Festival Kudos

Below is a sampling of comments from the 2010 Jacksonville Jazz Festival:

I just wanted to say what an experience I am having this year with the Jazz Fest. This is the first year in the 5 years I lived in Jax, that I have gone all 3 days of the Jazz fest. I am very excited about the entertainment. I just wanted to give my appreciation for all you and your staff do! This is a great event and hope it continues! It is great to see that Jax keeps Jazz alive, even though a lot of the legendary performers are no longer with us such as, Ella, Louis, Duke, Lena and Eartha!  Thank you so much!
-Craig S.

I had to let you know what a fantastic festival you put on! My wife and I enjoyed the entire weekend, from the tremendous diversity of music to the enthusiastic crowds. As one who has worked and planned his share of special events, I know how much effort goes into pulling off such a major festival. The entire Special Events Department, sponsors, and volunteers are to be commended for pulling off another great event.
-Vic DiGenti, 2004 Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame Inductee

Thank you to the city of Jacksonville for a great Jazz Festival downtown. I know a lot of work and planning went into this event. What a success! Downtown was alive and full of entertainment. The stages and the equipment looked and sounded great. What a nice, relaxed atmosphere for everyone to spend some time enjoying our downtown area while hearing jazz. The vendors were well represented and a good variety of art and food. Just a big thanks to all the city workers, event planners and the volunteers!
-Anonymous

Just look at what we can make happen downtown if we work together with a common goal. Congrats to your entire staff!
-Doug Ganson, owner of Dipper Dan's Ice Cream and Sundrez in The Jacksonville Landing

Wonderful Job! This was our first visit and look forward to next year.
-Jerry Kerr

JAZZ FESTIVAL WAS AWESOME
A huge "Thank you" and "Congratulations" to the City of Jacksonville for organizing and hosting another successful Jacksonville Jazz Festival. It was great! I was so proud to live in Jacksonville. Downtown was welcoming, interesting, beautiful, easy to access and well organized. Thank you to the vendors for working hard day and night to offer delicious food, drink and art to everybody. And, of course, the music was fabulous. For those of you who missed it this year, you missed a fun and special event for the whole family. We had a ball all three days! I hope the city plans to hold the festival downtown again next year. I am sure I'm writing on behalf of the thousands of us who enjoyed the event: a great big thank you to the city and to everyone who put the time, energy and money into making the Jazz Fest fun for all of us.
-Anonymous

Good morning everyone! Just a quick note to say thank you for all your hard work to make the 2010 Jacksonville Jazz Festival a success. The talent that you brought in was really excellent and I know that the residents of our town feel proud to be a part of our city because of your efforts.   You are part of the Good News of what is happening today, who knows what young person might now direct his or her path into an inclusive life of ever higher quality music!  Maybe even taking the next step of actually creating music!  Something to think about.
Thank you,
Jack Melvin, Keyboard Connection

We had a good weekend at the Jax Naval Ship Museum in the Landing.  I hope from your view point you can also say it went well. From all of us, I wanted to say “Thank You” for the opportunity to participate in whatever small way and for your recognition.  
-Wayne Misenar, Jacksonville Naval Ship Museum

[It was] the best Jazz Festival! My hat's off to the staff.
-Pat C.

I am proud to be a Jacksonville resident during events like the annual Jazz Festival 2010. My daughter, Angela Roberts, a DA and a UNF graduate, sang at the Riverside Arts Festival and my son Andrew Roberts, also a DA graduate, was sound engineer at several of the events.  It is great to see local talent highlighted especially Von Barlow and his Jazz Journey featuring a lot of our local musicians many affiliated with UNF.  We have been to many of Von's events in the past and last week his appearances were very well-received and a lot of fun! Local musician Scott Giddens, also a DA graduate, is another wonderful musician who was highlighted this past week. Ace Martin's wonderful Jazz I group (DA students) is always delightful. All of these folks are helping to put us on the map artistically. We have come a long way, and the sky is the limit!  The expanded venues and their diversity were fantastic! I have introduced friends to Jazz with Von's Jazz Journey at European Street and they are surprised by the talent here that they did not realize we had! His kickoff concerts Tuesday and Wednesday before the Festival raised interest in it. PLEASE, keep up the great work and continue to highlight the local talent - it means a lot to the people of Jacksonville!
-Cynthia R.

