There have been a number of changes with the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, and we’d like to bring our fans up to date.

A few years ago, the Healdsburg Jazz Festival leadership determined that in order to continually improve the Festival, it needed to expand. There was sincere interest in increasing the scope and reach of the Jazz Festival through its programming and curatorial concept. In order to practically accomplish these goals, consideration was given to increasing the staff, broadening the sponsorship base to include national underwriters, and expanding the concept of the music beyond the classic jazz form that has come to define the festival.

No one could have forseen the financial crisis looming at that time, and soon after the loss of sponsorships, declining ticket sales, and impact to patron dollars that are still being felt by non-profits across the nation. The Jazz Festival has not been immune to this crisis, and has felt its impact in lower ticket sales, declining contributions, and burdensome staffing costs. However we now have benefit of hindsight, and can embrace the lessons learned by allowing them to inform our future plans.

Most importantly, jazz lovers from all over the country let us know that, although there is always interest in learning about and experiencing new jazz talent, maintaining the original curatorial concept of the music- true jazz- is paramount. Secondly, we need to strengthen the support in our own community so we aren’t beholden to the marketing needs of national sponsors that may not have our community’s best interest at heart, and whose support is never guaranteed. Thirdly, the organization’s infrastructure needs to reflect these realities by maintaining a small staff and a lean budget.

In the pursuit of these goals, a new board of directors has been assembled who have the business acumen, and the passion, necessary to guide us into the future. Several past board members, whose experience and perspective are deeply valued, have agreed to continue as Honorary Board Members. Many community leaders, eager to ensure the Festival’s success, have stepped up as Jazz Festival ambassadors, ready and willing to act as advisors whom the Board can call on for guidance and support. And some of the world’s leading jazz musicians who have come to perform, and come to love, this jewel of a festival are acting as the ultimate fans by lending their voices in support and generously offering to perform fundraisers to ensure that the Festival continues to flourish.

Our future is bright, as the Healdsburg Jazz Festival looks forward to continuing to bring year round jazz, jazz education, and the beloved jazz festival to our community and to the world. Stay tuned!

Special Appeal:

Support the Healdsburg Jazz Festival

First of all, I want to thank everyone who stood up for the Healdsburg Jazz Festival and the music it represents. This is a victory for real, true jazz in a time when many jazz festivals have been moving away from the format, even while still calling themselves a “jazz festival.” Thankfully, the local community recognized how important the Festival is to Healdsburg, and the jazz music community fought to save the integrity of their art form.

The people have spoken: The Festival’s reputation of being one of the best in the country, if not THE world, must be maintained. What would our lives be like without great music and all other art forms?  Jazz grew out of the difficulty to communicate under severe duress  (“the blues”). Its roots may be in Africa but like America itself, it is an expression of influences from many cultures that has created a community with a common purpose. Now we will do the same.

I also want to thank the past board members for their support and service. We must now all come together in common purpose, and look only forward. The business of running this festival will resume as normal. We can build a strong foundation and solidify the future of this great event.

Our mission to preserve and promote jazz does face some hurdles, however. It is critical that funds are raised to pay off the vendors and suppliers.  I feel very confident that we can do this. The strong support from so many people gave me the confidence that we can put the organization back on solid footing, retire the debt, and raise the necessary operating capital to bring the Healdsburg Jazz Festival back next year.

If I didn’t feel this was entirely possible, I would not have accepted this challenge. I actually feel that all that has happened will make us stronger. No longer will it be taken for granted that the Festival can continue without the support of members, businesses, sponsors, foundations, grants etc. I know times are hard for many, but we can all save jazz in Healdsburg if everyone who cares about the music, and our children’s education and the survival of this great art form, does what they can. Whether you can help a little or a lot, either by a  financial donation or your personal engagement in volunteering, this challenge can be met.

It is very exciting to me to see all the new energy that has been generated to date. We have had meetings to discuss the problem and committees are now forming in fundraising, membership, and education. A nominating committee to help choose a new board is in motion, and a strategic plan is being developed. All this is just beginning.

We need everyone to help.

