CINCINNATI — Cincinnati's first International Jazz Festival is singing its final chorus. The two-day event is coming to a close, but melodies played at the Andrew J Brady Music Center will return next year.
Robbie Todd is an integral part to the jazz scene in the Queen City. He has worked with several artists including Bootsy Collins and Will Downing. Todd has been trying to get a jazz festival to Cincinnati for over a decade and is excited to see his vision come to life.
“Literally, we’ve been working non-stop for two weeks to pull this off, by moving the venue, so you have sound, light, transportation, back line, union guys, party planners, caterers and then we have food trucks, we have bartenders, we’ve got vendors, so literally hundreds of people are involved in this these two days of music,” Todd said.
People are prepping the stage for day 2 or Cincinnati’s first International Jazz Festival. Some of the biggest jazz artists from across the country will play on this stage tonight. 🎶 @WCPO pic.twitter.com/LVjoB3x2lZ
— Jessica Hart WCPO (@JessicaHartTV) September 3, 2022
He partnered with Rainbow Promotions, a three-generation family-owned business. The company has been coordinating Long Beach’s Jazz Festival for 35 years.
Rainbow Promotions President Kimberley Benoit said they’ve discussed starting a jazz festival in Cincinnati for about seven years. She added they’ve brought some of the best jazz artists from across the country to Cincinnati.
“Well, jazz is a universal art form and expression and I just think everybody that has not been exposed to jazz needs to come to one concert to see,” Benoit said.
Todd noted Cincinnati is the perfect place to have a jazz festival because of the city’s rich history and culture. He added the Queen City has always been a crossroad of music.
“People always say what is jazz and Winton has a quote and he says jazz is ideas and emotions expressed to music. Duke Ellington didn’t like the word jazz, so it’s music it’s whatever you feel because everybody has a different experience based on the song they’re hearing,” Todd said.
He said he plans to make Cincinnati's International Jazz festival an annual event.
Brain Culbertson will headline on Saturday. He has had over 40 Billboard No. 1 hits in his career.
