Jazz fest hopes to play on
Niagara Jazz Festival wrapped up at Oast House Sunday night.
Dunn estimated there were upwards of 7,000 spectators at Simcoe Park Saturday.
There was lots to offer participants. There were dance lessons, a petting zoo, alcoholic beverages and, of course, great music.
There were two new stages to Simcoe Park, as well as an expanded drinking area and two Steinway pianos.
“We want to give people the best possible show,” said Peter Shea, artistic director and co-founder. “We want them to walk away going, ‘That was amazing, I’m gonna come back year after year because I was moved’ or ‘I cried’ or ‘I had great a great time.’”
Shea and Dunn hope to inspire the next generation. The festival even had a “jazz petting zoo” where kids could play with real instruments.
“I just filmed the kids zone and I almost had a tear in my eye because here’s the new generation getting engaged,” said Shea. “It’s just amazing. That’s what it’s all about, bringing the community together.”
However, the not-for-profit is still struggling financially. Despite fundraising efforts, the free event has yet to break even.
“This event costs about $200,000 to run,” said Dunn. “That’s why we go around with donation buckets. For this to run, we’ve got to break even. If the community comes on board by donating or sponsoring, we’ll keep it going if we can. There are some really high-end artists we’re getting in here.”
One of those high-end artists is Luis Maria Ochoa, a Cuban musician who performs Latin jazz. He travelled from the States to play at Simcoe Park Saturday.
“I’m pleased to be playing with some of the best musicians in town,” he said.
Festival organizers want to eventually find a middle ground where they can continue to make the event accessible, while also increasing the sound quality.
“We want to be in a world-class performing arts centre so we can have a controlled environment of sound to really like focus on that,” said Dunn.
But for now they’re just enjoying the music.
“I feel like it’s a bucket list thing for us, to do something like this,” said Shea. “It’s once in a lifetime, it’s an epic thing.”
We want to give people the best possible show. We want them to walk away going, ‘That was amazing, I’m gonna come back year after year because I was moved’ or ‘I cried’ or ‘I had great a great time.’” Peter Shea, artistic director and co-founder