We are currently designing a fundraising campaign to align with our intention to create a financially sustainable festival moving forward. In the meantime, we welcome your donation to keep the doors open and the music coming!  Check out the new feature on our website that allows for a one-time donation, which can also be broken up into monthly payments or be set up to make an annual donation. Airline mileage is also needed and another way you can donate. Other ideas for raising money have been floated, and if you have an idea we want to hear it!

But today, you can visit our Donate Now page and make a direct donation by most major credit cards. If you want to break the payments up,  we can set up a schedule over the phone – call (707) 433-4644. The important thing is to recognize that the real work begins now; now is the time to begin.

It is critical we start this process immediately and keep it growing. Please make a tax-deductible donation in support of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival right away, of whatever size you can afford..

If you want to join the fundraising committee or others, please send an email to volunteer@healdsburgjazzfestival.org.

For questions about donations, email support@healdsburgjazzfestival.org

You can reach me, jessica@healdsburgjazzfestival.org 

Musically yours, Jessica

P.S. Did you miss the story? Do you know what we’re talking about? You can find is a synopsis at…. Including our petition of support, many press articles to read, and over 100 postings by musicians – George Cables, Angela Wellman, Babatunde Lea, Charlie Musselwhite and others – as well as  sponsors, fans, past festival attendees and local students who learned their jazz chops in our Jazz Education programs. All these can be viewed at http://www.healdsburgjazzfestival.org/wordpress/welcome-back

Thanks to the support of the Healdsburg community, plans are moving forward to produce the next annual Healdsburg Jazz Festival next year, in 2011. Jessica Felix, founder and artistic director of the Festival, is formulating plans not only for the Festival line-up but interim music events, fund-raisers for the Festival, as well as recruiting for a new Board of Directors.

In addition, this original website for the Festival, www.healdsburgjazzfestival.org, has been recovered, and we are again listing events (and comments) for jazz in Healdsburg.

To review: The Board of Directors announced in July that there would be no festival in 2011, and that Jessica Felix, founder and artistic director, “will be leaving the organization.”  A number of people logged their comments about these actions on this page, where the original press release was posted.

Download PDF of these comments, 7-29 through 9-7-10 (PDF, 147 KB)

Other media — newspapers, blogs, websites — picked up on the news, and reported on the situation as listed on this page at healdsburgjazz.com, the sister site we created to continue announcing jazz bookings in Healdsburg.  In addition, a large number of jazz and other musicians made their voices heard in support of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival and Jessica Felix.  Their names can be found on the Musicians in Support page.

Then, in a surprise announcement made over the Labor Day weekend, 5 weeks following their initial press release, the Board of Directors voted to reinstate Jessica Felix as Artistic Director, and appoint her as temporary Chairperson of the non-profit organization. The Board then resigned as a group, leaving Felix in a position to appoint a new board for the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, which she founded in 1999. More about this story, and the Board’s second press release, can be found on this post.

Press reactions to Board’s resignation:

• Bohemian blog by Gabe Meline, Sept. 7 (PDF, 34 kb)
• Press Democrat article, Sept 8 (PDF, 245 kb)
• Healdsburg Tribune, Sept. 8 (PDF, 41 kb)
• San Francisco Chronicle, Sept. 20 (PDF, 78 kb)

Felix released a statement that includes  thanks to her many supporters and friends of jazz, an olive branch to the departing Board of Directors, and a plea for donations via this website to convert  enthusiasm into the commitment of revenue.  Please visit our donation page to show your support of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival.

Breaking news
HJF Board announces reinstatement of artistic director Jessica Felix

On Labor Day, September 6, the Board of Directors of the Healsburg Jazz Festival announced that in response to public support for artistic director Jessica Felix, they were reinstating her position and electing her Chairperson of the Board.

They then announced their resignation as a Board, clearing the way for Felix to appoint a new board for the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, which she founded in 1999.

Despite this change of direction for the Board, it’s clear that substantial challenges await Felix in efforts to stage the 2011 Festival, which is still contingent on fund-raising to retire the standing debt. “We have a big challenge ahead of us,” she said. “But I believe we’re in a good position to do it.”

The full press release follows, and is available here as a PDF download.

