For Jerry Jasmin, jazz is the soundtrack of childhood memories on the beach, a source of escape, a balm for his soul and the platform on which he hopes to establish his community legacy.
In 2023, the lifelong jazz aficionado founded Orlando Jazz Collective (OJC) with friends Jerry and Ricky Rene. The organization has put on six events so far, with early planning under way for a 2026 Spring Jazz Festival.
“I would like to be remembered as a pioneer of contemporary jazz here in Orlando,” he says. “Before we started, there weren’t many jazz events and there weren’t many jazz venues. We set forth on a mission to bring in talent who would otherwise skip this town.”
OJC has done just that. Events have featured such artists as saxophonist and singer Braxton Cook, Grammy-winning jazz trumpeter and vocalist Keyon Harrold, singer and American Idol finalist Malaya Watson, trumpeter Maurice “Mobetta” Brown and jazz quintet Butcher Brown.
“Even [Grammy-nominated jazz trumpeter] Theo Croker, who’s from Leesburg, hadn’t performed in Orlando, and he’s performed all over the world—Morocco, France, Poland,” says Jasmin, the son of Haitian immigrants. “The first time he performed in Central Florida was with us. That’s a testament to our mission of wanting to cultivate a thriving jazz scene here.”
Jasmin’s role with OJC draws upon his broad spectrum of experience—producing music in Miami and Los Angeles, working in the hospitality industry at the Ritz-Carlton and being an all-around entrepreneur.
In 2017, Jasmin founded Treedrop—a Christmas tree delivery service that has expanded into holiday lighting, commercial holiday decor and interiorscaping. Jasmin’s wife, Courtney, formerly of WESH-TV, now helps run the business. Meanwhile, Jasmin is recruiting artists and seeking a venue for OJC’s inaugural spring festival—which he hopes to make a two-day event.
His vision: “We really want to focus on having jazz artists and jazz-adjacent artists. When I say ‘jazz-adjacent,’ there are some R&B artists who cross over into jazz or who have jazz backgrounds. It would help bridge the gap between non-jazz and jazz enthusiasts.”
For more information about the Spring 2026 Orlando Jazz Collective Festival, as well as other events, visit orlandojazzcollective.com or facebook.com/theorlandojazzcollective.
