Northampton Jazz Festival Board President Ruth Griggs Named Jazz Hero

NORTHAMPTON — Ruth Griggs, Northampton Jazz Festival board president, has been named a Jazz Hero by the Jazz Journalists Assoc. in its 25th annual recognition of “activists, advocates, altruists, aiders, and abettors of jazz” across the U.S.

Griggs has led the Northampton Jazz Festival since 2017, when she reformed the festival board, reinstated its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, and planned the first festival since 2015, which took place in 2018 at various venues throughout downtown Northampton.

The Jazz Journalists Assoc., convened in 1987, is a nonprofit organization with 250 international members that provides creative and educational resources to individuals that forward the American art form known as jazz. The association offers events, podcasts, webinars, promotional and educational resources, and master classes to musicians, promoters, educators, broadcasters, journalists, photographers, and writers in the genre of jazz.

Since 2001, the Jazz Journalists Assoc. has identified and hailed individuals from local jazz communities across America who go beyond their basic responsibilities to sustain and expand on musical activities. The association believes Jazz Heroes are essential to the health of the overall jazz ecosystem and supports local efforts to celebrate them. The 2025 Jazz Heroes campaign is concurrent with the 30th annual Jazz Journalists Assoc. Jazz Awards for jazz musicians.

Griggs was also named a Difference Maker by BusinessWest in 2022 for her decades-long career as a marketing strategist and her leadership of the Northampton Jazz Festival, which has become a respected organization, attracting thousands to downtown Northampton each September.

A virtual gala celebrating the 29 Jazz Heroes of 2025 will be held on Thursday, April 17, and an in-person presentation of Griggs’ Jazz Hero certificate will be held locally at a later date.