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ALTON - The 20th annual Miles Davis Jazz Festival honored the musician’s legacy and supported local students.
On Saturday, June 7, 2025, community members gathered at Post Commons in Alton for an evening of jazz music by the Alton High School Jazz Combo and Saman Swanson. The event recognized Davis as an important part of Alton’s history while raising money for scholarships for high school students.
“The past 20 years have been fabulous. We’ve watched it grow from a little gathering of people to the actual honoring of the greatest trumpeter in the world, homegrown Miles Davis,” said Lee Barham, chairman of the event.
Over the last 20 years, Barham and his committee have given away over 40 scholarships. Four students — one homeschooled student, two students from Alton High School, and one student from Marquette Catholic High School — received $500 scholarships this year through the festival.
Barham highlighted the importance of supporting the youth and giving back to the community. He expressed his hope that the students will go on to remember Alton and contribute to the city.
“I believe in giving back to the kids,” he said. “I believe in nurturing what is ours, because we don’t want them to go away and forget about their hometown. Regardless of where they are in life, one day, I’m hoping that one of them will step up and take my place.”
Fourth Ward Alderwoman Rosetta Brown, who emceed the event, echoed Barham. She believes it was a great decision to feature musicians from Alton High School, and she hopes the kids took something positive away from the experience.
“Education is of the utmost. We want our children to thrive. We want them to be able to be top of the class. We want them ready to get out into the world,” she said. “That’s really important because we want them to be exposed to this type of event. We want them to know who Miles Davis is. We want their skills and their talent to be portrayed. We want them to continue to feel like they’re a part of our community.”
Nikki Lowe, the event manager at Post Commons, also expressed her excitement to host the festival. She noted that Post Commons hosts a variety of events, from weddings to birthday parties to baby showers, and they’re always eager to welcome back the Miles Davis Jazz Festival.
Lowe also pointed out that Post Commons will now serve as a location for Good News, a woodfired pizza restaurant based out of St. Louis, with a soft opening from 4–9 p.m. on June 9–11, 2025. You can follow the official Post Commons Facebook page for more information about their events and offerings.
As the Miles Davis Jazz Festival prepared to start on June 7, Barham and Brown were excited to see the “very, very diverse” crowd and to welcome the Alton community to an event meant to honor Davis. This year’s festival also paid tribute to Jesse “The Maestro” Prather, a renowned Alton musician who passed away last month.
Barham and Brown emphasized the importance of community support to keep this annual event going and fund the scholarships for local students. They promise the 21st Miles Davis Jazz Festival will be just as exciting, and they can’t wait for many more years of this work.
“This is a ticket-seller every year, and we are just so proud that Alton can host this,” Brown added. “We’re going to rock this house in memory of Miles Davis, our homeboy.”
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