What a blast!!! Thank you for giving Studio Jear the opportunity to show case our Zumba Fitness classes at the Omni Hotel! It went beautifully! 
-Arlene & Jerome of Studio Jear!

Thank you all for such a wonderful event. I had a great time performing and getting to know the folks attending the festival. I want to give you extra thanks for all the support I received before I arrived, and while I was there. Having an event like this is a beautiful thing for the community. With it being free and open to the public was a wonderful thing. Unfortunately, every city doesn't have jazz festivals like this one. Congratulations, and thank you for inviting me to be part of this.
Regards, Paul Rucker

To ALL of the City of Jacksonville Special Events staff, the volunteers, the sound/lighting crews, the festival sponsors, vendors and ALL those who made the production and presentation of the festival possible. Having played on this festival in our groups, the St. Johns River City Band, and/or running the jam session almost yearly since 1989, I have been aware of the many folks associated with this festival who have loved it, played key rolls in it's legacy, who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make it the success that it is-a landmark event on the national/international map for Jacksonville. An amazing job done by all! This year proved that the word is out on how fabulous the Jacksonville Jazz Festival is in downtown J'ville. If you didn't attend, you truly missed a spectacular event. Next year..the last weekend of May..Memorial Day Weekend. See you there!
-Lisa Kelly & JB Scott

Mayor Peyton,
Thank you so much for the Jazz Festival it was amazing!  There were so many moments but, the [Generation Next Youth Talent Competition] at the church blew me away with Jacksonville's young talent. You are to be commended, thank you for all you do!
-Darby M.

I just wanted to thank you for the great experience and opportunity at the festival! We had a wonderful time performing and had a GREAT crowd. There's no doubt that this was the best coordinated and organized Jacksonville Jazz Festival to date, and we all have you to thank for it. Thanks again for including me. I'd love and be honored to be a part of it again.
The very best to you and yours,
John Ricci 

2009 Jacksonville Jazz Festival Comments:

Heart of Downtown Jacksonville Still Beating
Mark Woods, The Florida Times-Union Full Article

My wife and I spent Friday and Saturday savoring the wonderful offering at this year's Jazz Festival. We've often attended jazz festival in Breckenridge, Colorado and found your event first-class. Thanks for all the time, effort and energy you put into making this an exceptional event.
- Phyllis and Tom, Gainesville, Florida
 
Thank you to the city of Jacksonville for organizing and hosting the Jacksonville Jazz Festival. Congratulations, it was great! I was so proud to live in Jacksonville. Downtown was welcoming, interesting, beautiful, easy to access and well-organized. The vendors, albeit disappointed with the weather, were kind and generous. And, of course, the music was fabulous. For those of you who missed it this year, you missed a fun and special event for the whole family. We had a ball! I hope the city plans to hold the festival downtown again next year.
-Letter to the editor, Florida Times-Union

On behalf of the St. Johns River City Band staff, musicians, and volunteers, kudos to the city of Jacksonville and Theresa O'Donnell Price and her staff for their unbelievable efforts to keep the Jazz Festival going throughout the rain and wind.It is the 25th anniversary of the St. Johns River City Band, and it was an honor and pleasure for us to perform with Dave Brubeck and his son, Chris, and the Dave Brubeck Quartet.

We've performed with many great artists, but this will probably be one of the most memorable.A big thank you to the people in attendance Friday night for their admiration and respect for this legendary man.I think he was truly humbled and appreciated the audience's response. And thank you for your appreciation of our wonderful band.

As a non-profit organization with the same struggles as everyone else in this economy, we savor every chance we get to represent Jacksonville and to meet our mission of keeping jazz and American music alive.Things may not have been perfect, but the venue changes and hustling behind the scenes were incredible.The show went on and it seemed like most people were going with the flow and having a great time. Most importantly, I know that the city staff will take lessons learned and make next year's event even better.

