Sonoma Jazz Plus Announces Hiatus

After seven years and a failed fund-raising campaign, Sonoma Jazz Plus announced Monday that they are calling it quits in Sonoma.

By the time the announcement came through, the festival had already pulled down their webpage. This comes on the heels of a four month long capitol campaign to raise half a million dollars to offset the festival's increasing deficits throughput the last few years.

In June, the , calling a public input meeting to ask for a $500,000 capital investment - sourced from local patrons - to make up for the increasing deficit accrued by organizers.

"We're at seven-years, so we're at the absolute tipping point where we either grow and sustain or we...don't," said Jim Horowitz, Sonoma Jazz Plus President and CEO, to business leaders back in June.

The festival responded by releasing a set of costs and figures exclusively to the Sonoma Index Tribune, which published a series of explanatory documents showing an increasing deficit.

Data showed steadily rising costs leading to a slowly increasing deficit, which in 2011 clocked in at almost $400,000.

Regardless of a lack of profits, organizers argued, Sonoma Jazz Plus generated enough tax revenue to the city through an uptick in Hotel stays and tourist spending to offset a capital infusion. But, no concrete figures were ever released by the festival.

After a failed capital campaign the chance of recreating the festival in Sonoma under a more lucrative business model is unlikely at best according to the Index-Tribune.

Horowitz told the Index-Tribune the future of another event was hazy. "Once we're forced into this postponement situation, that's another way of saying we don't know what's going to happen," he said. "From this point forward it's a blank slate."

The organization's press release stated that, "Jazz Plus would potentially consider alternate locations in Wine Country to stage a re-tooled festival. The missing piece for us remains a core group of local leaders and/or a strong local producing partner."

Horowitz insisted, however, "There's no one in the wings," adding, "We're down to fumes, and there comes a point when fumes don't cut it."

Read more about the festival's announcement here.