It’s no surprise that Texas, which has been a melting pot of cultures since the first people set foot here, would create its own take on the American jazz tradition. Jazz has always been an art form in evolution—it grew from ragtime, blues and gospel. Today, jazz is as American as apple pie, and in the Coastal Bend, it carries a flavor all its own. Tejano music added mariachi, corrido, conjunto and other Mexican influences to the rich culture of Texas music. As new sounds and traditions blended, Texas jazz reflects the diversity of cultures in the state.
To allow Corpus Christi to experience as many “flavors” as possible, musicians founded the Texas Jazz Festival. From its origins as a listening club at Del Mar College, it quickly grew into an organization that hosted jazz musicians for performances on campus. These concerts were instantly successful, growing into a 1,200-person crowd filling the Richardson auditorium during Buccaneer Days by the third concert.
The festival continued to grow, and has been celebrated at the Peoples Street T-Head, Memorial Coliseum, the Watergarden and finally Heritage Park. From the start of the festival with Joe Gallardo, Eddie Oliveres, Al “Beto” Garcia, Raul Cuesta and Sal Pedraza, the festival has been focused on exposure to jazz for as many people as possible via free admission, and for all those great Texas “flavors” of jazz to be celebrated.
It’s now the longest-running free jazz festival in the world, celebrating year #65 Oct. 16-18, and all are welcome.
