Playboy Jazz Festival
The Playboy Jazz Festival is an annual event sponsored by Playboy Enterprises to celebrate jazz as well as feature both established and up and coming musicians of the genre.History
It was founded by Hugh Hefner and was first held in Chicago, Illinois at the Chicago Stadium in 1959. However, the festival did not occur again until 1979, at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles as a celebration of the magazine's 25th anniversary. The event has been held there ever since.The Festival is held on a Saturday and Sunday in mid-June. Bill Cosby was the emcee of the majority of the annual festivals from 1979 to 2012. In 2013, comedian George Lopez began hosting the event after Cosby retired.
In 2014, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, which presents the summer Hollywood Bowl concerts, assumed presenting and booking duties.
The Playboy Jazz Festival is broadcast live by the Southern California jazz public radio station KKJZ.
