Jazz Education, Inc. will kick off "August Jazz Month" with the 17th Annual Houston International Jazz Festival on Friday through Sunday, Aug. 3-5, 2007. Attracting more than 5,000 visitors annually, the Festival highlights some of the most inspirational jazz entertainment from around the world. The internationally acclaimed artist lineup will bring a diverse mix of smooth and neo-jazz styles to Jones Plaza in downtown Houston located at 600 Louisiana, Houston, TX 77002. The gates open at 4 p.m. on Aug. 4-5 at Jones Plaza and the program begins at 5 p.m. sharp. Ticket, vending, and sponsorship details are available online at http://www.jazzeducation.org/.


Drummer Bubbha Thomas, executive director of Jazz Education, Inc., founded the first Houston International Jazz Festival in 1991 with the support and inspiration of the late Congressman Mickey Leland. Thomas says Leland's response to the concept was, "Bubbha you get the talent and I'll get the sponsorships." Leland died on Aug. 6, 1989, while on a humanitarian mission to Ethiopia and did not see the fruition of the project which lives on as a tribute to Leland's philanthropic spirit.


The mission of the Festival is to provide a unique cultural program that exposes Houstonians to musicians from outside the U.S. Since its inception, the Houston International Jazz Festival has placed Houston in the spotlight as the site of the nation's only jazz festival focusing on international jazz musicians.


All proceeds from the festival go to fund Jazz Education Inc.'s educational programs, "Jazz & Poetry Series," "Summer Jazz Workshop," and "August Jazz Month." The Jazz and Poetry program serves more than 30,000 elementary school children, and through two locations, the Summer Jazz Workshop trains over 100 teenage musicians.


For over 30 years, Bubbha Thomas has operated Jazz Education, Inc. Many of the nation's greatest musicians have passed through his doors such as jazz greats Kyle Turner, Horace A. Young, III, Brandon Lee, Walter Smith, III, and Joe Carmouche.