23rd Annual Taste of 4th Avenue Jazz Festival Brings Music, Celebration and Community to Birmingham
Written and Photographed by Marika N. Johnson | For the Birmingham Times On Saturday, the Historic Fourth Avenue Business District became a gathering place for music lovers, families, dancers and longtime supporters of Birmingham’s historic Black business district during the 23rd annual Taste of 4th Avenue Jazz Festival. From the opening notes of the Birmingham […]
Black News 
Written and Photographed by Marika N. Johnson | For the Birmingham Times
On Saturday, the Historic Fourth Avenue Business District became a gathering place for music lovers, families, dancers and longtime supporters of Birmingham’s historic Black business district during the 23rd annual Taste of 4th Avenue Jazz Festival. From the opening notes of the Birmingham Youth Choir to the final performance by Birmingham’s own Alvin Garrett, the festival offered a full day of music, celebration and community.
The annual festival, which dates to 2003, was created through a partnership between Urban Impact Inc. and the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame to preserve the legacy of the Historic Fourth Avenue District while celebrating jazz and bringing people together through music — and Birmingham showed up.
Carla Youngblood, operations director for Urban Impact and event coordinator for Taste of 4th Avenue, Inc., said the growing crowd, which stretched into the next block, was a testament to the festival’s popularity.
“The festival continues to grow, and the streets are full, showing that Birmingham loves to come out and have a good time,” she said.
Deno Posey, who hosted the festival, also spoke to the significance of returning to the historic district.
“The historic district is such a vital part of history to Black people,” he said. “It had doctors and lawyers’ offices, theaters, restaurants — and to be back in this space and celebrate what this area has meant to this community for so many years is just amazing.”
The Birmingham Youth Choir opened the afternoon, giving the festival a touch of gospel and praise before the stage transitioned through a diverse lineup of local and regional talent.
Ms. Johnnie Nathan followed, bringing her own mix of blues/jazz/contemporary vocals to the stage before Wenonah and ASU graduate, Tre WesLee Sax took over with the unmistakable sound of the saxophone. The performances continued with Halo Wheeler, whose dynamic set added another layer to an afternoon already filled with an array of sounds and styles. The Alabama heat coupled with Halo’s vocals kept temps high. But the Taste of 4th Avenue is about more than simply sitting and listening.
Desi Keith and D2 Linedancers had festival-goers on their feet with line dancing, turning the street directly in front of the stage into a dance floor. The energy changed from simply listening to enthusiastically participating, with people moving to the music and enjoying the festival as a shared experience.
Flutist Sherry Reeves continued the musical journey with a contemporary jazz set, followed by the Emily Joseph Band, which helped build the anticipation for the evening’s headliners.
Then came Adam Hawley.
The nationally recognized guitarist and smooth jazz artist took the stage as the festival’s co-headliner, bringing a polished contemporary jazz sound to the Fourth Avenue crowd. His performance gave the festival a distinctly modern feel while remaining rooted in the smooth, soulful sound that has become a staple of the genre.
By the time Hawley took the stage, the crowd had already spent the day moving between performances, food, vendors and conversations. His set provided a fitting centerpiece to an afternoon that had steadily built toward the evening.
But Birmingham wasn’t finished.
The co-headliner to close out the festival was Birmingham native, Grammy-nominated songwriter, Alvin Garrett, bringing the celebration back home. His set, though shortened by storms rolling in, served as more than a final performance; it reminded everyone of the talent that continues to exist in Birmingham.
The Taste of 4th Avenue Jazz Festival has become more than a day of live entertainment. It is a celebration of the people, businesses, history and culture connected to one of Birmingham’s most significant historic districts. The festival remains free to the public and continues its tradition of bringing together residents and visitors from across Birmingham and beyond. By the end of the night, the music had traveled through jazz, soul, contemporary sounds and the rhythms of line dancing, but the message remained consistent: Birmingham’s music culture is alive, its history is worth celebrating, and Fourth Avenue still knows how to bring people together and that’s the real taste of 4th Avenue.
