Saving grace: JGB Syracuse Jazz Fest
executive director Frank Malfitano (right) announced JGB Enterprises,
Inc., represented by the company’s founder’s son, Jason Bernhardt
(middle), would support this year’s run of the festival during a press
conference in April. MICHAEL DAVIS PHOTO
“When we started out there wasn’t an
awareness of jazz in Syracuse,” Malfitano comments. “When we started
out there was a void. Now it’s more about sustainability.”
That sustainability, of course, has
largely stemmed from private sponsorships. After a run as the
festival’s primary sponsor that extended back to 1991, M&T Bank
decided not to renew their commitment to the Jazz Fest after last
year’s blowout, which attracted upward of 40,000 people.
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Regardless, the ever-intrepid Malfitano
continued to search for other outlets for funding. “We’re a free
festival, and that’s part of our draw,” Malfitano says. “In a tough
economy it’s even more difficult to do that, but the goal is to serve
the community.”
Coming to Malfitano’s rescue is JGB
Enterprises, Inc., an industrial hose manufacturing company from
Liverpool founded in 1977. The company kicked in an undisclosed
six-figure donation that resulted in an operating budget of $350,000
for the festival, according to an announcement Malfitano made during an
April press conference. That number allowed Malf to put together two
days of jazz performances and educational programs from national
artists once again.
Malfitano hopes this year’s edition will
appeal to longtime supporters of the fest, dubbing the festival “an
encore presentation for the fans.” In addition, Malfitano is shrinking
VIP seating typically found in front of the stage to get more people
involved in the fun, up close and personal.
Jay Bernhardt, JGB’s owner and founder,
says that the reason his company is the naming sponsor came after
hearing reports of M&T Bank’s pullout from the local media. “When I
woke up and saw the 25-year-old Jazz Fest was going to die, it struck
me as a little strange, and we were able to provide an avenue to have a
26th.” Bernhardt’s company works with the U.S. military on contracts
that supply hoses for Humvees, tractors, Trident submarines and
aircraft carriers as well as in water purification systems.
“I just had a chance to go through the
Jazz Fest Web site {www.syracusejazzfest.com} a little more thoroughly
recently, and I was just stunned to see the people that {Malfitano} had
perform at the Jazz Fest,” Bernhardt remarks. “I saw the archives and I
was quite amazed to see all the people that have been there, listed by
year. There have been some very famous people at Jazz Fest.”
As for whether or not JGB will be able
to help with the sustainability Malfitano is seeking, Bernhardt thinks
his company’s support will be a one-time deal. However, he’s hopeful
that other community businesses will carry the torch in future
generations of the event.
“I’ve told Frank, ‘If you want, I’ll try
to do it for one year,” Bernhardt says. “He told me what it would take,
and we certainly would like to put the challenge out to the community
to make sure there’s a 27th Jazz Fest.”
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In the meantime, Malfitano is making
sure the fans get the most of the hail Mary pass thrown by JGB. And the
fans, Malfitano thinks, is what all the perseverance is really all
about. “I’m the one who takes out the trash,” Malfitano says. “But it’s
really about them.”
The JGB Syracuse Jazz Fest runs Friday,
June 27, and Saturday, June 28, at Onondaga Community College, 4585 W.
Seneca Turnpike. Admission is free. For more information, call
437-5627. See page 16 for a full schedule of the event, as well as
articles about goings-on surrounding the fest.
