Our mission is to inspire the discovery and celebration of jazz, anchored by an iconic festival.
We envision a sustainable organization that sets the standard of excellence for jazz, connects a diverse community, and helps people appreciate and learn about jazz as fans and performers.
A love for jazz | Innovation and Creativity | Diversity and Inclusiveness | Professionalism and Excellence | Honesty and Integrity | Collaboration | Respect and Dignity | Flexible and Open | Financially Responsible | Fun
Jazz sits within American culture as a singular and distinctive art form. It has been created by, perpetuated by, and anchored in Black voices and culture. Having begun presenting jazz in 1958, Monterey Jazz Festival has led the world in supporting and advocating for this legendary art form. Entwined in this story are two realities. Jazz has historically shuttered participation by women. Monterey Jazz Festival audiences have largely consisted of white males, due to geography and the fact that Black and female audiences have not been cultivated and maintained. To be on the path of diversity, equity, and inclusion these realities must be addressed in the policies and practices of Monterey Jazz Festival. As leaders in the field, to make change, we will look to these truths. We affirm our commitment to continuing to question our role within this important community of artists, to create innovative and accessible education and music programs that expand who experiences, performs, and receives this beautiful music. The Monterey Jazz Festival takes its inspiration from the ethos of jazz and derives its strength from the diversity and inclusion inherent in the art form. We strive to reflect these values both on and off the bandstand, and in every aspect of the organization—the Board, professional staff and employees, volunteers, vendors, artists, students, donors, and attendees.
Since the beginning, the Monterey Jazz Festival has been committed to presenting, nurturing and celebrating all jazz artists. To this end, Monterey Jazz Festival has adopted the We Have Voice Collective code of conduct. This code is about ensuring safe spaces for all musicians, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, culture, etc. to work and perform in – something we strive towards every day at Monterey Jazz Festival, and an initiative we are proud to support.
Image: B.B. King at MJF10 in 1967, from The Art of Jazz: Monterey Jazz Festival / 50 Years.
Bobbie Young, Managing Director
Elvira Paredes, Administrative Assistant
Thom Taft, Director of Finance & Administration
Bruce Labadie, Artistic Programmer
Claire Kim-Shin, Director of Education
Joy Wiseblood, Director of Marketing
Lauren Tobin, Director of Media
Ken Gordon, Chair | Tom LaFaille, Vice President | Sharon Wesley, MD, Secretary | Don Barnett, Treasurer | Susie Brusa, Member-at-Large | Larry Williams, Member-at-Large | Adam Band, Director | David Barnard, Director | Sherol Chen, PhD, Director | Clint Eastwood, Director | John Garcia, Director | Mike Knapek, Director | Ana Toledo, Director
Carsbia Anderson Jr. | Jackson Booth | Jim Costello | Michael Fields | Terry O’Connor
Bobbie Young joined the Monterey Jazz Festival in 2015 as Volunteer Coordinator and streamlined the extensive program to provide a large group of consistent, well-trained, friendly volunteers. After two successful years in this role, Young was asked to join the organization full-time as the Community Engagement Manager and worked tirelessly to bring the Monterey Jazz Education program to local, regional and national prominence. This included an initiative to provide a consistent wage-based summer performance schedule for the Monterey Jazz Regional High School All-Star Band members.
In 2021, Young was named Operations Manager and continued to improve the flow of the festival by bringing full-time staff and seasonal staff together to create a seamless production. Young has provided the leadership needed to keep the festival running smoothly for many years, and as a result she was promoted to Director of Operations in 2022. Her passion for organization and teamwork are a winning combination for the “behind the scenes” operations of the festival. Young is excited about starting this new chapter as Managing Director, collaborating with a talented staff to continue the tradition of bringing an iconic festival to the world and raising awareness for the organization’s year-round pillars.
Young’s love for non-profit work began early in her life, beginning with the YMCA as a fitness instructor. She spent the next 35 years with the YMCA of Southern Arizona, from front line to Executive level positions, as well serving as a national trainer for YMCA volunteerism, group work and multiple fitness programs. After retiring in 2008, she felt the need to be useful within her community and began working for a Senior Living Community in Southern Arizona as Special Events Manager – a position responsible for presenting concerts, movies, dances, and events to a community of 30,000 active senior citizens. This is where Young found her second “calling” – MUSIC! Presenting 48 concerts per year to the community, her role expanded organically, from managing agent meetings, contract negotiations, production and VIP events to emceeing every concert—Young found a whole new passion!
Bobbie and her husband, Benny, both Tucson, Ariz. natives, have been residents of Salinas (off and on) since 2011. During a brief return to Tucson in 2014 taking care of her aging mother, Bobbie worked as the Administrator for The Empire Ranch Foundation – a 140-year-old historic cattle ranch in Southern Arizona. To no one’s surprise, planning and organizing their annual Cowboy Festival was a joy! But the pull of the Central Coast brought the couple back to Salinas full time in 2017.
