The Playboy Jazz Festival is an annual music event, which is sponsored by Playboy Enterprises. It is held to celebrate jazz and to feature both well-known and young musicians of the genre. The festival was founded by Hugh Hefner but was first held in Chicago, Illinois State. However, the second festival occurred only twenty years later, when it was moved to the Hollywood Bowl in LA.
The Playboy Jazz Festival is held annually on Saturday and Sunday in the middle of June. Since 1995, Bill Cosby has been its emcee. The event is produced by George Wein's Festival Productions, Inc. and is broadcast live by the Southern California jazz public radio station KKJZ.
The Festival has become internationally acclaimed, becoming the West Coast's premier jazz event. Sold out every year, it is an affair that lasts for a month and culminating on one weekend at the Hollywood Bowl featuring jazz, Latin, and world music. Virtually every legendary jazz musician and major contemporary artist has performed here. The event has also seen dozens of performers from around the world and from various genres. The Playboy Jazz Festival presents a comprehensive six-week series of free pre-festival events, including the standing room only "Jazz on Film" night and the "Old Pasadena Summerfest".
Past notable artists performed at the Playboy Jazz Festival include Arturo Sandoval, Gerry Mulligan, Chucho Valdes, Benny Goodman, Gladys Knight, Mel Torme, Freddie Hubbard, Count Basie, Ozomatli Joshua Redman, Pancho Sanchez, Joe Williams, Chris Botti, Art Blakey, Brian Setzer, Etta James, and many others.
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