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The Indy Jazz Fest is an annual jazz festival in Indianapolis, Indiana. It first took place on June 17, 1999. It was created by a consortium of Downtown Indianapolis hospitality, civic and business interests as a way to spotlight Indianapolis' rich jazz heritage through an annual event. The hope was to have a tourist weekend event that was arts-related, as opposed to the many sporting events held each year in Indianapolis, the Indianapolis 500, the Brickyard 400 as well the occasional NCAA championship or Super Bowl.
A planning committee was formed by these business interests, which brought on an event planning company and a full-time director of booking and operations to plan and manage the event. It was determined that the event would be a multi-day, multi-venue festival, culminating in a multi-stage outdoor event called the Bank One Jazz & Roots Fair at White River State Park in Downtown Indianapolis. A $2 million budget was used to stage the event, which included artists such as B.B. King, Isaac Hayes, Chaka Khan, Sonny Rollins, Los Lobos, Robert Cray, Branford Marsalis, George Benson, Chris Isaak and Freddie Hubbard. A spotlight on local jazz legends was called Indiana Avenue Revisited, including Slide Hampton, David Baker, Buddy Montgomery and Jimmy Coe. [1]
The second festival included performances by Al Green, Ray Charles, Dave Brubeck, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, Jonny Lang, Shemekia Copeland, The Yellowjackets, Cassandra Wilson, and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. The festival did have to cancel the first night due to an unseasonable downpour, and heavy rains off and on throughout the weekend caused a $750,000 budget shortfall and the organization accumulated a large amount of debt as a result. Afterward the consortium continued to manage the festival for a few years until the American Piano Awards took over operations in the early 2000s until 2008. At that time the American Piano Awards stopped running the festival and the naming rights were bought by J. Allan Hall and Rob Dixon (who are also both involved in the Indianapolis record label Owl Studios) and David Allee, owner of the Jazz Kitchen. [2] The new ownership decided to reinvent the Indy Jazz Fest as a non-profit organization and began formulating and implementing educational outreach initiatives throughout Indianapolis Public Schools. Children from all walks of life have been exposed to jazz and other musical genres because of Indy Jazz Fest's work in the community. The Jazz Fest was traditionally held on Father's Day weekend, but starting in 2009, the Festival moved to the last week of September.
Indianapolis, colloquially known as Indy, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. Indianapolis is situated in the state's central till plain region along the west fork of the White River. The city's official slogan, "Crossroads of America", reflects its historic importance as a transportation hub and its relative proximity to other major North American markets.
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of visitors to New Orleans each year. The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation Inc., as it is officially named, was established in 1970 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (NPO). The Foundation is the original organizer of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell Oil Company, a corporate financial sponsor. The Foundation was established primarily to redistribute the funds generated by Jazz Fest into the local community. As an NPO, their mission further states that the Foundation "promotes, preserves, perpetuates and encourages the music, culture and heritage of communities in Louisiana through festivals, programs and other cultural, educational, civic and economic activities". The founders of the organization included pianist and promoter George Wein, producer Quint Davis and the late Allison Miner.
Numerous festivals, shows and exhibitions are held annually in Toronto. They include:
Lucas Oil Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It replaced the RCA Dome as the home field of the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). It opened on August 16, 2008. The stadium was constructed to allow the removal of the RCA Dome and expansion of the Indiana Convention Center on its site. It is located on the south side of South Street, a block south of the former site of the RCA Dome. The stadium's naming rights belong to the Lucas Oil corporation.
The Indiana Convention Center is a major convention center located in Downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The original structure was completed in 1972 and has undergone five expansions. In total, there are 71 meeting rooms, 11 exhibit halls, and three multi-purpose ballrooms. The connected facilities of Lucas Oil Stadium offer an additional 183,000 square feet (20,000 m2) of exhibit space and 12 meeting rooms.
The Pride of Indy Bands is a performing musical ensemble in Indianapolis of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and other LGBT-friendly musicians. Founded in March 2005, The Pride of Indy Band and Color Guard is currently the only LGBT instrumental and pageantry ensemble in Indiana, and is a member of the Lesbian and Gay Band Association. The organization conducts its activities in a supportive, accepting and affirming atmosphere, and includes experienced and amateur musicians. The band also assists adult members who do not have access to instruments by helping them rent or borrow instruments through local organizations.
