Atlanta Jazz Festival… 1982

The year is 1982 and much is going on in Atlanta with the appointment of former President Jimmy Carter to a professorship at Emory University, Henry “Hank” Aaron is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, Coca-Cola purchases Columbia Pictures from CBS and also introduces Diet Coke, Wayne Williams Atlanta Child Murders trial is underway, MARTA’s Peachtree Center station is opened, Herschel Walker, a junior attending the University of Georgia wins the Heisman Trophy and the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site is created.

While all of this is making news Shirley Cooks, Director of Cultural Affairs continues the tradition by bringing a few luminaries in jazz at the time to the city. On the bill were drummer Chico Hamilton, vocalist Carmen McRae, pianist Mal Waldron, vocalist Leon Thomas, and drummer Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers with soprano and tenor saxophonist Jean Toussaint, bassist Charles Fambrough, alto saxophonist Donald Harrison and pianist Johnny O’Neal. For many Atlantan enthusiasts during the Nineties they would get to hear Johnny O’Neal on many occasions as he took up residencies at several local jazz nightspots.

The weekend of August 30th thru September 6th with performances in Central City Park and on Labor Day weekend performance took place in Piedmont Park and OIC Sullivan Hall.

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