As creator of the Syracuse Jazz Fest, he will produce the festival for the 27th year

By Nate McDonald

Q. What inspired you to create the Syracuse Jazz Fest?
A. I’ve been going to jazz festivals for years and years since the mid 1950s, so I thought there’s no reason why we can’t do this in Syracuse. [Laughs] So it was pure stubbornness or laziness. I didn’t want to travel out of state to go to festivals any more. I had been traveling to the Newport jazz festival and the Ann Arbor blues and jazz festivals outside of Detroit. I didn’t see any reason why we couldn’t do it in our own back yard.

Q. What makes the Syracuse Jazz Fest unique?
A. It’s a world-class festival that transcends the size of the market. I never produce a festival as though it’s happening here, I produce it as though it’s happening in Central Park with a million people. I’ve produced the Detroit Jazz Festival for seven years and we have seven stages and 125 acts with a $1.5 million budget — it’s a totally different ball game. I’ve worked in Washington D.C. and Manhattan, Los Angeles, Chicago, New Orleans, and I just spent seven years in Detroit, so I tend to think in large market terms. When you’re competing for sponsorship dollars, which we are, it’s important to maintain your No. 1 status in the marketplace because a lot of sponsors don’t buy two or three deep. It’s unfortunately a reality of festival life in America. The music festival industry is in crisis right now and a lot of festivals are going under. Our draw is that we’re free and world class. You can’t see these artists unless you go to a show or amphitheatre and pay $50 to $100 per ticket. So to be able to see Aretha Franklin, or Ray Charles or Kenny G and other great people for free is pretty significant. That’s a large part of why we’re unique in terms of festivals around us.

Q. How difficult is it to secure sponsors, and how has that process changed since you started?
A. It’s always been hard. We always have to start at zero every year, and this was by far the most difficult year. The last couple of years we’ve been just scraping by, managing to find just enough sponsors to put the concert on. I have serious doubts about our ability to continue, and I think that would be really tragic. We don’t have any endowment. We don’t have any staff – I’m it, and I’m unpaid. I was very disappointed this year with corporations. I don’t want to get on a soapbox, but I want to let the people who care about this event know what’s at stake, and right now it’s a major question mark. This really could be the last dance.

Q. What keeps you going? It would be easy to just throw the towel in and just relax after doing it for so many years.
A. I do this because I believe in it and it raises the bar for the whole community. It gives us a way to compete and gives us something world class. It’s who I am. It’s what I do. It’s why I was put here. This is my reason for being. I didn’t pick the music, it picked me. I believe that this is a good thing. I think the music is a healing force on the planet and it’s a really toxic planet. You need agents like this to counter all that negative energy that’s out there. I look around at other arts organizations to see how they’re adjusting, but we don’t have any staff to cut. You have to be very careful about how you trim back your product. If you do that, you’re not giving the people something great and I’m not interested in that, especially at my age. I’m 63. I’ve been doing this through my 30s, my 40s, my 50s and into my 60s — it’s a long time to be doing this, man. I went to Detroit to save the festival and expand it. This one is my baby. I started this one. I’m 63, but I could do this for another 10 or 20 years if I have the funding. Of course it’s a struggle, but I like to think of myself as a heavyweight champion and this is my 27th title bout. You have to remember, though, no matter how many times you jump back in that you don’t own the ring. You’re beholden to someone else.

Q. What is the average attendance for the Jazz Fest and what kind of crowd do you attract?
A. The average attendance is 50,000 to 60,000. The most we’ve ever had was 80,000. It’s pretty intense, and you know what’s great? We’ve never had one incident. We have a really great, diverse crowd, too. Black, white, gay, straight, male, female — they all come and everyone has a great time.

Q. To what do you attribute the success you’ve had organizing the Syracuse Jazz Fest to?
A. This is something I’ve been doing for close to four decades. In the summer, my wife and I go to festivals all over the world to study logistics and planning. Our succcess is not accidental. If you want to be great, there are sacrifices you have to make, and I’ve made them. I look at what we’ve done and I’m very, very proud of what we’ve been able to do and I hope we can continue to do that. People want to feel good where they live, work and play, and this helps make them feel good about that.