Rock Solomon Awarded $22,000 for Jazz-Age Retrospectacular
Local jazz crooner and actor Rock Solomon has turned event producer and was recently awarded $22,000 to produce the Jazz-Age Retrospectacular in Key West. It was an ambitious vision for a first time event producer, and not likely to be awarded a large sum of money, but Rock Solomon’s vision for a monthly 3-day weekend of interactive costume and cabaret events must have struck a chord with the Monroe County TDC, as the awarded amount was among the top amounts awarded for dozens of applicants.
“I was looking for more jazz gigs around town and wasn’t finding much. So I got the idea to create a jazz festival. The problem is that even thought jazz is an amazing music genre, it can also be painfully boring sometimes.” Says Solomon. “I thought that if I could make the events interactive and more theatrical, I might be able to attract a younger crowd to the music. So now we have the audience dress up in 1930’s outfits and we give them something to do (like solve a mystery at the dinner events, or learn to swing dance with a live band) all while listening to the music of the original Jazz-Age, 1920’s-1940’s pop. It was “kids music” once, and I think that if you make it fun, it can appeal to audiences of all ages.”
Rock Solomon’s interactive music series the “Jazz-Age Retrospctacular” is a three-day weekend of costume parties set on the first weekend of each month in Key West, through June 2017. More info can be found at www.Mixdeity.com or www.KeyWestTalent.com or by calling 305-290-2796.