Healdsburg Jazz Festival
Jessica Felix to Direct 2011 Healdsburg Jazz Festival

Healdsburg, CA  —  September 7, 2010  —  Responding to public support for Artistic Director Jessica Felix, and pledges of financial support for the 2011 Healdsburg Jazz Festival (HJF), the five members of the current Board voted unanimously to reinstate Ms. Felix to the Board and elect her Chairperson.  The five current Board members are resigning, effective immediately; Felix, who founded HJF 12 years ago, will form a new Board.

Felix looks forward to continuing to serve as the Festival’s Artistic Director. “I was very touched, and am extremely grateful, for the outpouring of support shown by our community and jazz lovers from all over the country.  Now is the time to rededicate ourselves to our mission to provide performance opportunities, while educating young people and adults about the vital role of jazz as preeminent American art form.”

“This is a gratifying turn of events,” says Pat Templin, chairman of the current Board that, last month, suspended the 2011 festival and eliminated Felix’s position due to financial shortfalls.  “The Board has worked long and hard to realize the level of economic support recently offered by the community.  We are confident that Jessica and the new Board will advance the festival which has been a signature event and valuable asset to Healdsburg.”

The Healdsburg Jazz Festival is an educational, tax-exempt 501 (C) 3 organization. Jazz education programs will continue as a primary focus of the organization, including Operation Jazz Band.

Press Release from the Board of Directors

The Healdsburg Jazz Festival Announces
Hiatus of Jazz Festival for 2011 Season and
Renewed Focus on Music Education Program

July 29, 2010

Today the Healdsburg Jazz Festival Board of Directors announced that the organization will focus the resources of the organization on its signature music education program, Operation Jazz Band for the 2011 season. Pat Templin the Board Chair said, “Operation Jazz Band has been a highly successful music education program in the community. Our mission is all about stimulating interest in jazz and educating young people about the important role of jazz as an indigenous American art form.”

Operation Jazz Band has been offered to local area schools by The Healdsburg Jazz Festival for the past 10 years. The annual spring program that is led by musician Babatunde Lea introduces 5th grade students in six different area schools to jazz through an innovative week-long program that brings professional musicians into the classroom. The week ends with more than 500 students attending a concert where the musicians perform music that they have introduced to the students over the course of the week.”

The board also announced that it intends to pause the jazz festival for the coming year and to study alternatives to the current jazz festival. These explorations will include the overall length of the jazz festival and the variety and genres of the music that are presented, with the core still being exceptional jazz. The board also intends to continue a dialogue with local community members and businesses that began this year to help the festival explore ways to create a successful organization.

Pat Templin, the Board Chair, cited 3 years of operating deficits and the need to find a model that can be sustainable for the non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization as the primary reason for the need to pause the festival and return to its primary mission of music education in the schools. “We have worked very hard as a board to involve the Healdsburg community and local businesses in the festival. The downturn in the economy was certainly a factor in our decision to take the next year to study our options. We have lost financial support from a number of sponsors and community members over the last 3 years. There also seems to be a more limited audience for pure jazz in the community as evidenced by lower ticket sales. There may be an opportunity to broaden the offering in the future. We need to find a winning model that will interest more people and businesses in the community to get involved, provide financial support and to attend a revised music festival,” said Templin.

Jessica Felix who is the founder and artistic director of The Healdsburg Jazz Festival for the past 12 years, will be leaving the organization. Templin said, “The board would like to thank Jessica Felix for her passion and tireless efforts on behalf of the festival since its inception.” Templin also said, “The board will be working together over the next year to continue advancing the reach of Operation Jazz Band in the local schools and to examine our options. We will retain minimal support staff to handle administrative tasks that may be required over the coming year. Our main goal through this process is to continue bringing music education to our local students while keeping jazz as a core component of our programming for future successful festivals.

The Healdsburg Jazz Festival, Inc., is a non-profit corporation. Among its other projects are jazz education programs held in area elementary and secondary schools to teach area youth about jazz music and its role in American heritage.

The release (full release PDF available at this link) addresses changes in direction, priorities and staffing of the organization. Comments are welcome below.