Jazz IN Cazenovia
- Elisha Davies
- Sep 7
- 2 min read
In honor of this week’s Jazz 'N Caz, a 23-year-old Cazenovia tradition, let’s take a look at jazz in the history Caz.
Although the beginnings of jazz actually date back to the 19th century, forged in the melting pot of southern cultures, jazz didn’t come to Cazenovia until the start of the 20th Century. Cazenovia’s enthusiastic social community welcomed both local and traveling bands, hosting them at Cazenovia Hall (the town hall and current site of the Catherine Cummings Theater) and even at Chittenango Falls Park. These vaudeville events were paired with dancing, comedy acts, jokes, and even roller skating.
Jazz 'N Caz wasn’t the first jazz festival to land in Cazenovia. Thanks to the Onondaga Jazz Directors, jazz filled Lakeland Park in September 1962. Headlined by world-famous trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and his quintet, the concert drew over 1,000 people to the park! The festival didn’t return to Cazenovia the following year, but it showed Central New York that jazz by the lake was a winning combination.
Of course, we can’t talk about jazz without talking about Cazenovia College and its jazzy connections. Most notably, Jimmy Van Heusen, a Cazenovia Seminary student in the late 1920s. Van Heusen became a prolific composer who wrote over 400 published songs, timeless standards for film, television, and the stage. He won four Academy Awards for Best Original Song and worked closely with legendary performers such as Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. (Look him up online and we bet you’ll recognize some song titles!)
Another Caz College student with jazz connections is Carole “Cookie” Cole, the daughter of jazz musician Nat King Cole. After pursuing an acting career, Cole became CEO of King Cole Productions, managing her father’s legacy.
Speaking of Cazenovia College- we have the institution and former Caz College theater manager, Colleen Prossner, to thank for the creation of the event in 2001. For over two decades, the event has brought nationally renowned groups to our small village. In 2023, the closing of the college didn’t stop Prossner, and the event spilled out into the community for Jazz 'N Caz on the go and has become a mainstay in Caz Arts’ month-long September Autumn Falling Leaves Art Festival.
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