The first annual Weekend of Jazz festival was held in March 2001. The festival was the dream of Douglas McCullough, Director of Bands at Beavercreek High School. Doug made a commitment to the city’s Board of Education and the citizens of Beavercreek to use the new BHS Alumni Auditorium to benefit the entire community. Hence, this annual event held the first weekend of each March, is entering it seventh year and is getting stronger each year. In 2006 the Mayor of Beavercreek proclaimed the first weekend of March to be Beavercreek Jazz Weekend.

The Weekend of Jazz promotes music education for middle school, and junior and senior high school students from all over Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Jazz bands and combos from schools in this region come together in Beavercreek, Ohio to perform in exhibition. A panel of professional jazz musicians and music educators critique each concert and the student bands have the opportunity to attend clinics for one-on-one advice and feedback from one of the panel members. While there is a certain element of informal competition among the student bands, the emphasis is always on music instruction and learning. The format of the festival is regularly praised by participating band directors. Information of how to join the great line-up of jazz bands at our next festival can be found in the Director’s Guide at www.weekendofjazz.org/directors

Enjoyment of the Weekend of Jazz extends far beyond the student bands and their families and friends. Friday and Saturday nights of each festival are reserved for performances by top-name professional jazz groups. Great bands like the Count Basie Orchestra, the Jon Faddis Quartet, The Woody Herman Orchestra, Royal Crown Revue, Maynard Ferguson, Stanley Clarke, and Spyro Gyra have performed at the festival over the years. We add to those impressive names this year’s artists – Jeff Coffin Mu’Tet, www.jeffcoffin.com/the_mutet.html , and O’2L, www.o2lmusic.com/about.asp. Please check out their web sites to learn more about them and their respective styles of jazz music.

Every year we get positive comments from our guest performers about the large number of teenagers in the audience and the high level of excitement they demonstrate for jazz music. Frank Tiberi, leader of The Woody Herman Orchestra, was pleased to see “…young people excited about our music.” The front rows of the auditorium are always packed with high school kids, and scattered all over the auditorium are family groups spanning several generations all enjoying wonderful music.

Previous years professional performing artists have been:

Year Friday Night Performers -- Saturday Night Performers
2001 Rob Parton's JAZZTECH Big Band -- Count Basie Orchestra
2002 Sherrie Maricle and Diva -- Jon Faddis Quartet
2003 Jeff Hamilton Trio -- The Woody Herman Orchestra
2004 Doc Gibbs and Picante -- Royal Crown Revue
2005 John Fedchock NYSextet -- Spyro Gyra
2006 Don Vappie and the Creole Jazz Serenaders -- Maynard Ferguson and his Big Bop Nouveau Band
2007 Stanley Clarke Band -- Rob Parton's JAZZTECH Big Band
2008 Jeff Coffin Mu'tet -- O'2L