The 18th Annual Jazz on Jefferson Festival

Historic architecture, Jazz Music, and the diverse cultures populating our community all blend together  as the 18^th Annual Jazz on Jefferson returns to the historical streets of Downtown Saginaw on Wednesday June 4^th to celebrate the great things that cities are truly all about.

Music will blossoming in the air on four blocks of Jefferson Avenue that run by the Castle Museum of Saginaw County History from 4:45 - 8:00 PM, featuring continuous performances by top local & regional jazz musicians such as The Saginaw Eddy Band, the award-winning Robert Lee Revue, Lavel Jackson, a saxophone quartet known as Saxy, and a headlining performance by the award-winning Voortex Jazz & Blues Band at First Congregational Church at 7:30 PM, all free to the public.  

The Scott Tuttle Quartet will also be performing on the back porch at The Castle Museum, and excels at creating the sounds of old traditional jazz groups such as Benny Goodman, Miles Davis, Count Basie and Duke Ellington.

According to event chairman Thomas Trombley, who also works as Chief Curator of the Castle Museum and has been involved with the event since its inception, “One of the most important aspects of this event is how successfully it has helped to make people aware of the resources that South Jefferson Avenue has to offer. Jazz on Jefferson has provided great entertainment over the years, and has made people aware of how special the institutions and architecture of South Jefferson Avenue truly are to the area.”

In a city that has witnessed a high level of demolition of its historic architectural heritage over the decades, the six block area of South Jefferson Avenue on Saginaw's East Side has both survived and served as an important and vital center of the community - a distinctly urban core where one can discover businesses, churches, civic buildings and homes with buildings that chronicle the city's development from a lumber boomtown in the early 1850s to one of Michigan's major industrial centers, with structures that form an almost encyclopedic collection of 19th and early 20th century architectural styles, many designed by nationally prominent architects.

Amidst this splendid landscape the annual Jazz on Jefferson festival was developed back in 2003 by the Jefferson Avenue Events Committee to forge an alliance between musical and visual artists while showcasing the unique resources of South Jefferson Avenue; and to also involve and integrate the many organizations and individuals that call South Jefferson Avenue home.

Trombley says the goals of Jazz on Jefferson have remained steadfast throughout its own 18-year history. “Looking at an agenda from our early meetings, our goals included creating a distinct identity for the street, promoting the use of underutilized properties, and creating public awareness for the South Jefferson avenue resources.   The South Jefferson corridor, with its mix of churches, the Hoyt Library, the Castle Museum of Saginaw County, and private one-of-a-kind residences, is truly the sparkling showcase of this special musical extravaganza. Jefferson has some truly one-of-a-kind structures”

By the early 1860s, South Jefferson had become a major thoroughfare.  At the end of the Civil War, three major brick church buildings - First Baptist Church, Jefferson Avenue United Methodist Church and First Congregational - were constructed on South Jefferson. With towers and steeples visible throughout the community, they became instant landmarks.  They announced the permanence and prosperity of East Saginaw and defined the scale of stature of South Jefferson.  One-hundred fifty years later, two of these three churches are still landmarks in the community.

By the late 1870s, East Saginaw, was Michigan's third largest city and known as the lumber capital of the world.  It was a wealthy, boisterous city.  This prosperity was evident in the elegant homes that lined the street and the prosperous businesses near the intersection of South Jefferson and East Genesee. 

“This event is a celebration of place and could not be held in any other location,” Trombley reflects. “With so much emphasis now on going regional, it's fun to focus instead on this small but vibrant street. When everything falls together with Jazz on Jefferson you realize how it fits into the larger region.. It's a combination of setting and activity and the thrill of turning a corner and finding something new.”

Food trucks and vendors will also be spread throughout the expanse of Jefferson street, a special games area will be set outside on the street offering people a chance to participate, and architectural guides will be available to answer questions people may have as they take self-guided walking tours of the many historic architectural homes and jewels populating the area. “Jazz on Jefferson is also about socializing, so if people have questions about a building’s history volunteers will be on hand to answer them. We’ll have lots of historical markers displayed along with a few surprises.”

“People are meant to explore and have a good time. None of the concerts are meant to be formal and this offers a brief opportunity to explore the street and discover what it has to offer,” continues Trombley. “Cities are always a work in progress and always changing, but I feel Jefferson is a special place and I’m proud to be part of it.”

“This year we are dedicating Jazz on Jefferson to the memory of architect Les TIncknell, who passed away last year and left a profound imprint upon the city,” notes Trombley. “He was also a co-founder of Jazz on Jefferon and in 1962 designed an addition to Hoyt Library that we are using for our poster year. He also designed the chapel at the Kingdom of Light Ministries and First Congregational Church, so we thought it would be appropriate to honor his memory.”

“What I love about Jazz on Jefferson is the fact it is a cooperative event and showcases the whole idea of a neighborhood,” he concludes. “We’re stronger because we all work together while also competing to make something very special, but are always working as a team to showcase our neighborhood. Honestly, this is really what cities are all about.”