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History

Founded by Charles Fishman in 2004 with the mission to establish and present an annual jazz festival in the District of Columbia, the DC Jazz Festival, widely recognized as the fastest-growing jazz festival in the U.S., is one of the largest and most diverse music festivals in the country. Kicking off the summer in the nation's capital June 5 – 16, the 2013 DC Jazz Festival (DCJF) attracts jazz lovers from around the world to Washington DC each year to see performances in some of the most prestigious venues in the country, including The John. F.

DC Jazz Festival Honors - The John Conyers, Jr. Jazz Advocacy Award

In 1987, the Honorable John Conyers, Jr., Congressman (D-MI) a champion of jazz, introduced a bill to the House and the Senate that cited the critical need to have America’s most unique and original art form afforded a status commensurate with its value and importance in the United States. The bill passed unanimously: “Jazz is hereby designated a rare and valuable national American treasure to which we should devote our attention, support and resources to make certain it is preserved, understood and promulgated.”

DCJF Lifetime Achievement Awards

Each year, the DC Jazz Festival (DCJF) honors jazz greats for their lifetime contributions to jazz and humanity. The DCJF Lifetime Achievement Award is bestowed, at a concert during the annual festival, to an individual who serves as a model representative for jazz and has dedicated his/her life to jazz as an art form, an education tool, and a unifying force.

The 2013 DCJF Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to