Macy’s Music Festival
Cincinnati’s Macy’s Music Festival is in full swing, and if you feel the urge to dance midway through, go ahead and dance. Sometimes you just can’t fight the feeling. You may also feel a bit overwhelmed. Cincinnati Hotels are booked solid, restaurants are too busy; but when you walk through the central streets and the eclectic variety of arts, culture, style and music venues from the Stadium to the Square, the crowds You will find that the streets only heighten your sense of excitement.
Hum what you hear is also the sound of 25 million dollar. Festival dances and dinners and weekend hotel stays half of the cash in the box business company. Cincinnati-based Macy’s, the event’s sponsor, estimates 25 million dollars as an economic impact from the city’s annual music weekend.
A Jazz Tradition
This year’s Macy’s Music Festival will include popular soul and Hip-Hop artists such as Erykah Badu, Cameo, En Vogue and K’jon; But the festival has its roots in the Ohio Valley Jazz Festival, a pure jazz event that started in 1962. The first festival started the annual music tradition in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The original Ohio Valley Jazz Festival was one of many national events developed by Newport Jazz Festival producer, George Wein, “the father of Summer Jazz festival concept”. Locally, Wein coordinated each of the festivities with longtime friend Dino Santangelo. In later years, Dino’s brother Joe helped keep the tradition going.
Despite the protests of some Cincinnati citizens, Wein held the first Jazz Festival in 1962 at the Carthage Fairgrounds in Cincinnati. Since the event’s inception, Wein’s Ohio Valley Jazz Festival has drawn a stellar lineup from across the Midwest. The old festivals boasted the greats, Duke Ellington, Hermann Woody, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Brubeck, Cannonball Adderly, Stan Getz, Thelonious Monk and Oscar Peterson.
Wein’s biography illustrates the festival’s ability to attract both non-Iadrian celebrities. He talks about the guest of the 1962 festival, Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali), and granted permission for Clay to come promote Archie. You gave a Moorish boxing match to the first Jazz audience. A young boxer took the stage to read a poem that he wrote on toilet paper: “When you come to fight, don’t block the aisle or close the door, you will all go home after four…
Cultural tradition
When the Macy’s Music Festival is in town, the entire Cincinnati community gets involved with spoken-word events, tributes, and arts. markets and art and unique cultural symposia in multiple venues throughout the city. Many organizations and businesses hit the streets with weekend flyers promoting offers; but stop by Downtown venues such as Fountain Square and The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center; You are also a reason to enjoy these cultural offerings.
A Traditional Venue
The first Ohio Valley Jazz Festival drew a large crowd of 6,000 to the Carthage Fair Grounds, home of the Hamilton County Fair. In 1964, when the Ohio Valley Jazz Festival moved to Crosley Field, the old Cincinnati Reds baseball stadium, Wein began collecting festival fees, a tradition that provided a financial boost to the state’s sports organizations. In the 1970s, the festival followed the Russians to the newly built Riverfront Stadium where it remained until it was moved to the new Paul. a> Brown Stadium 2000
Fashion Tradition
The Cincinnati Jazz Festival gave birth to the Festival Fashion tradition of can-you-top-this style that meant annual revenue for regional clothing merchants. Every year various suits and clothes are sold as “Fashion”. Both menand women spent big dollars on unique and quirky outfits, often with color-coordinated accessories.
Despite Cincinnati’s midsummer heat, with temperatures typically hovering in the 90s, out-of-town guests often settled into their hotels in reverse gear /a>, but then headed to the streets of Downtown lined up head to toe in rites from leather to skin length.
Those Jazz Tributes have just drifted off to the extremes; but you will still see many people wearing prints. The music festival weekend gown now runs the gamut from sequin to silk; but it is just as likely to see Festival attendees in cotton tees and khaki shorts.
Tradition of Genera and Names
Macy’s Music Festival started as jazz then began a decade long transition through various flavors and genres of music. Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, Disco, Salsa and Hip-Hop acts all graced the raised stage and surrounded the huge television screens. The festival has also changed its name several times.
The Cincinnati Jazz Festival was George Wein’s original working title; but before the details were finalized, the Ohio Valley Jazz Festival decided to provide a larger regional appeal. In 1975 a sponsorship deal with the Brown and Williamson Tobacco Company generated a name change to the Kool Jazz Festival. When Coors took over as a sponsor of the Festival, the event became the Coors Light Music Festival, and the name was finally reduced. they had roles in the series.
In 2002, after 40 years of the festival’s history, the organizers pulled the plug on the event. From the 2001 shootings of unarmed police and the resulting racial unrest, from the downtown Cincinnati boycott and low 2001 attendance, pickpockets and economic speculation have become inevitable for festival boards.
Macy’s came to the rescue in 2005. The Cincinnati-based company provided the necessary incentives and the event was reborn as the Macy’s Music Festival. Despite four decades of name and music changes, some have never stopped calling it “The Jazz Festival”.
For the full 2010 Festival lineup of performers, see Macysmusicfestival.com
Passwords
Macy’s Music Festival Tickets prices range from 48 to 88 dollars
See Macysmusicifestival.com for online ticket information or call 1-800-452-3132.
For Cincinnati Hotel information, see the Festival Site
Source:
Your personal use
http://www.macysmusicfestival.com/
Reading Eagle
http://www.festivalnetwork.com/about/wein.php
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=11243
Ise Among Others: Life in Music – by George Wein on Google Books
Cincinnati Boycott: Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center
