From the creation of Jass to it's current format...

The Jass concept was born back in August of 1995 when a young Christopher Hanson decided to take it upon himself to assemble a big band made up of his many musical friends he had made at various music camps, honor bands, jazz festivals, and music contests. The reason- because he wanted to have a going-away party and event before he left for Basic Training as he had just enlisted into the United States Army. Hanson took a look at his address book and began contacting friends from North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Manitoba, and eventually, he had put together a complete big band. Relying on small contributions from a few businesses and his high school graduation money, the first Jass presentation was born. In September of 1995, the Jass All Star Big Band came together rehearsing at Minot Magic City Campus High School and performing an evening show at the Embassy Food and Drink banquet center. The concert was a success, bringing in a large crowd of over 150. Shortly after it was all done, Hanson packed up his belongings and left Minot for his enlistment in the military.

Hanson completed his Basic Training in February on 1996 and began his musical training at the Armed Forces School of Music in Norfolk, Virginia. During that time, several of his Jass musicians contacted him and asked about the idea of doing another Jass performance back in Minot. Hanson unsuccessfully attempted to put together a performance in May of 1996. However, once Hanson graduated the School of Music and moved on to his band at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, he felt that with a little more effort, he could indeed put another performance together. With the help of several friends in Minot, Hanson was able to string together the logistical and financial support to attract his friends to perform once again. In August of 1996, Hanson returned home on leave and the second Jass was in the books. He placed a mission statement on the festival- to promote music education, young musicianship, and the style of jazz music in general to the Minot area.

Hanson continued to organize and execute the Jass All Star Big Band during the remainder of his enlistment. He continued to do so with the help of many of his local friends in Minot, who served as the eyes and ears to attract new talent into the organization. In 1999, Hanson expanded the project, bringing together enough personnel to present two big bands. The name changed from the Jass All Star Big Band to the Jass Festival that year.

Hanson returned to North Dakota in 2000 and continued to put together the festival. In 2001, a vocal jazz group was added to the lineup, and in 2002, a separate jazz combo was also added. The festival continued in Minot until 2005, when Hanson made the choice to move the festival to Fargo in search of better publicity and opportunities for the musicians. The mission statement was changed with the move to Fargo- to provide young musicians a stage and a show to showcase their talent, showing the community that these musicians were the future of the music scene in the Fargo-Moorhead area. The educational value was sustained through a strong emphasis on performance and the ability to utilize musical knowledge in a professional situation.

In 2007, Hanson's father Peter passed away suddenly in their family home in Minot. Shortly after his funeral, Hanson made the decision to completely fund the Jass Festival through his own means. While Hanson had provided over half of the funds throughout the past thirteen years to run the festival, he decided to make the commitment to support his own festival in full. He donated all of the funds for the 2007 Jass Festival in memory of his father, who had supported him as a musician, a soldier, and a son throughout the years. Hanson has made the choice to continue to rely mainly on his own funds, and has promised to never charge a Jass Festival member a registration fee ever again.

Christopher looks forward to the 2011 Jass Festival, his seventeenth presentation of jazz in the summer.