Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival Vintage Concert Poster (1994) - Original

Description

This poster was created by Chris Roberts-Antieau, the acclaimed artist whose work is admired by the likes of
Oprah Winfrey, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, Katy Perry, Ben Folds and most recently, Mindy Kailing.  One of the most whimsical in the collection, it depicts a saxophone-playing cow, enjoying her time in front of the footlights.
The poster also features the festival's sponsors in addition to the lineup, the performance dates and, of course, the venues.
This sale is for an unframed poster only
; Photos of the framed poster are for illustrative purposes only.
Mr. Peter Andrews, the Executive Director and President of the Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival from 1972 - 1994 (and author of the e-Book "the Joint was Jumpin': A Promoter's Story"), has authorized me to liquidate a portion of his collection of original posters from the AABJF.  Among the posters that will be on the block are:
1992
- 20th Anniversary Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival Poster, designed by noted poster artist Gary Grimshaw.
1994
- This whimsical poster, designed by Chris Roberts-Antieau, the well-known artist with galleries in New Orleans and Santa Fe, features a saxophone playing cow!
1995
-  Created by Kristin Blumreich, this cheerful poster depicts a jazz quartet performing in Gallup Park along the banks of the Huron River.
1998
- One of the more unusual posters in the series, the 1998 edition is noteworthy for its minimalist design and Miss Saigon-like colors and imagery.
2002
- 30th Anniversary
Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival Poster,
illustrated by Chris Roberts-Antieau, the well-known artist with galleries in New Orleans and Santa Fe, features a purple-clad quintet.
Additionally, I am the only official eBay seller for posters and memorabilia from the successor to the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival, the Ann Arbor Blues Festival. Look for our items online and on eBay, including:
2017
- Poster for the first year of the newly-revived Ann Arbor Blues Festival (note the deletion of "& Jazz) after an 11-year absence.  Boldly displaying the updated Blues Festival logo, this simple two-color poster is sure to become a collectors' item.  It measures 12" x 18".
2018
- Brilliant full-color poster of the 2018 Ann Arbor Blues Festival, illustrated by contemporary artist and illustrator Dennis Preston.  These colorful works of art are available in two sizes, 12" x 18", and 24" x 36"
What is the Ann Arbor Blues (and Jazz) Festival?
In August 1969,
Ann Arbor, Michigan hosted
North America’s first electric blues festival.  Two weeks before that other festival on Max Yasgur's farm in upstate New York,
a small group of University of Michigan students gathered what may have been the greatest lineup of blues musicians who ever lived for a 3-day celebration of Chicago-style blues. B.B. King. Muddy Waters. Howlin' Wolf. Freddie King. Luther Allison. Big Mama Thornton. Charlie Musselwhite. Son House. T-Bone Walker. The list goes on and on.
The lineup in 1970 was equally star-studded, cementing Ann Arbor's reputation as the premier blues festival in the country. By 1972, the festival had been rechristened as the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival, adding Count Basie and Miles Davis to its growing roster of music industry legends attracted to this midwestern mecca of jazz and blues. Atlantic Records released a 2-record live album of the 1972 Blues and Jazz Festival, featuring performances by Koko Taylor, Freddie King, Sun Ra, Dr. John, Bonnie Raitt, and Otis Rush, among others.
Following 1974's ill-fated "Concert in Exile," the Festival was interrupted for nearly 18 years, despite repeated attempts to obtain the necessary permits from Ann Arbor officials.  In 1992, however, the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival began what was to become a continuous 14-year run until, in 2006 it went on what many believed to be a permanent hiatus.
The Festival was
resuscitated in 2017, returning to its original name as the Ann Arbor Blues Festival and, in 2019, will mark the 50th Anniversary of its founding, making it the oldest electric blues festival in North America.