by Ezabelle Janssen, Senior Staff Writer

PASS CHRISTIAN (GG) — Storm clouds rolled over Pass Christian before sunrise on Sunday, May 24th, threatening to wash away one of the Coast’s most beloved traditions before the first note ever hit the stage. Radar screens glowed at 3:30 a.m., organizers traded anxious phone calls, and Jazz in the Pass volunteer Susan Putnam admitted she was “freaking out” while watching the weather creep towards War Memorial Park. 

“We made the call that we’re going for it,” Putnam explained. “We are going to have this event, and everything’s going to work out. I think I felt 10 drops the entire day.” That decision paid off immensely. 

The annual festival transformed War Memorial Park into a celebration of Gulf Coast musical heritage. The gray clouds softened the usually blazing May sun, and the festival drew a crowd of over 2,000, creating yet another unforgettable Jazz in the Pass. Brass notes drifted through the air and rhythm rattled the grassy dance floor, lawn chairs unfolded beneath the oaks, children twirled barefoot through the park, and everyone found themselves dancing and “singin’ in the rain,” two-steppin’ in their rain boots. Food vendors stayed busy serving the famished crowd while visitors browsed handmade crafts between sets. 

While looking at the crowd later that evening, Putnam summed up the day with a grin: “God loves jazz.” 

Putnam credited the event’s success to both the community and the festival’s generous sponsors. “Thank goodness for such generous sponsorships because we had our tent donated, we have the fireworks tonight donated,” Putnam said. “Granny’s Alliance, big shout out, Buc-ee’s, a huge sponsor for us, and so many more. Too many to mention, but we will have them in print.” 

The sponsors showed up, and the headliners showed out. 

New Orleans-based Jelly Roll Stompers opened the festival at noon, filling the park with upbeat traditional jazz led by trumpeter Ryan Hitchin. 

The afternoon then took a more personal turn for Pass Christian as Julius Handy III and the Cresido Band took the stage. The performance carried more than just music. It carried legacy. Jazz in the Pass exists largely to honor Pass Christian native Captain John Handy, the internationally celebrated alto saxophonist whose innovative sound helped shape traditional New Orleans jazz while also influencing rhythm and blues pioneers like Louis Jordan and Earl Bostic. Born in Pass Christian in 1900, Handy became one of the Coast’s most influential musical figures, and his legacy echoes through the city to this day. 

Generations after Captain John Handy first carried the sound of the Pass beyond Mississippi’s shores, his great-nephew, Julius Handy III, now continues the family tradition. Blending saxophone, keyboards, and Gulf Coast soul, Julius Handy III and the Cresido Band delivered a set that was both reverent and upbeat, connecting the festival’s present-day celebration to the musical roots that inspired it all. 

As the end came near, the energy only increased, feeling something like Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock’s “Joy and Pain,” where sunshine and rain belonged together. Strangers danced side by

side, couples spun across the grass, and the entire park pulsed with zydeco rhythms as Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters made their grand return to the Jazz in the Pass stage. Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. even leaped from the stage, weaving through the crowd, dancing with any and every one, sparking a roar of cheers. 

The evening closed with fireworks sponsored by Buc-ee’s lighting the waterfront in flashes of red, gold, and blue while music still echoed through the park. 

For organizers, the festival represented more than a concert. It was a reflection of Pass Christian itself. “It brings everybody together,” Putnam said. “The Jazz in the Pass could not be more unified and just talented and generous with all of their time. We’re so grateful, and we’re happy to give this to the community.” 

Come rain or come shine, Jazz in the Pass returned once again, carrying the sound of the Coast, with the oaks still swaying, the brass still ringing, and Pass Christian is already waiting to do it all over again next year.

(Photos by Ezabelle Janssen/The Gazebo Gazette)