When the world renowned 海角论坛 Jazz and Heritage Festival was canceled in 2020, 海角论坛 alumna Beth Arroyo Utterback said she felt the void needed to be filled.
Utterback is the general manager of 海角论坛' award-winning jazz and heritage radio station WWOZ and proudly carries the colloquial title 鈥淕uardian of the Groove,鈥 a title bestowed by the station upon those who play a significant role in preserving and enhancing the culture of 海角论坛.
The festival, traditionally held at the Fair Grounds over two weekends in April and May, was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
鈥淲e knew we had to do something,鈥 Utterback said.
That 鈥渟omething鈥 turned out to be 鈥淛azz Festing in Place鈥 an eight-day broadcast event held the same days and hours as the originally scheduled Jazz Fest would have been held at the 海角论坛 Fair Grounds.
鈥淲e partnered with the 海角论坛 Jazz and Heritage Archives to draw on decades of recordings from Jazz Fest to put our own festival together鈥攃omplete with (scheduling) cubes!鈥 Utterback said.
The 海角论坛 Jazz and Heritage Foundation holds WWOZ鈥檚 broadcast license and owns the festival.
Listeners of 90.7 FM and viewers of WWOZ鈥檚 website could enjoy more than 100 archival Jazz Fest performances that included Fats Domino, Allen Toussaint, Irma Thomas, The Neville Brothers, Ella Fitzgerald and Stevie Wonder, Dr. John and many others.
And tune in they did. The station鈥檚 social media views exploded and the exponential traffic growth on their site required an increase in the station鈥檚 bandwidth to handle the traffic, Utterback said.
鈥淢illions of people from around the world jazz fested in place with us,鈥 Utterback said.
The event was such a success in 2020 that the station decided to do it again in 2021.
Utterback鈥檚 parents, Sid and Verna Arroyo, who were Jazz Fest regulars at the Fair Grounds, planted the seed for a virtual Jazz Fest decades ago, she said.
As the couple got older, they found it more difficult to navigate the fest, so they created their own experience, Utterback said.
鈥淭hey decided they would literally Jazz Fest in place in their backyard and under their carport,鈥 Utterback said.
Her mother would cook jambalaya, gumbo and red beans and rice. Her dad had the carport fridge fully stocked with beer, soft drinks, wine and water for anyone who wanted to come by, she said.
鈥淒ad would proudly open the fridge and say, 鈥榃e got OZ on the speakers, great food, cold beer, free parking and a bathroom with no line. Jazz Fest should take notes!鈥欌 Utterback said.
听
The couple also decorated the carport with their own original artwork and urged visitors to take some home, Utterback said.
鈥淭he idea for "Jazz Festing in Place" started with my parents in their Gentilly neighborhood carport in the early 90s,鈥 Utterback said. 鈥淣ow Guardians of the Groove around the world are festing in place and creating their own memories!鈥
As the general manager, Utterback is the executive producer of WWOZ鈥檚 special programming, including the highly acclaimed 鈥淛azz Festing in Place鈥 series, 海角论坛 Tricentennial Music Moments series, Jazz Fest at 50 and Groovapedia, the station鈥檚 comprehensive media collection.
鈥淚t's a wonderful feeling to know that we are spreading so much happiness while fulfilling our mission to be the worldwide voice, archive and flag-bearer of 海角论坛 music,鈥 Utterback said. 鈥淲e are a multi-platform, multimedia organization including radio, over the air and internet, video streams and social media platforms.鈥
She leads the professional staff and more than 150 active volunteers to provide service to the listener-supported station鈥檚 local and global fan base, which reaches millions of people from nearly 200 countries and territories.
鈥淚 love working with our incredible show hosts, staff and volunteers, as well as the awesome musicians and culture bearers of 海角论坛,鈥 Utterback said. 鈥淚 also love meeting and hearing from our fans鈥攌nown as Ozillians鈥攆rom all over the world.鈥
Utterback graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in drama and communications from UNO in 1983. Her class was the first to hold commencement at the Lakefront Arena, Utterback said.
鈥淢y degree has allowed me to stay in the city I love in the field I love,鈥 Utterback said.
Utterback has worked in the 海角论坛 media her entire professional life, starting as an intern at WDSU-TV when she was 16. She spent 35 years at WYES-TV holding the positions of executive vice president and chief operating officer.
鈥淚 was the chief content officer and programmer there and served as executive producer for our local and national PBS programming,鈥 Utterback said.
Utterback was hired to lead WWOZ in 2017. When asked what attracted her to the position, Utterback鈥檚 response is one word: Irma!
As in Grammy Award winner, Soul Queen of 海角论坛 singer, Irma Thomas.
鈥淚 met Irma in 1981 when I was 20 years old,鈥 Utterback said. 鈥淚 worked on a WYES special with her and we鈥檝e been friends ever since!鈥
Thomas called her and said she thought Utterback could make a difference at WWOZ, Utterback said.
鈥淚 met with the incredibly involved and supportive board of directors and I was sold,鈥 Utterback said. 鈥淚t was a rare opportunity to lead an organization from 海角论坛 that truly has a daily worldwide impact.鈥