Media Release

Home »  Media Release

For Immediate Release
January 2019
Media Contact:
Melton Mustafa
305-308-5454
meltonmustafajazzfestival@gmail.com
Facebook meltonmustafajazzfestival

The 22nd Annual Melton Mustafa Jazz Festival celebrates 22 years of Jazz music in Miami February with 3 Days of Events at the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater

What: 22nd Annual Melton Mustafa Jazz Festival “Continuing the Legacy of Jazz”

Who: Presented by MSM Arts and host sponsor, The Black Archives History & Research Foundation of South Florida, Inc.

When: Friday, February 22 through Sunday, February 24, 2019

Where: The Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater, 819 NW 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL 33136

About: The Melton Mustafa Jazz Festival is a three-day music festival, featuring a selection of the best jazz musicians in the world. This year #MMJF22 welcomes Curtis Lundy, Brianna Thomas, Godwin Louis, Marshall Davis Jr., Brent Charles, Quick Da Poet, Jim Gasior, Jesse Jones Jr., Lenard Rutledge, James Cotman, The North County Big Band from Missouri conducted by Master Educator Harvey Lockhart, The Melton Mustafa Orchestra, The New Vision Sax Ensemble, the Tri-County Honors High School Big Band, the winners of the Melton Mustafa Jazz Combo Festival, selected middle, high school and college bands, local bands, accomplished authors, artist, vendors and more.

For the fourth year, the Festival will be hosted by the Black Archives History & Research Foundation of South Florida, Inc., at the 105-year old Historic Lyric Theater in Overtown. In its heyday, Overtown was called, “The Harlem of the South,” and was home to night life which rivaled the biggest, hottest clubs around the country. Musical greats such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Aretha Franklin and more graced the stages of the nightclubs, theaters and hotels that lines Northwest Second Avenue, known then as “Little Broadway.”

The late Melton Mustafa, Sr., Founder & Director of the Melton Mustafa Jazz Festival started the multi-day event with the vision to perpetuate great legacy of jazz music.  “The Melton Mustafa Big Band is keeping the jazz tradition alive,” said Mustafa. “The Ellington Band did, Count Basie and Charles Mingus did, and now I’m paving the way for young musicians to get on board and carry the torch.”

“It is an honor to partner with the Melton Mustafa Jazz Festival again for the fourth year,” said Black Archives executive director, Timothy A. Barber. “Mr. Mustafa was an amazingly talented musician, and a man with great vision. Our support for this festival is right in line with what we do all year round– preserve Black history, and create a platform to showcase our rich culture through the arts, culture, and education.”

The festival opens with a VIP reception featuring a night of live jazz and poetry, and continues with workshops and performances on Saturday, with the festival ends with a red carpet event and closeout concert. For tickets & more info, visit https://MMJF22.eventbrite.com.

The 22nd Annual Melton Mustafa Jazz Festival Weekend Schedule:

2/22       LIVE JAZZ, POETRY & FILM CONCERT (VIP RECEPTION/SCHOLARSHIP FUNDRAISER)    7AM-11PM

2/23       Workshops, Master Class, Tri-County Honors Big Band, Featured Bands, Vendors     7AM-8:30PM

2/24       MMJF22 RED CARPET EVENT 5PM & “LIVE AT THE HISTORIC LYRIC THEATER Concert   6PM-9PM

 

 

#MMJF22