The Betsy’s Annual ‘Overture to Overtown’ (OTO) Jazz Festival celebrates the historic connections between South Florida jazz and the National historic jazz circuit which brought musicians who played in NYC’s Harlem to The Harlem of the South (AKA Overtown) as they made their way from club to club – across the USA. In Overtown’s heyday — and on Miami Beach — stars like Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Josephine Baker performed the same jazz standards that are performed nightly at The Betsy and will be performed live at this year’s Overture to Overtown (OTO) Festival. Historic figures like Martin Luther King, Langston Hughes, and Muhammed Ali also frequented Overtown, and were champions of its cultural legacy.
The Betsy’s Overture to Overtown Jazz Series takes place in tandem with Jazz Appreciation Month, created by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History to recognize and celebrate the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz, which also includes a special celebration of UNESCO’s International Jazz Day.
The series features monthly performances of live jazz from the best and brightest players in Miami – as well as two NY-based artists, one emerging and one legacy.
Performances will be presented in The Betsy’s Lobby Salon, with additional Sunday evening concerts, presented on the Ocean Drive Promenade in partnership with the Ocean Drive Association and the City of Miami Beach. The 2024 Series also includes community events hosted at partner locations across Miami-Dade County.
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