Make a Scene Downtown!
-Diantha Grant, Executive Director, St. Johns River City Band

This year's festival was fantastic. My friends and I are still talking about it. Thanks to everyone is the S.E. dept. for putting together a great lineup, as well as coming up with new location...this was a great opportunity to forget your worries and enjoy the pleasures of the beautiful music by such wonderful artists.
-Regards, Tanya

Our city has a wonderful tradition in The Jacksonville Jazz Festival. For three days, the city hosted some of the most celebrated jazz musicians, showcased downtown and came together as a community and left with our spirits lifted.

I applaud Mayor John Peyton and the city's Special Events Office for their tireless efforts to make this event extra special this year. Staging the Jazz Festival in the streets of downtown not only provided opportunities to host music on multiple stages, but also catered to the jazz aficionados who enjoy small venues.

Downtown is rich in history, and opening the Snyder Memorial Church was wonderful for all to appreciate. Many restaurants and retailers reported terrific business and had the opportunity to engage the festival attendees as new customers.

It was exciting to see so many people experience downtown for what it is - the vibrant cultural and entertainment center of the region.
-Terry Lorince,executive director, Downtown Vision Inc.
Florida Times-Union Letter to the Editor

I just wanted to take this opportunity to say how much I truly enjoyed myself at this year's Jazz Festival. In the 30 yrs I've been living in Jacksonville, this is the first time I've gone. This year I could not pass up free. I took my granddaughter to the Suns baseball game Saturday, when we left I found a parking space on the street, and we walked to the Swingin' Stage, to see Roberta Flack. Fantabulous!!!  Sunday we went back; walked to the Landing to the Jazz for the Juniors. Then we went back to the Swingin' Stage and caught the last 30 minutes of Preservation Jazz Hall, they were great.  I really wanted to see Chris Botti, after seeing him on PBS; even my 9 yrs old grand enjoyed it. The camaraderie was awesome and everyone was enjoying each other. I appreciated the different vendors and variety.  I hope this is the beginning of something new. I'm going to convenience my out-of-town family to come to Jax next Memorial weekend for this great event. All I can say is Well done!!!! Well done!!!! Thank you for a great weekend.
-Rosalin

The Jacksonville Jazz Festival 2009 was awesome! The convenient layout, the location and the venues were all superb. I showed up on Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday. I enjoyed everything thoroughly. To see the Hall of Fame Band performing together was Super! They were electrifying. It would be great to see the Hall of Fame Band become an integral part of The Jacksonville Jazz Festival in the future.
-Yours truly, Mary

Whooh! I'm still recovering from one of the best Jacksonville Jazz Festival's ever, in spite of the rain. I have been going since the first one, "Mayport and All That Jazz". So, when I say this was a great one, in my opinion, it was a great one. What a lineup! Two things stood out this year. I thoroughly enjoyed the downtown venue. It added a "feel" to the festival that was missing. It sort of felt like being back at Mayport again. Secondly, the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame Band. Whew! Those cats had the joint jumping. Thanks to Von Barlow for the vision and Theresa O'Donnell for making it happen. There was a third highlight (besides Noel and Renee, "So What" Band featuring Jimmy Cobb [love Miles Davis music], New Orleans Preservation Hall Band, Joe Sample and Patti Austin, Roberta Flack, Chris Botti, etc.) and that was the induction of my friend, Joyce Hellman Bizot, into the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame. It is an honor beyond well-deserved. See you next year!
-Frances

On behalf of Chieli, Karen and the Lao Tizer band, I just want to say THANKS for allowing us the opportunity to perform at this years festival... Everyone really enjoyed it and in spite of the iffy weather, it seems all came together really well and the sun even made an appearance!  I hope that everyone was pleased with the outcome and this will be the beginning of a new tradition with the new downtown venues...  For those of us who were there on Fri night we really enjoyed the diverse programming too!  That's what I think a 'jazz' festival should be all about, with many flavors, all of them great. So thanks again and I hope we'll all have opportunity to work together again in the future. Kudos on a very cool event!
-Lao Tizer

