Monterey’s world-famous festival gets a new name and leader, but loses its artistic director.

Improvisation is at the heart of jazz, something the leaders of the Monterey Jazz Festival have had to practice over the past month, guiding the 67-year-old organization through major changes that bring a new managing director, a new name – Monterey Jazz – and the loss of its artistic director, Darin Atwater, who served in the position for just one festival last September.

“We wish Darin all the best and support him in his artistic career,” Monterey Jazz board president Ken Gordon says of Atwater’s departure, described as a personnel matter. What led to the split is unknown; the Weekly was unable to reach Atwater for comment. Atwater was selected in 2023 to replace artistic director Tim Jackson, who retired after 33 years in the role.

The sudden departure came a few months into booking acts for the 68th festival, scheduled for Sept. 26-28. That required quickly finding someone to take over the task in the interim. The board turned to Bruce Labadie, the festival and artistic director for San Jose Jazz, with over 40 years of experience in performing arts management and festival production. “We’re on the track for 2025 and without a doubt everything is looking good,” Gordon says.

It is unclear if and when the board will begin a search for a permanent artistic director.

“We’re taking this opportunity to explore our options and see what best positions Monterey Jazz moving forward,” Gordon says.

About two weeks before word got out about Atwater, Monterey Jazz announced that Colleen Bailey was transitioning from her role as executive director after 10 years to lead special projects. Bailey accepted a job as president and CEO of the Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce to be closer to her home in Salinas. She was replaced by Bobbie Young, formerly the director of operations for 10 years. (Young’s new title is managing director.)

Bailey says the special project she’s currently focusing on is finding a year-round location for Monterey Jazz where people can come visit to learn more about the historic festival, as well as enjoy performances. Gordon says such a center has been a goal of the organization for many years.

“When people come to Monterey they ask, ‘Where is the Monterey Jazz Festival?’” he says. A representative of Green Valley Corporation confirms they are in early negotiations for a possible lease in the former Osio Theater in Monterey, but it’s too soon to comment more specifically.

In addition to establishing a year-round center, the board is looking at other opportunities to increase the organization’s revenue streams beyond the four-day festival, Gordon says. “To do what we do on four days of revenue a year, it’s hard to run an education program,” he says. “We’ve got to find other streams.”

While the public’s focus may be on those four days – a historic legacy passed down since 1958 by co-founders Jimmy Lyons and Ralph J. Gleason, resulting in the longest continuously running jazz festival in the world – the organization has long had a focus on jazz education throughout the year. Monterey Jazz is the umbrella that encompasses the festival, education programs and other efforts, Young says.

“It does help us to determine for our community that Monterey Jazz isn’t just those four days,” she says.