VAIL JAZZ HISTORY

Howard Stone is a life-long jazz fan, a retired real estate attorney and investor based in Santa Monica California, who has had a second home in Vail Colorado for over 30 years. Stone loves jazz as much as he loves the Colorado lifestyle – and the Vail Jazz Foundation blossomed when he brought together these two passions. Stone had attended numerous “Jazz Parties” in Colorado through the years.

In 1995, he was inspired to put together the first Labor Day Weekend Vail Jazz Party in Vail. His vision was to do his part to carry on a 20 year Colorado tradition of presenting great jazz in the unique ‘party’ format over the Labor Day Weekend. After the success of the first Vail Jazz Party, Stone dreamed further and decided to create Vail Jazz as an organization dedicated to the perpetuation of jazz music with a specific emphasis on young musicians and young audiences. Vail Jazz grew to add a jazz Workshop for promising high school musicians, a school program in Eagle County called Vail Jazz Goes to School, free concert series, educational programs, and collaborations featuring all performances and educational programs with other non profits including Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, The Vail Symposium, and the Vail Valley Foundation.

Today, Vail and Colorado are the beneficiaries of Stone’s vision, which manifests itself in an annual summer festival spanning over 12 weeks and entertaining over 50,000 people, a Workshop which has contributed to the jazz musicianship of over 274 outstanding jazz musicians, a school program that has educated over 20,000 students in Eagle County, and introduced in 2012, a Winter Series of jazz concerts and soirées.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Howard L. Stone   {chairman}
Bill Blaze
Michael S. Brown
John Clayton, Jr.
Garret Davies
John Dawsey
James G. Dulin
Robert E. Ford
Fred W. Frailey
JoAnn Hickey
Jay Johnson
Carolyn Pope
Larry S. Stewart
Catherine A. Stone
William W. Verity
Glen Wood

ADVISORY BOARD

Paul S. Bates
Bob Cohen
Allie R. Coppeak
Dr. Willie Hill, Jr.
Laura Miller
Mike Peak
William Pierce
Alan Tanenbaum
Gary J.E. Thornton
Linda Wilson