By Briyah Paley
Last Saturday, from noon to 6 p.m., Columbus Avenue was filled with students and locals ready to join in on the fun when the Lower Roxbury/South End Second Annual Jazz Festival came to Northeastern’s backyard.
From Massachusetts Avenue to Burke Street, music filled the air and patrons munched on hot dogs, quesadillas and other treats from vendors along the street. The sun was shining, and for some, the day started bright and early.
“We got woken up at 8 a.m. by some guy with a bullhorn telling people to move their cars,” Kurt Knoblock, a middler music tech major said. “But it’s cool, I like the music,” he added.
His friend Kim Eicas, a middler business, advertising and marketing major, agreed.
“I’ve been here about an hour. I love jazz, it’s awesome,” Eicas said. “I wish they had more things like this on campus.”
The festival, hosted by D’Ventures Unlimited Foundation, celebrated the rich history of jazz in the neighborhood NU calls home.
“Let this day and the soulful sounds of jazz be a backdrop to what this festival salutes- the diversity and commonality which this neighborhood represents,” Darryl Settles, D’Ventures President, said.
Settles reminded the community that the Columbus Avenue area was once a hot spot for nightlife, filled with six or seven different clubs.
Fleet Bank, AT’T Broadband, Sovereign Bank and Bob the Chef’s Jazz Cafe were the festival’s corporate sponsors who contributed to a worthy cause by making it possible for D’Ventures Unlimited Foundation to donate $15,000 for advancing the awareness and treatment of prostate cancer.
Although some had planned on coming to the festival and others had simply stumbled upon it, it was apparent that everyone enjoyed themselves. The beats of four different music stages coerced people into dancing in the streets. Performers included Stan Strickland, Myanna, the Boston Horns, the Paolo Danay Jazz Quartet and many more.
“I don’t go out much in Boston,” Katie Xeller, a middler Psychology major said. “It’s nice to do something in the city and still be on campus.”
