The Charleston Jazz Festival is a diverse showcase of educational programs and live jazz performances featuring local, national and international jazz artists.
The festival is presented by Corbellus Capital and produced and managed by Jazz Artists of Charleston (JAC), a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote musical awareness and education.
This includes the recognition and preservation of the history of jazz, in the city of Charleston through performances, special events and educational outreach.
Established in 2008, JAC has earned a reputation for presenting, producing and advocating for all things jazz and the artists who bring this music to life in dynamic ways.
Charleston Jazz Festival is JAC’s newest program – another entertaining, educational and stellar exemplar of the rich history and legacy of jazz in Charleston, complementing its production of the Holy City’s resident big band, the Charleston Jazz Orchestra, the establishment of the Charleston Jazz House and the organization’s Web site charlestonjazz.com, promoting and providing support for all things jazz in Charleston.
MUSICAL TRADITION
Given Charleston’s place in the history of jazz, America’s most original art form and its most significant cultural export over the last 100 years, the Charleston International Jazz Festival represents the continuation of a musical tradition begun about a century and a half ago in coastal South Carolina.
JAC is proud to partner with the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and many other key community partners for the Inaugural Charleston Jazz Festival.
The Charleston Jazz Initiative (CJI) is a multi-year research project that documents the African American jazz tradition in Charleston, the South Carolina Lowcountry, and its diasporic movement throughout the United States and Europe between the late 19th century through today.
