History:
Larry Bernard, leader and trombone player of Journeys End Jazz Band, returned home from the 1988 Sacramento Jazz Jubilee with a vision: to start a Jazz Jubilee in Medford, Oregon. After hearing Larry's enthusiasm and the benefit to the Medford community, the then Mayor Jerry Lausmann and Visitor and Convention Bureau Director Patti Bills, couldn't resist jumping on board. The first Medford Jazz Jubilee was held in October 1989. Just eight bands performed that year to overwhelming community jubilation. The Festival has evolved over the last 28 years to include a broader variety of music styles and up to as many as 18 bands. The name has evolved, too from the Jubilee to the Medford Jazz Festival in 2009 and, more recently, renamed the Southern Oregon Music Festival in 2014 to better represent the array of musical styles.
