The 2009 Gulf Coast Ethnic and Heritage Jazz Festival wrapped up in downtown Mobile last week, and organizers say the annual event pulled off a strong showing despite a shoestring budget and a last-minute venue change caused by rain.
Festival director Creola Ruffin said this year’s event ran on a small grant from the Mobile County Commission, public donations and in-kind support from the City of Mobile. Even with limited funding, organizers were able to book strong performing talent at more affordable rates than in previous years.
Rain forced the festival’s outdoor programming out of Bienville Square and indoors to Club 351 on Water Street in downtown Mobile. Ruffin said the venue’s high ceilings and lighting still gave the event an open, outdoor feel. The festival’s slate of events, including a Night of Poetry, a Jazz Student Workshop, the Jazz in Bienville performances and a Jazz Jam session, went on as planned.
A Festival Rooted in Volunteers
The Gulf Coast Ethnic and Heritage Jazz Festival was founded on New Year’s Eve of 1998 in New Orleans and became a registered nonprofit in April 1999, with a mission of preserving jazz music for future generations. Ruffin has led the organization since its earliest days, when the group produced its first fundraiser, a boat ride called “Jazz on the River,” with sponsorship help from Harrah’s Casino ahead of its New Orleans grand opening that same year.
Ruffin credited the City of Mobile’s events office and Elizabeth Sanders, who now works with the Downtown Mobile Alliance, with helping the fledgling festival get off the ground in its first year. Local volunteers and arts organizations, including the Mystic Order of Jazz Obsessed, continue to support the event each August.
The festival currently operates entirely through a working board and volunteers, with no paid staff. Ruffin said long-term growth depends on that volunteer commitment, and that a salaried director along with at least two additional staff members could help the organization pursue grants, donations and sponsorships year-round rather than scrambling in the months before each festival.
New Talent, New Orleans Roots
Among this year’s standout performers was jazz artist Art Sherrod Jr., who played the festival for the first time in 2009. Ruffin said she holds a particular appreciation for New Orleans-style jazz and the musicians who bring that sound to Mobile audiences, citing past festival performers such as Trombone Shorty, Kent Jordan, Marlon Jordan and Donald Harrison as examples of the high-energy sets the festival aims to deliver.
Organizers say the festival remains open to volunteers who can help with printing, communications and grant writing ahead of next year’s event. Those interested in volunteering or supporting the Gulf Coast Ethnic and Heritage Jazz Festival can reach the organization directly through its office.