On Aug. 1 and 2, the Greater Flint Arts Council hosted the 44th Annual Flint Jazz Festival at the Capitol Theatre in downtown Flint. Featured artists included jazz saxophonist Jeanette Harris and contemporary jazz pianist Alex Bugnon.
The festival formally began on Friday, July 31, with the Jazzwalk, where musicians went to local businesses such as Churchill’s Food and Spirits, Sauce Italian American Kitchen, Market Tap, Blackstone’s Smokehouse and Cork on Saginaw to perform through the evening.
The admission fee for the performances at the Capitol Theatre was $10 per day. The event relied on grant and sponsorship funding as a result of the GFAC’s status as a non-profit. The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation provided a $300,000 grant for the Parade of Festivals downtown, among other sponsors such as the University of Michigan-Flint, which was listed as a musician sponsor and the Portland Financial Credit Union, which supported the event as a Local Plus sponsor.
The event’s typical venue, Riverbank Park, was closed for repairs, renovation and river restoration. Harold Hill, operations manager for GFAC, said the event was looking to pivot after being informed that the repairs would not be done in time.
“The Director over at the Flint Institute of Music got a hold of us and heard what was going on, and made The Capitol available,” Hill said.
The event had jazz fusion and reggae artists performing among traditional jazz groups, two genres which–according to Hill–were added to improve the sustainability of the event. Jazz fusion was newly introduced to the festival last year, while reggae is the most recent addition, being added this year.
“We’ve noticed a decline in the jazz fan market. Not just in the Flint market, but traditional jazz fans are aging out and we noticed that we need to have an influx of new kinds of music,” Hill said.
One Love Reggae performing on stage at the Capitol Theater on Aug. 1. Photo taken by Andres Ochoa/MTimes. 
One Love Reggae performing on stage at the Capitol Theater on Aug. 1. Photo taken by Andres Ochoa/MTimes. 
One Love Reggae performing on stage at the Capitol Theater on Aug. 1. Photo taken by Andres Ochoa/MTimes. 
One Love Reggae performing on stage at the Capitol Theater on Aug. 1. Photo taken by Andres Ochoa/MTimes. 
Sherwood Pea performing on stage at the Capitol Theater on Aug. 1. Photo taken by Andres Ochoa/MTimes. 
Sherwood Pea performing on stage at the Capitol Theater on Aug. 1. Photo taken by Andres Ochoa/MTimes.
One Love Reggae was the opening act for the weekend at the Capitol Theatre. Terry Brown, the bassist for One Love Reggae, said all music overlaps, that reggae has lots of elements that you can hear in jazz, and that they incorporated the two during their performance.
“Actually, the drummer that was drumming with us, he comes from a jazz, R&B, funk background,” Brown said. So it kind of gives it that twist, and makes it a little different than traditional reggae coming from out of the islands.”
John Perrine, a Genesee County resident and local musician, said he attended to support the arts and his friends in the People’s Jazz Band, a group that performed at the event.
“It was different to have reggae in, in the jazz festival, but it was pretty good, it was pretty good. I enjoyed it,” Perrine said.
Among other funding, the GFAC has been able to benefit from the Genesee County Arts Education & Cultural Enrichment millage, which was placed on the ballot to determine its state of renewal for the primary election occurring on Aug. 4.
Hill said that the millage is a way for the community to give local arts organizations growth and sustainability.
“Without the millage, the art community here would be totally different. It’s not just us, you know, it’s a few organizations that are getting this money,” Hill said. “So it’s an important aspect, not just us, but the art community period.”
The GFAC will be continuing to host monthly art walks and music on the bricks events on the second Friday of every month. In addition to the Flint Parade of Festivals happening throughout August with large events like Flint Drop Fest on Aug. 8 at Buckham Alley, Back to the Bricks from Aug. 11 to Aug. 15 in downtown Flint and the Health Alliance Plan Crim Festival of Races from Aug. 21 to Aug. 22 in downtown Flint.
Andres Ochoa is a writer for The Michigan Times. He is a photographer and an A/V enthusiast, studying for a Bachelor of Arts in Music at the University of Michigan-Flint.
