Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival

Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival
Genre	Blues, jazz
Location(s)	Ann Arbor, Michigan
Years active	1969

In August 1969, several thousand blues lovers gathered in a small athletic field in Ann Arbor, Michigan for the first Ann Arbor Blues Festival. B.B. King closed the show. The festival continues to this day. In 1972, the festival was expanded to include jazz and it became the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival. Jazz stars like Miles Davis, Count Basie, Sun Ra, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp, Yusef Lateef, Ornette Coleman, and Cecil Taylor have played the festival, as well as headliners like Ray Charles, Maceo Parker, Etta James, James Brown, Booker T. & the MG's, Taj Mahal, Dr. John, Bonnie Raitt, and Al Green.

Although started with the support of the University of Michigan, the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival has, over the years, become an all-volunteer, non-profit 501(c) event, supported by community volunteers working with the city administration.

What began as an outdoor concert has become a full weekend of blues and jazz events. In addition to the daytime festival, evenings offer festival goers a choice of indoor (seated) concerts and live jazz in a club setting.

The festival organization has been expanded to include activities for children, educational outreach programs, and the "Meet the Artist" program, which gives the audience a chance to meet and speak with performers.

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Wikipedia