 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
The idea for the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival was hatched in 2003, when a group of musicians, actors and business people gathered at In a Pig’s Eye
restaurant to discuss starting a music festival in Salem. Out of that meeting, a core group -- Henley Douglas Jr., saxophone player for the Boston Horns,
and Jennifer and Jonathan Reardon, The Pig’s owners -- continued to brainstorm about the event regularly.
Patrons and employees, all friends, added their ideas as the three developed a plan to put on a music festival in Salem, home to dozens of talented
musicians. The idea grew and soon a plan was formed to have the concert be a catalyst for educating the city’s young musicians. Together the three
fostered a dream of constructing a performance space and music education center
In the coming years, they continued to meet intermittently, but never made progress with the idea. Then in 2006, at a late-night New Years party in
Beverly Farms, Douglas told a group of friends about the dormant jazz festival idea. His presentation was passionate and the group encouraged him to
follow the dream, even offering to lend their expertise.
In the next few weeks, more volunteers joined the group. Each Monday, another talented person would be invited until the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival
was built into a board of directors made up of North Shore musicians, actors, writers, concert promoters and business people.
Within just 10 weeks, the show was on track. On April 21, 2007, the inaugural Salem Jazz and Soul Festival fundraiser took place, and we are now
entering our fifth year in operation.
A federally recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization, the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival is expected to grow into the premier music festival on the North
Shore, adding to the region’s creative economy through tourism, music and education.
Meet the Team...
 |
The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that produces free concerts for the public and raises money to support music
education programs.
Building on Salem’s Music History
The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival is recreating and renewing the vibrant jazz scene that began at the Salem Willows in the 1920s, when Duke Ellington
and other musicians from the Big Band era played at the seaside park in Massachusetts. The festival builds on this rich jazz history — adding soul,
blues and funk to the mix — by offering a series of annual free concerts to the public, concluding with a festival each year at the Salem Willows. The
festival spotlights the wealth of talented musicians on Boston’s North Shore, and has already attracted thousands of music fans and extensive media
coverage during its first four years of operation.
Supporting Music Education Programs
In addition to allowing us to produce free music events for the public, proceeds from the festival benefit music education programs on the North Shore of
Massachusetts.
In our first two years of operation, we donated $8,500 to schools in the Salem community. In 2009, music education programs in our communities
received $6,000 from the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival, and another $1,000 was earmarked to bring musicians into Salem schools. In 2010, despite a
tough fundraising climate, we raised $4,000 for music education programs, bringing our grand total in donations to $19,500.
Learn more about our Education initiatives: More info
education programs.
Building on Salem’s Music History
The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival is recreating and renewing the vibrant jazz scene that began at the Salem Willows in the 1920s, when Duke Ellington
and other musicians from the Big Band era played at the seaside park in Massachusetts. The festival builds on this rich jazz history — adding soul,
blues and funk to the mix — by offering a series of annual free concerts to the public, concluding with a festival each year at the Salem Willows. The
festival spotlights the wealth of talented musicians on Boston’s North Shore, and has already attracted thousands of music fans and extensive media
coverage during its first four years of operation.
Supporting Music Education Programs
In addition to allowing us to produce free music events for the public, proceeds from the festival benefit music education programs on the North Shore of
Massachusetts.
In our first two years of operation, we donated $8,500 to schools in the Salem community. In 2009, music education programs in our communities
received $6,000 from the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival, and another $1,000 was earmarked to bring musicians into Salem schools. In 2010, despite a
tough fundraising climate, we raised $4,000 for music education programs, bringing our grand total in donations to $19,500.
Learn more about our Education initiatives: More info