Ever since Woody Herman and the Young Thundering Herd did its big band thing on a flatbed trailer in the middle of Coachman Park in 1980, the annual Clearwater Jazz Holiday has evolved dramatically. In its first decade alone, the festival earned its own permanent stage in the park to eventually host the likes of Buddy Rich, Dizzy Gillespie, and Dave Brubeck, just to name a few. Four decades later, the festival will open this weekend, for its last year at its temporary home Baycare Ballpark (Coachman Park is supposed to reopen in 2023 as part of downtown’s Imagine Clearwater renovations).
Ever since Woody Herman and the Young Thundering Herd did its big band thing on a flatbed trailer in the middle of Coachman Park in 1980, the annual Clearwater Jazz Holiday has evolved dramatically. In its first decade alone, the festival earned its own permanent stage in the park to eventually host the likes of Buddy Rich, Dizzy Gillespie, and Dave Brubeck, just to name a few. Four decades later, the festival will open this weekend, for its last year at its temporary home Baycare Ballpark (Coachman Park is supposed to reopen in 2023 as part of downtown’s Imagine Clearwater renovations).