Jazz fest to return to The Preserve

After two years of absence, the Preserve Jazz Fest is returning to its home neighborhood in September.

Jason Henderson, an 11-year Preserve resident, created the Jazz Fest in 2007. The festival stayed at the Preserve until 2014, when it was moved to Sloss Furnaces downtown. 

“Looking back that was not the right decision for this crowd, this type of music,” Henderson said.

In 2015, Henderson and his fellow organizers decided to take a year off from the festival, as Henderson said he needed a break to focus more on his job and family. When they decided to revive it earlier this year, Henderson said it made sense to “bring it back to where we started it."

"The natural park setting, it made sense with this type of music,” Henderson said.

The 2016 Preserve Jazz Fest will be Sept. 17 at 601 Preserve Way, with gates opening at 11 a.m. and music from 1 to 10 p.m. Henderson said he is working with Vecchia Pizzeria and The Boot to provide food, and the organizers are considering bringing in a handful of craft vendors.

There will also be a VIP kickoff party on Thursday, Sept. 15, with live music and food tastings. As they have done the past few years, Henderson said some of the proceeds from the festival will go toward a music scholarship at Samford's School of the Arts and funding for the university's radio station, WVSU.

Tickets to the Preserve Jazz Fest are $42 and are on sale now. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit preservejazz.com.