Jazz is alive and well, and thriving in Brooklyn.Coming up beginning on March 28, and lasting through April 30, is the 15th Annual Central Brooklyn Jazz Festival, with the event announced earlier this month at Borough Hall by Borough President Eric Adams and the Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium (CBJC).Over 50 events are being held in conjunction with the festival. The majority of the events will occur during April, which is nationally known as Jazz Appreciation Month.Founded in 1999, the celebration is New York Citys longest continuously running grassroots festival dedicated to jazz, and annually reignites jazzs flame. The month-long, borough-wide celebration of music will feature both jazz veterans, such as Vanessa Rubin and Lou Donaldson, and fresh local talent, all performing at entertainment venues, and cultural, educational and faith-based institutions in Brooklyn.Members of CBJC took to the podium to express their love for jazz and explain the importance of its existence, as well as to mention artists who are viewed as pillars of the genre.The press conferences Master of Ceremonies Bessie Edwards, a member of the CBJC, encouraged her audience to help make Brooklyn become the jazz capital of the world, explaining that supporting the festivals events could give the borough that title. This is right in line with Adams avowed goals. He stated, One of the things were going to do with this borough is turn it into an artistic scene where people come and visit and enjoy live music all throughout the borough. Deputy Borough President Diana Reyna views the festival as an event that will only benefit Brooklyns growth. She said, This is all about connecting people to the cultural world that Brooklyn has to offer. She and the Adams are both in favor of increasing cultural options throughout the borough, including in areas where they have been limited up until now.For more information about the 15th Annual Central Brooklyn Jazz Festival, visit www.cbjcjazz.org.
