Franz Jackson Jazz Celebration Home

The Franz Jackson Jazz Celebration is an annual jazz event held in Dowagiac, Michigan in honor of the Chicago jazz legend Franz Jackson, who also happened to be a resident of Dowagiac.

Each November, near Franz's birthday, the Jazz Celebration brings world-class jazz to Southwestern Michigan for people of all ages to enjoy.

2012 marked the 6th annual Celebration and what would have been Franz's 100th birthday. The release party for Franz's last CD - "Franz Jackson: Milestone" - added an extra level of excitement and performance and everyone in attendance had a great time!

This year, we have teamed up with a new festival in Southwestern Michigan - the iRock Jazz Festival! This fresh, new event will offer something for everyone on May 30th, kicking off at noon with a tribute to Franz by the Original Salty Dogs Jazz Band! You don't want to miss this, so click here to find out more about the tribute and the festival!

In the meantime, the Jazz Celebration is still working on restructuring and growing. We hope to soon have a bigger and better festival and we hope you'll join us!

If you are an artist or band and are interested in performing at a future Jazz Celebration, please visit our contact page for information on how to apply for inclusion.

Volunteer and sponsorship opportunities for future Jazz Celebrations will be posted as soon as they are finalized, so if you'd like to be part of continuing Franz's musical legacy, make sure you check back or sign up for the email list to be notified as plans become finalized.