The annual Playboy Jazz Festival is held in June at the Hollywood Bowl. The event, which regularly draws crowds of over 35,000, attracts the genre's standard-bearers like Chick Corea and George Benson. The festival is often hosted by comedian and jazz fan Bill Cosby.
This festival features artists from various genres including ragtime, jazz and big band. The event takes place every Labor Day weekend at the Los Angeles Airport Marriot. The festival's mission is the celebration and preservation of the golden age of American popular music, according to the event's website. Some of the proceeds from the show are donated to various youth jazz groups.
JazzReggae Festival is an event put on each year on the UCLA campus. The cultural extravaganza unfolds on the school's Intramural Field in late May, and hosts artists like Distant Relatives, Barrington Levy, Raphael Saadiq and Q-Tip. With over 30,000 concertgoers every year, the festival has evolved into the largest student-run event in the country. The festival is split into two days, with the jazz and R&B artists performing on Jam Day, while reggae artists perform the following day, on Reggae Day.
This free annual arts and music festival is held in September at the Leimert Park Village-Vision Theater. Past acts have included LTD and Funkalicious. Performers from several genres besides jazz, such as blues, reggae and R&B, appear at this festival.
This free event is truly a community affair. Food stands, workshops for children and other exhibitions dominate the landscape. Etta James, Max Roach and Taj Mahal are among the past performers at this event. The jazz fest takes place at the Watts Towers Art Center in the Watts neighborhood.