MIT FESTIVAL JAZZ ENSEMBLE

In the early 1950s, the MIT Jazz Society was founded by a small group of enthusiastic students. The construction of Kresge Auditorium in 1955 provided a space for students and local musicians to jam and eventually present concerts. When professional musicians passed through Boston, the MIT Jazz Society would try to engage them for a concert. Paul Padget, a student at MIT from 1955-57, in a letter to The Technology Review, recalled a most memorable event from that era: "The MIT Jazz Society's biggest break came when Stan Getz brought his quintet to Storyville...we of course, asked for Getz and were quickly turned down. However, Stan was riding up Mass. Ave. and asked Charlie Bourgeois, who worked for George Wein, about the "acoustically perfect" Kresge Auditorium and mentioned that he would like to play there sometime. Well, one phone call from Charlie to me and we're off and running. We had read more...