History of The Knoxville Jazz Festival

The Knoxville Jazz Festival was founded in 2006 as a collaboration between the Knox County Public Library and the renowned pianist, composer, and teacher, Donald Brown. It incorporated as a 501 (c) 3 in 2008.

Its mission is to foster an appreciation for two uniquely American contributions to the world: jazz and public libraries. To that end, the Knoxville Jazz Festival provides opportunities for students and professional musicians to work with jazz masters. It spotlights the many excellent jazz musicians in East Tennessee, and helps people to appreciate jazz and understand its importance to American culture.

In its first five years, the Knoxville Jazz Festival, has presented an impressive array of internationally acclaimed musicians including Stephane Belmondo, Don Byron, Geoff Keezer, Javon Jackson, Lionel Loueke, Bobby Lyle, Steve Nelson, and Nicholas Payton. 

In addition to its annual festival, the KJF sponsors education programs including "What is This Thing Called Jazz?" a series geared toward the layperson who is interested in learning more about how to listen to jazz and jazz history. It is taught by professors from the University of Tennessee’s Jazz Program.