TOLEDO, Ohio — Jazz is back in Toledo.
Against a backdrop of the city’s skyline, jazz musicians of various genres entertained a large and appreciative crowd on a sunny Sunday afternoon at the inaugural Glass City JazzFest music festival.
The free event was the culmination of Jazz Week in Toledo. It saw a large crowd of people, most of whom brought their own chairs to sit on the grass and enjoy the smooth sounds of the uniquely American music.
Music lovers enjoyed the sounds of national artists like keyboardist Marcus Johnson and vocalist Lindsey Webster as well as local acts like the Brick Bar Allstars.
The effort to bring a full day free jazz festival back to Toledo was spearheaded by Toledo City Council Members Cerssandra McPherson and Theresa Gadus who worked with the city, Metroparks Toledo, and the Great Lakes Jazz Society to pull it all off.
McPherson is excited about the opportunity to bring a festival like this to the downtown and east Toledo area and hopes it will continue.
“We’re growing hugely. And when others hear about this will be bigger and everybody gets a piece of this,” said McPherson.
The organizer’s efforts were appreciated by festival-goers tired of seeing surrounding communities bring in big acts to their outdoor summer concerts, especially when there is such a rich history of jazz in the city.
“Man, I love it. It’s about time Toledo brought some music down here for us instead of traveling to other cities. It’s time to get back to Toledo,” said one jazz lover.
The festival also brought a good mixture of young people and older people ready to enjoy a day out with beautiful music as summer winds down.
The new Glass City Metropark made an ideal setting for the festival on a dry and sunny (and hot) day.
An alternative rain location at the Erie Street Market was available but ultimately was unnecessary.
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