This was by far one of the best events hosted by the City of Jacksonville. Please continue to schedule events like this in the downtown area. The area surpasses Metro Park in terms of its expanse, ease of access and general feel. Thanks so much for a fantastic weekend!
-Sheila

We just wanted you to know that we thought the Jazz Festival was fabulous. It could not have been better-great seats, great talent and nice people everywhere. Thanks! We hope you keep this venue as it allows you to go to all stages and enjoy everything.
-Kathy

On behalf of the Jacksonville Aviation Authority, I  applaud the City of Jacksonville's sensational Jacksonville Jazz Festival this past weekend.  One can't help but admire the planning it took to move this year's event  to downtown from its long-standing venue at Metropolitan Park. The new  location worked well for introducing – or reintroducing – thousands of festival goers to downtown Jacksonville. The event is a model that  hopefully will be built upon in the future.

In addition to bringing thousands of people downtown, the city brought us an impressive line-up of jazz talents. With world-class musical acts, art exhibits and the surroundings of historic downtown, the Jacksonville Jazz Festival was a full-blown cultural experience.

Of course, like many of us, the city paid close attention to this past weekend's weather forecast and weighed the potential effects of rain on the mostly outdoor event. Festival planners took all the proper "Plan B" precautions and made necessary adjustments in a timely fashion, including keeping the public well-informed.

The City of Jacksonville continues to move in the right direction when it comes to marketing downtown and providing residents and tourists with rich entertaining experiences. This type of foresight brings enthusiasm to the people and a vibrant energy to downtown. I was thrilled to attend this year's festival, and I'm eagerly looking forward to the 2010 event. Following this year's notable change in venue and phenomenal talent line-up, I'm confident the Jacksonville Jazz Festival will just keep getting better.
- Michael Stewart, Jacksonville Aviation Authority

Thank you for making Chops a feature of the Jacksonville Jazz Festival and for all you did to make the screening and the events surrounding it such a success.  We all had a great time and I thought the audience did too... I couldn't have asked for more. The kids all played great and were clearly appreciated by the audience. Even the Jazz Talk elicited lively reactions. In spite of the rain, downtown Jacksonville looked, tasted and sounded fantastic.
Bruce Broder, Chops director

It was our first [Jazz Festival] (new to FL) and it was fantastic. We were at events every days except the Thursday opening. We loved the downtown setting and felt so excited and honored that our city would lead or facilitate the way for this to happen. We hope it remains downtown and continues to "pack the stage" with such rich and diverse talent as this year's line-up.  We have even purchased lounge-chairs for next year!
-Phillip

Good afternoon! I just wanted to take a moment to say what a wonderful event the Jacksonville Jazz Festival was this year. I am a native of Jacksonville and was visiting from the San Francisco Bay Area after many years and was pleasantly surprised to see such a happening event.  In speaking with some of the people at the event, it seems to be getting better and better every year. I also want to comment on the great lineup of talent, there was something for everyone. I especially the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame Band! AWSOME!  The venue was perfect for band, very intimate. It was simply stunning.
-Veronica

Just a note to say how much I enjoyed the festival this year. I think moving it downtown was a good idea, even though I liked the venue at Metro Park, it supports the city and helps business grow for the downtown area. The line up was first-class and through the years I have attended many jazz festivals all over the country: Monterey, Newport, Chicago, Clearwater, etc.

When I moved to Jacksonville six years ago I was very impressed with your festival, it is one of my favorites. I love living in Jacksonville and have retired here so I will be rooting for you and your staff till the end. The highlights for me were Dave Brubeck, Marcus Roberts, Dave Valentin, Jimmy Cobb and the Jacksonville Jazz Hall of Famers. Through my travels finding jazz in Jacksonville, I have met most of the members. They are a great group of guys.
-Keep up the great work, Wayne