The Cincinnati Festival is referred to as ”the granddaddy of them all”. It is one of the oldest running music festivals in North America. The festival began in 1962 at Carthage Fairgrounds, with a pure jazz format. The early years of Festival was met with international acclaim. It featured such greats as master trumpeter, Miles Davis, Al Jarreau, Grover Washington, Jr., George Benson, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and The Spinners.

The festival soared in popularity, and the public demanded more. The event promoters, Dino & Joe Santangelo of Cincinnati, and their partner J. Lee Freidman of Atlanta, decided to meet the public appetite for quality live entertainment, and give them more. Along with the sponsorship and financial support of the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Co, the festival catapulted into a multi-city event.

In June 1981, The Atlanta Kool Jazz Festival was held at the former Atlanta Fulton County Stadium. The big name headliners included The Isley Brothers, The Spinners, Johnny Taylor, The Manhattans, Aretha Franklin, Peabo Bryson, Cameo, and The Jones Girls. The Kool Festival was held that same year at the Superdome in New Orleans. The festival played later that same summer at its birthplace, Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium. The Cincinnati line-up continued to maintain it's original jazz genre, by featuring such jazz greats as Jimmy Smith, Herbie Mann, Nate Adderly, Eddie"Lockjaw" Davis, and Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers. The Kool Jazz Festival played in July 1980, for a 4 year run at Milwaukee's County Stadium.

Over the years as a result of a number of factors, the event has evolved from that of a musical genre of pure jazz, to one predicated by a musical genre of rhythm & blues.

The Cincinnati Music Festival, now held at the all-new Paul Brown Stadium (home of the Cincinnati Bengal's) is a state of the art facility. Outside of the performers on stage, it is an event for those who are dedicated people watchers. It is an event to see, and to be seen. It is an event to meet and greet, mix and mingle. When in Cincinnati, be sure to take in the new Underground Railroad Freedom Museum. It is a journey through American history, for the struggle for freedom for African-Americans.