Clearwater Jazz Holiday

 

The Clearwater Jazz Holiday is a four-day and four-night, world-class, live, music festival, enjoyed by thousands of fans taking place the third week of every October and now in its 45th year. The music festival has evolved from a series of concerts on the back of a flatbed truck and at venues around Clearwater into an annual, international, music festival that draws tens of thousands of visitors each year to beautiful Coachman Park in Clearwater, against the backdrop of the Gulf of Mexico, warm breezes, brilliant sunsets, and one of the world’s greatest beaches. The festival features a combination of legendary and relevant musical artists and a gathering of an amazingly diverse fan base. Over its 44-year history, a long and impressive list of legendary jazz talents have made stops in Clearwater such as Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Mann, Dave Brubeck, Tito Puente, Stephan Grappelli, Stan Getz, and the Count Basie Orchestra. The Jazz Holiday’s modern-day, diverse line-up covers a wide array of musical styles: straight ahead and smooth jazz, swing, blues, jamband, rock, folk, Americana, funk, and Zydeco and showcases a new generation of artists, emerging stars, and classic legends including Tony Bennett, Earth, Wind & Fire, Chicago, Bonnie Raitt, Trombone Shorty, The Avett Brothers, Brandi Carlile, Gov't Mule, Esperanza Spalding, Marcus Roberts, Mindi Abair, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Soulive, Christian McBride, Bela Fleck, Boney James, Brian Culbertson, Spirit Family Reunion, Amos Lee, Lake Street Dive, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Buddy Guy, Gladys Knight, Commodores, Kool & The Gang, UB40, Grace Potter, Sheryl Crow, Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins and the list goes on and on…. 44 years has shaped a unique magical and magnetic destination experience built on incredible community support. The true magic stems from those who built, shaped and implemented the experience, many of which share a multi-generational bond with it. The festival is organized and supported by the Clearwater Jazz Holiday Foundation. The Foundation’s dedicated and engaged Board of Directors is composed of community leaders, who oversee production of the festival and various innovative education and outreach initiatives. The Foundation also orchestrates the popular Jazz Force committee of lead volunteers who work tirelessly to operationally implement the four-day celebration every October and manage hundreds of services needed to accommodate thousands of visitors. The Foundation’s wonderful family of corporate and strategic partners and its popular High Note Society membership help to sustain and grow this timeless tradition. Clearwater Jazz Holiday programs are also funded in part by grants from the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture and the Florida Council on Arts & Culture and the Pinellas County Commission through the Cultural Development Grants Program of the Cultural Affairs Department.

 

"This Project is Sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts."

 

For more information about the Jazz Holiday or volunteering during the event, please call (727 ) 461-5200 or email us at info@clearwaterjazz.com

Clearwater Jazz Holiday Foundation

2016 Winner Clearwater Regional Chamber Judge’s Choice Nonprofit of the Year

The Clearwater Jazz Holiday music festival and its annual activities and initiatives supporting its mission are organized, produced, and implemented by the Clearwater Jazz Holiday Foundation, Inc. and have a substantial economic and cultural impact in the Bay Area. Dedicated volunteer members of the Board of Directors are community leaders and work closely with staff by actively participating on key standing committees such as Music, Education, Community Outreach, Corporate Partnerships, High Note Society, Budget & Finance, Governance, Commitments & Credentials, and Policy & Procedures.

2024 Foundation Board

  • Victor Lucas, President
  • John Kurnik, Vice President
  • Donna Yarbrough, Secretary
  • Linda Larkins, Treasurer
  • Collin Heimensen
  • Chris McAdoo
  • Lee Maidenberg
  • Jeni Mitchell
  • Allon Sams
  • Bob Childress
  • Christen Gonzalez
  • David Ruppel
  • Joanie Sigal
  • Oliver Kugler
  • Susan Folsom
  • Tom Nurse
  • Melissa Honeycutt
  • Christie Sullivan
  • Doug Whittington
  • Nils Sedwick
  • Mark Perry
  • Phil Henderson, Jr. - Advisory

Staff

  • Steve Weinberger, CEO
  • Deborah Flurnoy, Operations Manager
  • Gary Hallas, Marketing & Operations Consultant

 

 

 

It is the mission of the Clearwater Jazz Holiday to be the leading proponent of jazz entertainment and education in Florida through the annual presentation of a world-class, live music festival in Clearwater, Florida during the third week of October and to promote tourism to Pinellas County as a key component of this celebration.

Jazz Force

The Jazz Force is an all volunteer standing committee of the Clearwater Jazz Holiday Foundation. The committee is comprised of lead operational volunteers who assist the Foundation to implement, oversee, and manage operations at the annual Clearwater Jazz Holiday music festival.

2023 Jazz Force

 

  • Mark Perry - Jazz Force Chair
  • Doug Whittington - Imediate Past Jazz Force Chair
  • Stephanie Smith
  • Leslie DiPaci
  • Shawn Flurnoy
  • Mark Quering
  • Norm Bernard
  • Lee Maidenberg
  • Ellen Michael-Perez
  • Bob Corry
  • Kim Corry
  • Jessica Stephens
  • Jenny Brown
  • Woody Brown
  • Chris Cleaver
  • Jay Polglaze
  • Caitlein Jammo
  • Hampton Allen
  • Sheree Johnson
  • Adam Dohrman
  • Anjum Perfetti
  • Ralph Reid
  • Jack Geller
  • Pat Perzel-Geller
  • Karen Ferreri
  • Rick Lundy
  • Melissa Honeycutt
  • Claire English
  • Sean Schrader
  • Brittany Maxwell
  • Justin Hasenour
  • Andres Gonzalez
  • Kendra Pilson
  • Derek Schaening
  • Ileana Figueroa
  • Leslie Patterson
  • Tom Nurse
  • John Henry Borycens
  • John Dunn
  • Alicia Kaye
  • Mark Searcy
  • Jared Jones
  • Kat Tracy
  • Leslie Patterson
  • Beth Becknell
  • Sherry Dye
  • Tom Knightly
  • Ed Collins
  • Sharon Collins

Contact Us

CLEARWATER JAZZ HOLIDAY FOUNDATION, INC.
PO BOX 7278
CLEARWATER, FL 33758

Phone 727-461-5200

Physical address - located within the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce
600 Cleveland Street, Ste 100
Clearwater, FL 33755

 

Steve Weinberger
CEO
Clearwater Jazz Holiday Foundation, Inc.
steve@clearwaterjazz.com

Deborah Flurnoy
Operations Manager
Clearwater Jazz Holiday Foundation, Inc.
deb@clearwaterjazz.com

Gary Hallas
Consultant / Sponsor/Vendor Inquiries
Clearwater Jazz Holiday Foundation, Inc.
gary@clearwaterjazz.com

Ralph Reid
Jazz Force Chair
Clearwater Jazz Holiday Foundation, Inc.

Volunteer Coordinator
Clearwater Jazz Holiday Foundation, Inc.
volunteer@clearwaterjazz.com

Artist Submissions
Clearwater Jazz Holiday Foundation, Inc.
Music Committee
music@clearwaterjazz.com

 

CLEARWATER JAZZ HOLIDAY FOUNDATION, INC. IS A QUALIFIED 501 (c ) (3 ) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION. CONSULT YOUR TAX ADVISOR. YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE TO THE AMOUNT ALLOWED BY LAW. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES ONLINE AT WWW.FRESHFROMFLORIDA.COM OR BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (1-800-435-7532 ) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. FLORIDA REGISTRATION # CH15231.

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