Young holds an undergraduate degree in Sports Sciences from the University of Arizona, and earned her master’s degree in Organizational Management and Leadership from Springfield College in Massachusetts.
When asked what she wants to do when she retires (whenever that is), Young says she wants to adopt all the old dogs that no one will take and bring them home to live out their final days with love. Young also loves to play with her grandson, Otis, “because he is so dang cute!”
Jazz impresario and disc jockey Jimmy Lyons presents pianist Erroll Garner as an installment of his ongoing Jazz at the Sunset concert series in Carmel. A confiscated bootleg recording of the show is released as "Concert by the Sea" and becomes one of the best-selling albums of the era.
At Doc Ricketts’ Lab on Cannery Row (now known as the Pacific Biological Laboratories), members invite Jimmy Lyons to discuss the idea about a jazz festival in Monterey. Jimmy raises the money through $100 donations.
Jimmy Lyons and jazz critic Ralph Gleason present the inaugural Monterey Jazz Festival, October 3-5. The festival is founded as a non-profit. Among the performers were Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Sonny Rollins, Dave Brubeck, Cal Tjader, Harry James, and Billie Holiday, her only MJF performance.
MJF is moved to the third full weekend in September. Performers include Ornette Coleman, Gerry Mulligan, John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong, and many others. Duke Ellington premieres “Suite Thursday” and Jon Hendricks premieres "Evolution of the Blues Song."
Dave Brubeck premieres "The Real Ambassadors" with Louis Armstrong and Carmen McRae. Quincy Jones and Stan Getz make their first MJF appearances.
Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk make their first MJF appearances.
John Handy records "Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival" and Mary Lou Williams makes her first of three MJF appearances.
The Jefferson Airplane, Muddy Waters, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Don Ellis, Randy Weston, and many others perform. Charles Lloyd records "Forest Flower" which becomes an iconic crossover hit album and features his young sidemen Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette, and Cecil McBee.
Saturday afternoon blues show features T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, Richie Havens, and Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin.
Legendary actor and director Clint Eastwood films part of his iconic directorial debut, "Play Misty For Me" at the Monterey Jazz Festival.
MJF presents the first annual winners of the Next Generation Jazz Festival, a student competition, and the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra (NGJO), a high school all-star band.
MJF25. Performers include Tito Puente, Poncho Sanchez, Gerald Wilson, Cal Tjader, Etta James, Dave Brubeck, Dizzy Gillespie, and many others.
MJF in Noto Japan is established, and the students in the local county all-star bands and the NGJO begin to travel there annually to perform. It rains during the festival for the first time.
MJF35. Jimmy Lyons retires as General Manager, and Tim Jackson takes over as GM and Artistic Director.
The Artist-in-Residence and Commission programs are reintroduced with Bob Mintzer and James Williams acting as AIRs and Billy Childs as Commission Artist.
Joshua Redman is the first MJF jazz education alumnus to be named Artist-in-Residence.
MJF40. Diana Krall, Sonny Rollins, David Sanborn, Charlie Haden, Koko Taylor, and many others perform. The Coffee House Gallery is added as a fifth venue. A book, "Monterey Jazz Festival: Forty Legendary Years" is released along with a CD box set of archival recordings.
MJF50. Artists from the first MJF include Sonny Rollins, Dave Brubeck, Jim Hall, Ernestine Anderson, Buddy Montgomery. MJF Records is launched, featuring archive recordings from the festival and a coffee table book of artwork, "The Art of Jazz."
MJF60. Artist-in-Residence is John Clayton, Jeff Hamilton, Gerald Clayton, making them first parent-child AIR. John Clayton premieres "Stories of a Groove" as the MJF Commission.
Enjoy Multiple Benefits from a Variety of MJF Partnership Opportunities!
For more information about becoming a partner of the 68th annual Monterey Jazz Festival, contact Operations Associate, Caroline Ganos at
[email protected] or 831.373.3368
There are many ways to partner with the Monterey Jazz Festival, from sponsoring a stage at the Festival to supporting the year-round jazz education programs.
The David & Lucile Packard Foundation / National Endowment for the Arts / Monterey Symphony / Kaiser Permanente / Alaska Airlines / Taylor Farms / Montage Health / MedCom Solutions / Inns of Monterey / CSUMB / Texas Southern University / AT&T / Castoro Cellars / Arts Council for Monterey County / Marriott Monterey / Bank of America / Canterbury Woods / Jazz Cruises, LLC / Other Brother Beer / Alvarado Street Brewery / Folktale Winery & Vineyards / Local Motion Vodka Sodas / Naturipe Berry Growers / J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines / Steinway & Sons / Gretsch / DW Pedals and Hardware / LP / Remo / Integris Wealth Management / U.S. Pure Water / Destination x Design California / Alvarez Technology Group / SiriusXM / DownBeat / Monterey-Salinas Transit / SmoothJazz.com Global / KSBW / KAZU 90.3 / Monterey Herald / KTSU Radio / KSQD 90.7
