million dollars short of its expenses. When it rained in 2004, attendance numbers fell to 22,000 and the festival lost another half million dollars. In 2006, the city decided to begin charging admission, but the deficit stayed around $500,000. The 2007-8 budget included significant cuts that required the Jazz Festival to be scaled back. Saturday and Sunday music will be limited to Metropolitan Park whereas in 2007, concerts were also held at the Florida and Ritz theaters. [7]
References
- ^ Superpages City Guide
- ^ Florida Times-Union: Apr 8, 2005 "City pays into red for jazz fest"
- ^ a b Frommers: Jacksonville Jazz Festival
- ^ Florida Times-Union: Mar 4, 2006 "Jazz Festival returns, this time at a cost"
- ^ Smooth Views Concert Reviews
- ^ University of North Florida Carpenter Library collection
- ^ Jax Daily Record: Jan 4, 2008 "City officials: ignore rumors, Jazz Fest will go on"
External links
- Official web page
- Comprehensive Festival Information at Festival Archive
- First Coast Jazz - Florida's Smooth Jazz Connection