Published: January 25, 2008 09:24 pm      

Jazz festival to honor musician Med Flory

April event will feature Flory and local musicians.

Logansport is home to many well-known events such as the Family Arts Festival and Light Up Logansport parade, and one more is being added to the growing list.

Funded by grants totaling $30,800 from the Cass County Community Foundation and Cass County Visitors Bureau, the Med Flory Jazz and Blues festival will take place in April.

“Our intention is for this to become an annual event,” said Lita Rouser, president of the Cass County Arts Council.

The festival will take place rain or shine under a tent on Fourth Street between Market and Melbourne, Rouser said.

There will be a charge of $6 a session or $15 for all three sessions, and the proceeds will fund next year’s event, Rouser said. Children under 12 are free. Employers will be able to buy groups of 10 tickets for $5 each. Food and beverages will be available, and there will also be art to view.

The event will feature several local jazz musicians and bands, such as the Tim Miller Band and the Pioneer High School Jazz Band.

It will also celebrate the legacy of 81-year-old Med Flory, a Logansport native who has been acclaimed for his creativity and talent.

Flory is a Grammy award-winning entertainer who has had much success with his saxophone and clarinet. He has played with many famous jazz musicians such as Woody Herman, Claude Thornhill and Buddy Clark.

Flory said his mother inspired him to become a musician.

“My mom was the best musician in town,” he said in a telephone interview from Los Angeles.

Flory’s mother, Florence, was a pianist, and she played the organ at church.

Flory started playing the piano in fifth grade, and in ninth grade, he began playing the saxophone.

Soon afterward, he was performing in a local band in Logansport, playing two nights a week, getting paid $3 a night.

Flory went on the road when he was in his early teens, performing in cities such as Lexington, Ky., and Bloomington.

In 1951, he moved to New York City, and five years later, he moved to Los Angeles.

Flory has not only enjoyed success as a jazz musician and composer, but as a screenwriter and actor.

He played Clint Rush on the television western “Bonanza” and played numerous roles in “Lassie,” “Daniel Boone,” “Dallas” and “Maverick.”

He has been nominated several times for Grammy awards, and he won in 1973 with his group Supersax.

Flory said he had last visited Logansport three years ago. He still has family living in the area, including his sister, Eleanor Rohweder.

Rouser said the Med Flory Jazz and Blues Festival would benefit the community.

“It will promote tourism in Cass County,” she said.

It’s important for Logansport to honor Flory’s legacy, she said.

“Jazz is such an important part of our heritage,” she said. “It’s important to celebrate this heritage and pass it on to our children.”

Melissa Soria may be reached at (574) 732-5143 or melissa.soria@pharostribune.com



List of performers

Friday, April 25

6 p.m.: Dave Lowe, Pioneer High School Jazz Band with Dave Lowe, Med Flory with the Tim Miller Band, Ned Boyd and friends, and Gov. Davis and the Blues Ambassadors

Saturday, April 26

11 a.m.: Tuxedo Junction, After 8, Wishbone Blues Band, Juggernaut Jug Band

6 p.m.: Los Blancos, Med Flory with Steve Allee, Stan Hillis and friends, Gene Deer Band



Want to go?

Tickets will go on sale March 1 by phone at (574) 735-ARTS or on the Web at www.floryfest.org