When a music festival hits its first note and keeps it going for several years, it’s an accomplishment worth noting.
But when it celebrates a decade of hosting hundreds of artists, welcoming thousands of attendees and curating a legacy of excellence, education and community impact?
Well, that’s a reason to party. And Theron Brown, the artistic director and co-founder of the Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival, is ready for this year’s concerts Sept. 4-6 at Lock 3, Akron Civic Theatre and BLU Jazz, as well as pop-up stages across downtown Akron.
“When you first do something, you don’t see it out that far, and here we are,” said Brown, who also serves as an assistant professor at the University of Akron and co-chair of the music school’s jazz department.
“It’s very exciting, honestly.”
Fittingly, this year’s festival theme is “A Decade of Sound.” Concerts are free to the public with the exception of jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum and special guest The Michael Austin Project on Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $31.30.
Jazz in Akron? It’s a better fit than you think.
Akron’s little-known jam sessions from the past
As early as the 1920s, Brown said jazz and blues musicians — traveling by train from Chicago and Detroit to venues in Cleveland and New York — stopped in downtown Akron for a haircut, a bite to eat and a good night’s rest.
Hotel Matthews on Howard Street — listed in the “Negro Motorist Green Book” as a business deemed safe for Black travelers — is said to have hosted jazz and blues legends Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway and Ella Fitzgerald.
These musicians graced Akron stages, their evening performances having a long-lasting impact on the region’s music scene.
“With the rubber business booming back then,” Brown said, “There were a lot of people, and they brought a lot of culture and entertainment.”
What to expect at the 2025 Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival
In addition to the national acts, this year’s lineup includes past favorites (The Smokeface Band, Nathan-Paul and The Admirables, Sammy Deleon Jazz Group and JT’s Electrik Blackout), emerging artists (Ashton Blake, Ronell Regis’ Musical Testimonial) and youth performers — students of Open Tone Music, who span the genres of jazz, blues, soul and funk.
Performers and educators will teach workshops and clinics for musicians. The festival’s other headliner and resident artist, Akron native and trumpet player Jon Lampley, will lead a masterclass Sept. 5 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Guzzetta Hall on the campus of the University of Akron. Now living in Brooklyn, New York, Lampley leads the house band on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
A panel discussion on “Artistry Meets Finance” will be held Sept. 6 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Akron Art Museum.
“I tell people, ‘Come down because you might find your next favorite band’,” Brown said. “This is a gift from our [music] community to our [Akron] community.”
The festival will also feature food trucks, art vendors and interactive programs.
For more information, visit www.rubbercityjazz.org.
