LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Jazz Fest is back for its 27th year and will take place in Old Town from Thursday to Saturday.
Jazz Fest founder Terry Terry said the festival "is the event, when it first started, that really put Old Town on the map. When I moved into Old Town, this was pretty boarded up."
"Jazz Fest got everybody's attention because we had this great music event on the streets. Everybody came out. It's the most adversely attended event in the city," said Terry.
The fact that it's in a different neighborhood hasn't dimmed the excitement. The festival kicked off Thursday with a benefit concert to help kids get involved in performing arts. World-renowned trombonist, Wycliffe Gordon, headlined the event.
The weekend lineup will feature more than two dozen performers.
"We have a wonderful singer, Kalia Cummings, and Alexandra Decker, they’re both locals. We have The Corzo Effect playing," said Myles Johnson, marketing coordinator.
Terry said they asked every band to perform something new for the festival.
"If you come to Jazz Fest and hear every band, you're going to hear dozens of new things. You'll be the first-ever in the world to hear these songs."
This year tickets start at $5 for general admission. The event will start at 5 p.m on Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday. For more ticket information visit https://www.micharts.org/.
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