Westside Story Newspaper – Online The News of The Empire – Sharing the Quest for Excellence
By Joe W. Bowers Jr. and Edward Henderson | California Black Media
The 20th Annual Gardena Jazz Festival, one of the largest events for the city, took place at Rowley Memorial Park in Gardena on Sunday, August 27.
Sen. Bradford (D-Gardena) founded the Gardena Jazz Festival in 2003 and serves as Chair of the Gardena Jazz Festival Committee, which is responsible for putting this event together.
According to Bradford, “This festival began as a free event at a time when the city was struggling financially. As the city faced difficult cuts, the Gardena Jazz Festival signaled new hope. The festival brought Gardena together to enjoy great music and celebrate community pride; all at no cost to the city. Over the years, more than 100,000 people have attended.”
This year, about 7,500 people enjoyed the performances of Boney James, Damien Escobar, Family Stone Band, Brandee Younger, Ragan Whiteside, and The Fernando Pullum Community Arts Band.
On site, there were vendors selling a range of items, including food, clothing, hats, jewelry, and skin care products.
Joining the jazz lovers and local community members at the popular festival were Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and U.S Congress women representing the Los Angeles area, Maxine Waters and Sydney Kamlager.
