 Get ready for jazz Jacksonville style coming this October the 15th annual Jacksonville Jazz Festival will be something to really blow your horn about This by WJCT. This event is sure to be a blast hours and hours of free performances by jazz greats the great American jazz piano competition One of the social events of the year at our Jacksonville Jazz Benefit Party Of course music music music live at Metropolitan Park It's no wonder a recent survey by the downtown development authority ranked WJCT's Jacksonville Jazz Festival as the best Jacksonville event and Travel and events USA has chosen our homegrown Gala as one of the 20 best events in the entire country now That's worth shooting your horn over Well the Jacksonville Jazz Festival began as a very simple idea about 15 years ago down in Mayport, Florida But the idea was so simple was let's have some great time. Let's have some good jazz out there Let's have some nice food. So it was sort of a little jazz and seafood party And as I said that was 15 years ago We've had a lot of changes since then from Mayport and all that jazz back in 1980 to this year's week-long Jacksonville Jazz Festival. We sure come a long way Over the years we've brought to Jacksonville some of the greatest stars from Dave Brubeck and Miles Davis to the up-and-rising Contemporary stars, but the idea is still the same good times and great jazz Nearly 100,000 people from throughout the nation have enjoyed the jazz feast annually and through the years They've seen hundreds of stars including clover Washington, Jr. Jerry Mulligan Dizzy Gillespie and George Benson This year jazz vans can look forward to a swinging 15th anniversary party featuring many of today's greatest jazz artists Lee Rittenauer Joshua Redmond George Howard the Neville Brothers and more But the Jazz Festival is more than just a great party It also puts our beautiful River City on the map each year with an award-winning public television special That's seen across the country and around the globe One of the high notes of the festival is discovering new talent at the great American jazz piano competition Harry Connick, Jr. Was a finalist one year and who knows what bright star is about to shine Marcus Roberts was the first winner in 1983 and they're wondering are they going to see history repeat itself? But truly all of the winners are going on to their their crews are following along very very very nicely But we're also known around the world because of a reputation that we have we get great press and different different countries in Europe and so forth and The winner of the competition in the past and also coming up this year has been invited and will be invited to appear at different festivals So this is truly an event that we here in Jacksonville can be very very proud of Imagine the best music and the best party Mark your calendars and get ready to blow your horn October 8th through 15th the Jacksonville Jazz Festival one of the nation's best reduced by WJCD Channel 7 and FM Stereo 90