Boston Jazz Festival is first held.

August 21, 1959

Produced by George Wein, the three-day event is held at Fenway Park. Performers include Dave Brubeck, Ray Charles, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and Dinah Washington. Later called the Beantown Jazz Festival, it continues annually until 2018.

Sources
  • Boston Globe
  • Johnson, Richard A.