Our Story
The story of the Bold City Jazz Society (BCJS) began in 2024, when six passionate jazz advocates—Theresa Warren, Scott Manson, Michael and Elizabeth Bertty, David Sanders, and Jabari Jelani—came together through a shared love of jazz and a deep commitment to their community. Drawing from their diverse backgrounds and experiences, they devoted countless hours to supporting local college jazz students through fundraising, mentorship, and community engagement.
But they soon recognized an even greater opportunity.
To truly strengthen and sustain Jacksonville’s jazz culture, the community needed stronger connections—bringing together students, educators, professional musicians, industry partners, government agencies, and jazz lovers of all ages. From that vision, the Bold City Jazz Society was born.
Guided by a clear mission and strong foundational values, BCJS was created to celebrate, support, and expand the legacy of jazz in the Bold City—creating opportunities for today’s artists while inspiring the next generation of musicians and audiences for years to come.
a bold vision for jazz
Jacksonville earned the nickname “The Bold City” following the landmark governmental consolidation of 1968, a transformative restructuring that united the city and made Jacksonville the largest city in the United States by land area. The name came to symbolize vision, growth, and a willingness to think bigger about the future of the community.
The Bold City Jazz Society chose its name with that same spirit in mind.
BCJS believes jazz can thrive when schools, universities, businesses, nonprofit organizations, musicians, community leaders, and government agencies work together—not as passive observers, but as active partners in cultivating a vibrant cultural ecosystem. This spirit of collaboration and community investment is central to the Society’s bold approach to preserving and advancing jazz in Jacksonville.