Jazz In The Gardens music festival promotes cultural fellowship

theGRIO REPORT - This week will mark the 9th annual Jazz In The Gardens Music Festival in Miami Gardens, Florida...

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

This week will mark the 9th annual Jazz In The Gardens Music Festival in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Serving as a vessel to deliver premiere music from all eras of R&B, JITG has presented acts such as Ne-Yo, Earth Wind & Fire, and Fantasia.

And this year will be no different.

Hosted by one of the original “Kings Of Comedy” D.L. Hughley, JITG 2014 will have Oscar-award-winning Jamie Foxx, Kelly Rowland, and LL Cool J, among others, hitting the stage.

Miami Garden’s Mayor Oliver Gilbert III anticipates it being another benchmark year for the concert series. Speaking not only as a political official, but as a The Miami Gardens native,  he’s seen the growth of the festival and its potential as a business.

“We’d like for it to grow and have the same impact as New Orleans Jazz Festival has for Louisiana,” said Mayor Gilbert to theGrio.

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A positive, friendly environment is a label Gilbert would love to have JITG and Miami Gardens as a whole attached to. Prior to his term as mayor, Miami Gardens had one of the highest crime rates in the Sunshine state in 2010.

Since then, JITG has become a safe event for all ages. Gilbert attributes it to the evolutionary growth of Jazz In The Gardens, specifically citing the talent range of the artists.

“We can’t satisfy everybody, but there is something for everyone to enjoy when you come down here for the festival.”

The family-reunion-like atmosphere is a mainstay at JITG and other spring music festivals in the south. If Gilbert were to sum up the cultural fellowship that can be experienced at JITG in one phrase, it would be to come and be ready to be entertained.

“It’s the truest type of experience you can find,” stated the mayor. “From what started off as an event with just 1100 people, has become so much. The sky is the limit.”

Will you be attending Jazz In The Gardens?

Check out the full line up and let us know what you think in the comments below.

For the latest music news, follow Kyle Harvey on Twitter at @HarveyWins

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