Tri-Fest is an annual charitable festival held every April in Henderson, Kentucky. Established in 1988, it's one of the largest annual festivals held in Kentucky and generates over $100,000 in annual direct and indirect support to charities in western Kentucky and southern Indiana. The Henderson Breakfast Lions Club originated and continues to organize the festival as a means to raise funds for local charities. Tri-Fest raises funds for local charities in two ways:
The Madam C. J. Walker Building, which houses the Madam Walker Legacy Center, was built in 1927 in the city of Indianapolis, in the U.S. state of Indiana, and as Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company, it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991. The four-story, multi-purpose Walker Building was named in honor of Madam C. J. Walker, the African American hair care and beauty products entrepreneur who founded the Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company, and designed by the Indianapolis architectural firm of Rubush & Hunter. The building served as the world headquarters for Walker's company, as well as entertainment, business, and commercial hub along Indiana Avenue for the city's African American community from the 1920s to the 1950s. The historic gathering place and venue for community events and arts and cultural programs were saved from demolition in the 1970s. The restored building, which includes African, Egyptian, and Moorish designs, is one of the few remaining African-Art Deco buildings in the United States. The Walker Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
WICR is a public radio station in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is owned by the University of Indianapolis and broadcasts a non-commercial jazz and classical music radio format. The license is held by the University of Indianapolis Board of Trustees. On weekdays, classical music is heard from midnight to noon, while jazz is heard afternoons and evenings. On weekends, the station programs a mix of jazz, classical and other musical genres. The radio studios and offices are in Esch Hall on East Hanna Avenue.
IU Michael A. Carroll Track & Soccer Stadium is a 12,100-seat soccer and track and field stadium located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It is the home of the Indiana University Indianapolis Jaguars track and field and soccer teams. It is also the home of Indy Eleven.
Indy Pride Festival is the annual week of LGBT pride events in Indianapolis. The week is organized by LGBTQ organization Indy Pride, Inc., and has been held under this name and organization for over a decade. In recent years, more than 95,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and heterosexual people have attended the festival. Indy Pride's Parade and Festival is held the 2nd Saturday in June, with a week of events leading up to it, in honor of the Stonewall Riots and in accordance with other United States pride festivals. Indy Pride Festival is the largest LGBT pride event in Indiana.
Owl Studios is a jazz record label founded in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 2005. In 2013 the label was sold and renamed Owl Music Group.
The Jacksonville Jazz Festival is an annual Jazz Festival held in Jacksonville, Florida.
Transportation in Indianapolis consists of a complex network that includes a local public bus system, several private intercity bus providers, Amtrak passenger rail service, four freight rail lines, an Interstate Highway System, an airport, a heliport, bikeshare system, 115 miles (185 km) of bike lanes, and 116 miles (187 km) of trails and greenways. The city has also become known for its prevalence of electric scooters.
Indy Pride is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is a community-based, non-profit organization that seeks "to unite and serve its members and the LGBTQ community of Central Indiana through leadership development, educational and support programs, and community events that achieve inclusivity, equality, strong community connections, and awareness of LGBTQ issues." The organization started in 1995 as the coordinator of the city's annual gay pride parade and event—Indy Pride Festival—but later grew into an umbrella for multiple LGBT community entities, including the Chris Gonzalez Library and Archives, Indy Bag Ladies, and Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival.
Houston International Festival, also known as iFest, was a contemporary, multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural arts and music festival held annually in Houston, Texas. This North American festival takes place every April on 16 acres (65,000 m2) in downtown Houston's parks and plazas. By city ordinance this annual 10-day event is Houston's official city celebration of the visual and performing arts. According to an article in the Houston Chronicle, Ifest announced in June 2014 that it was seeking Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection, making it clear that the 2014 fest would be the last ever festival.
The Indianapolis Art Center is an art center located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The center, founded in 1934 by the Works Project Administration during the Great Depression as the Indianapolis Art League, is located along the White River. It features fine art exhibitions, art classes and studios, a library with over 5,000 titles, and the ARTSPARK nature and art parks. As of 2008 the Indianapolis Art Center featured over 50 annual exhibitions and had over 3,000 members.
The Indianapolis Cultural Trail, officially the Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene & Marilyn Glick, is an 8.1-mile-long (13.0 km) urban shared-use path and linear park located in the vicinity of downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The trail is often compared to other popular bicycle and pedestrian paths across the U.S. and has inspired similar projects throughout the U.S. and Canada.
The economy of Indianapolis is centered on the City of Indianapolis and Marion County within the context of the larger Indianapolis metropolitan area. The Indianapolis–Carmel–Anderson, IN MSA, had a gross domestic product (GDP) of $134 billion in 2015. The top five industries were: finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing ($30.7B), manufacturing ($30.1B), professional and business services ($14.3B), educational services, health care, and social assistance ($10.8B), and wholesale trade ($8.1B). Government, if it had been a private industry, would have ranked fifth, generating $10.2 billion.
Ganggang is an American cultural development and social justice organization. Founded by spouses and business partners Alan Bacon and Malina "Mali" Simone Jeffers in late 2020, Ganggang works to showcase and financially support Black visual artists and their work. Their efforts have included organizing artist collectives, fine art fairs, a curated exhibition at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, and live performances.