Gulf Coast Ethnic and Heritage Jazz Festival

July 31 - August 3, 2008

GULF COAST ETHNIC & HERITAGE JAZZ FESTIVAL, INC. 

We are a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation whose mission is to further the preservation and growth of jazz by presenting jazz music in a professional, entertaining, family oriented venue and by encouraging young musicians to play jazz by educating and involving them in its history and future. 

The Gulf Coast Ethnic & Heritage Jazz Festival, Inc. (GCEH) is making its ninth presentation of world-class jazz.  Founded in the belief that ‘ethnic’ means everybody and ‘heritage’ is not some fixed point in the past, the Gulf Coast Ethnic & Heritage Jazz Festival 2008 seeks to present jazz through a declaration of its evolution.  Jazz is and is always becoming.  At every turn, the GCEH jazz Festival provides a vibrant mix of entertainment and education.  The Festival continues to present jazz in a music demonstration workshop venue designed to introduce students and the community to the business of Jazz - from composition to production.  Showcasing some of the finest spoken word artists, the Festival’s "Evening of Poetry" has established a venue for the "telling" arts.  At the heart of the GCEH jazz Festival, Inc. is still the admission-free jazz festival.

 The Festival has presented professional musicians and recording artists who have their roots in Mobile.  Many of these musical talents who have become national and international entertainers are alumni of the Mobile County and Baldwin County school systems and have contributed to the success of the Jazz Festival. 

From such diverse historical performing experiences as The Count Basie Orchestra, The Duke Ellington Orchestra and the James Brown Band, artist performing at the Gulf Coast Ethnic & Heritage Jazz Festival have provided audiences with truly unique entertainment experiences. 

The State, the County, and the City, corporations and other local businesses and individuals financially support GCEH jazz Festival, Inc. 

We are delighted to once again, present an outstanding line up of national, regional and local performers.