ALTON - Community members are invited to the 20th annual Miles Davis Jazz Festival this weekend.
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From 6–8 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, 2025, at Post Commons in Alton, attendees can enjoy music by the Alton High School Jazz Combo and Saman Swanson. The event will raise money for scholarships while also honoring Alton’s history and Jesse “The Maestro” Prather, a renowned Alton musician who passed away last month.
“Alton is full of rich history,” said Lee Barham, chairman of the festival’s board. “Twenty years ago, a group of people got together and they said, ‘Let’s honor one of Alton’s own.’”
The Miles Davis Jazz Festival pays tribute to Davis, whose family home still stands on Maupin Street in Alton. Barham said it’s a fun night for people to come out and enjoy the evening while honoring Davis’s legacy.
Tickets cost $40, and this includes a meal and live music. The money goes toward four scholarships that will be awarded that night.
Barham explained that the committee sends scholarship applications to Alton High School, Marquette Catholic High School, and homeschooled students in the city. They then select four students to receive $500.
Over the past decade, the committee has awarded over 40 scholarships to local students. Barham emphasized the importance of boosting these young people and giving back to the community.
“We feel fortunate enough to be able to do it,” he said. “It’s about giving back to our kids. It’s about nurturing our own, because whatever life they have, wherever they go, we hope for them to remember to come back home.”
This year’s event will also honor Jesse Prather, a musician who performed in Alton, St. Louis and around the world. Prather was inducted into the St. Louis Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2024 and received the St. Louis Musicians Award earlier this year. He passed away last month.
“He was a renowned musician here in Alton,” Barham explained. “We are honoring him with a plaque in his honor to give him a tribute.”
Barham hopes many people attend the festival this weekend to celebrate the legacies of Prather, Davis and Alton’s musical history. He reiterated that the cost of a ticket will support Alton’s young people, and he encourages people to come out, have fun and do some good for the community.
“We are a town that’s got so much to offer people,” he added. “That’s why I’m encouraging everyone to come out this year. You are investing. Look at it this way. You are investing in your future. These children are our future. These children belong to us, so let’s invest in them.”
For more information about the Miles Davis Jazz Festival or to purchase tickets, visit the official Facebook page and contact Lee Barham at 618-799-9157.
