Well known local musician Joe Freyre organized the first Flint Jazz Festival in 1982. It started as a two-day event to promote jazz as a uniquely American musical form and to encourage appreciation and understanding of jazz. In 1984 the Festival was expanded to three days and, in response to burgeoning popularity, the Festival became a four-day event in 1988. Already the Flint Jazz Festival was serving as a venue for top local jazz artists as well as a growing list of national headliners, including Dizzy Gillespie, McCoy Tyner, Sonny Rollins, Ramsey Lewis, and many others.
The Flint Jazz Festival has always been free to the public -- attracting and entertaining an ethnically and culturally diverse audience. Funds have been raised through governmental and foundation grants, corporate and individual sponsorships, fundraising events, and Master Plan memberships. Master Plan, Inc. is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation formed in 1985. Master Plan also sponsors the annual John R. Nelson Jazz Festival, named in honor of a young local musician who met an untimely death. Funds from this event have provided scholarships for Mott Community College students over a twenty-year period. Recent Festivals have included an appearance by members of the Mott College Fine Arts Camp Jazz Band, consisting of 20 or more students (nearly all 8th and 9th graders) from throughout Genesee County.
The success of the Flint Jazz Festival depends on the dedication of the members Master Plan, Inc., who contribute money and many volunteer hours to help make the festival a success. For information about becoming a member of Master Plan, call (810) 736-7017.
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Please send inquiries and feedback to: jazzfest@mitchcon.net