On Saturday, August 12, the Beech Companies will hold its 11th Annual Jazz on the Ave Music Fest in the Cecil B. Moore community in North Philadelphia.

The festival will be held along Cecil B. Moore Avenue between Broad and 17th Street. During Philadelphia’s jazz heyday, this stretch of Cecil B. Moore Avenue (then named Columbia Avenue) was part of the storied “Golden Strip.” From 13th Street to 23rd Street, Columbia Avenue was lined with jazz clubs.

Ken Scott, president and CEO of the Beech Companies, said:

Thousands attend the festival each year. It’s a great community event and an opportunity to celebrate the great musical history of Cecil B. Moore Avenue. Formerly named Columbia Avenue and affectionately called the Golden Strip, the avenue was a famed destination for jazz entertainment during Philadelphia’s golden era of jazz from the 1940s through the early 1960s. We are continuing that tradition with our annual festival. Jazz on the Ave is one of our ways of giving back to the community. We have a powerful line-up.

This year’s lineup includes:

•  Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Tony Rich
• Grammy nominee, singer/songwriter/producer Eric Roberson
• Jazz/soul singer Frank McComb
• Grammy-nominated neo-soul singer/songwriter Glenn Lewis
• Jeff Bradshaw & Friends

The free jazz festival will be held from noon to 8:30pm. For more info, visit Jazz on the Ave.