By James Windell
Larry Brown, who created and ran the South Haven Jazz Festival for the past eight years, was honored by Mayor Annie Brown with a Proclamation.
The proclamation was awarded to Brown at the South Haven City Council meeting on December 1, 2025.
Mayor Brown’s proclamation honors Brown because “through his vision and passion for jazz music, created the South Haven Jazz Festival with the goal of sharing the joy, artistry, and cultural richness of jazz with the entire community.”
The document also pays respect to Brown for devoting “countless volunteer hours to planning, organizing, and promoting this annual event, securing support from local businesses, grantors, and regional jazz organizations to ensure its continued success.”
During the eight years of the jazz festival, that took place in Dyckman Park and in the Huron Street Pavilion, Brown brought in excellent local and regional jazz acts. By the second year, the festival had expanded lineups featuring multiple bands and combos. Although 2020 and 2021 saw a virtual festival one year and a cancellation the next because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it returned in full force following that with diverse performers, such as Lake Effect Jazz Big Band, Shout Section Big Band, DB Horns, and the Lana Hoffman Quartet. Attendance remained strong, bolstered by South Haven’s downtown social district, which allowed attendees to enjoy local food and drinks during performances.
The proclamation also stated that Brown’s “thoughtful curation of talented musicians highlights a broad spectrum of jazz styles and instruments, showcasing the creativity and skill of artists from across Southwest Michigan and beyond,” and “through his leadership with Foundry Hall, Larry has embodied the organization’s mission of building community through music, enriching South Haven’s cultural landscape and fostering connections that extend far beyond the stage.”
After the conclusion of the Jazz Festival in mid-September this year, Brown indicated that he would be stepping away from the festival after organizing it since 2017.
In accepting the Proclamation, Larry Brown thanked the City of South Haven. “Without the support of the City, the Jazz Festival wouldn’t have made it past year two,” he said. “There were permits and things and I was always helped through this.”
He especially thanked South Haven’s Special Events Coordinator, Michelle Coffey, who he said, “Was always there and always ready to help in any way.”
Brown said that his retirement from the Jazz Festival did not mean the end of the annual event. “It is our intent that Foundry Hall will continue the Jazz Festival,” he said.
