LA Jazz Festival's last-second cancelation leaves musicians, vendors devastated

Jazz musician Isiah Collier landed in Los Angeles on Friday after a long tour in Europe. He was scheduled to perform this weekend at the inaugural LA Jazz Festival, but at the last minute, he found out his and dozens of other performers' gigs were canceled.

On Thursday night, the planned citywide, two-week event was suddenly postponed by organizers. Now, the event's website simply reads, "August 22-23. Updated event info coming soon." Collier says he's lost trust in the organizers after the last-minute rug pull.

"We lose trust [after situations like this]," Collier said. "Without trust, it's hard to find community."

Other high-profile performers scheduled for the festival included John Legend and Janelle Monáe. Anticipating a large boom in LA's Leimert Park this weekend, where the festival was supposed to kick off, local vendors stocked up in hopes of raking in cash during the summer heat.

"Look at all these damn watermelons," Lisa "Unique" Spearman, a watermelon vendor, told CBS LA. "Everybody has been looking forward to this, so it's devastating."

Cheryl Williams of Auntie C's Catering said she was hoping to show off Leimert Park's hospitality with an increased presence this weekend.

"Leimert Park is the Mecca of Black Los Angeles," she said. "Anything I sell today and the weekend is not going to cover the cost that I had to spend."

Spearman said she planned to give away free watermelon on Friday because she simply had too many to sell before they rotted.

Martin Ludlow, the festival's founder and former LA city councilmember, said in a statement that the cancellation was due to "unanticipated last-minute public safety and municipal costs associated with the final permitting of the On The Beach Festival."

"Although this decision was an extremely difficult one to reach, our commitment to the audiences and artists participating in the festival is to have a first-class experience worthy of the great legacy of Jazz and our great city," Ludlow said.

All ticket-holders will be refunded within 30 days, Ludlow announced, although it's unclear whether scheduled performers will receive their pay.