Art of Cool Festival

It was definitely a great experience just being exposed to new artists for the first time live while also enjoying the well known artists too. I would definitely go again. My boyfriend and I drove to NC from MD. Our trip was almost ruined because we almost didn't see We Are King. The venue where they were performing was not large enough to accommodate all of their fans so we had to wait outside. By some miracle we were able to get in at the last minute or catch a few of their songs. I definitely recommend getting to the venues at least 30 minutes before they start to ensure u get to see the artists you want.

I enjoy listening to live music, so it was important to me that the acoustics at the venues was good. I loved how intimate all the venues were, everyone I encountered was fantastic!!! I'm looking forward to the next one.

The Carolina Soul Tribute was unforgettable. My highlight of the evening was enjoying the Clayton Brothers. Whew.....that was awesome!!!

The Art of Cool Festival nailed it with an amazing array of talent ranging from the iconic funk of Maceo Parker to the cerebral and sublime Clayton Brothers. The festival featured something for every music lover from hip hop to choral jazz and everything in between in a variety of venues from 3 free outdoor stages to the Carolina Theater and an array of great indoor settings.

This festival had some of the greatest musicians alive! The line ups were phenomenal- Alice Smith, Bilal, Maceo Parker +FE, Cody Chestnut... and this is why I traveled from Philadelphia to attend. I was disappointed when the venue for +FE was full to capacity and I was told that I couldn't get in (considering I made the trip especially to see them). I would have liked to see the festival go into the evening hours at Diamond park to give a real "festival" feel to it. I also looked forward to vendors and food trucks and was disappointed to see only a few few trucks and few vendors (was expecting clothes, jewelry, etc.) to spend my money:)

The first annual event was absolutely outstanding. From the artists, organization, volunteers and vendors. I am so pleased to have such an event to look forward to the coming years!

This was an excellent excellent event well worth the price of entry. So many great artists to enjoy, in a very relaxed and comfortable setting in the heart of historic downtown Durham. I was mellifluously introduced to several new artists and received confirmation of a favorite with his live set. At the end of Friday night it became very tempting to follow up with Saturdays sessions, which seemed as promising if not better

This was the best music festival I've ever been to. Amazing artists beautiful venues, helpful staff...all around awesome.

AMAZING experience!! Well done AOC--can't wait until 2015!!!

Managed to take in 5 shows and were very pleased with the 3 venues we visited--Beyu Cafe, Durham Arts Council and Carolina Theatre. Nice mixture of familiar and unfamiliar music for non-jazz buffs.

I really enjoyed the Art of Cool Fest. I only wished I could of attended more venues (schedule conflicts with other artists performing). I wish the event was 3-day Event (vs. 2-day)

This event shows the positive side of Durham that is overshadowed by the poverty and violence in the area. The cultural density that was show over the weekend and the eclectic mixture of people was very refreshing. And in too of all that, the music was out of this world.

I believe this was the first time that this festival was held and they did a great job putting it together. A few artists that I had heard of and many more that I hadn't made this a wonderful music event. I liked going to the different venues and exploring Durham. It was my first time to this city also so I had a great time. My one complaint is that the artist I most wanted to see was in a venue that didn't hold the capacity that wanted to see her. So if they bring Amel Larrieux she must be in a big venue. Alica Smith rocked out and Bilal was just alright.

As I was relaxing listening to a home jazz mix I said to my husband that I truly have a different appreciation of all of the instruments used in creating jazz music. I was able to recognize the instruments since I had the opportunity to be so up close to these amazing performers!!!! Great weekend!!! Thank you for sharing all of this talent!!!!!

This was a very well planned and implemented event. There were many venues and the performance start promptly. I did not see as many performances as I have planned, but I will plan better next year.

Well organized and awesome...hope it happens every year!!!

Not only lovely but amazing voice!! Also Marcus Anderson and Liv were fabulous!!9

This was a very well organized and well planned festival. I cant wait to see the line up for next year. I'm sure it will be even more amazing.

I really enjoyed the Art of Cool Festival. All of the artists were personable and just amazing, raw talent! Marcus Anderson, the total package entertainer , was on his A game. Mavis Swan Poole, is just beautiful inside out and her vocal talent is something to hear. I enjoyed the Apple Juice Kid's performance with Jocelyn Ellis was hot! I also really enjoyed all the performances at the Stack. I can't wait for the next Art of Cool Project......it was so COOL!

The Foreign Exchange took us to church. Alice Smith sang her butt off. Amel Larrieux was amazing. I am officially a new fan of the Foreign Exchange and Butcher Brown. I was happy with the lineup because it featured acts I would not normally get a chance to see being that Iive in the South and a lot of these acts tour more frequently up north. The music was live, raw, and organic and it felt like a house party.

My friends and I had a ball! Alice Smith kicked ass and Thundercat and that bass guitar made my knees weak! The VIP experience was a bit pricey but I enjoyed the perks that came along with it. I especially enjoyed the opening event at Nasher. The food was great and the art was amazing!

What a broad range of talented artists over the 2 days. I only wish I got to see more of them, but I had to choose between competing shows which was hard. How lucky are we that we have this cultural resource right here in our back yard! Thanks AOC staff for making this happen!

I paid $155.80 for two tickets and we saw NONE of the artist we paid for. All the event venues on Saturday night were at full capacity and we could not get in anywhere. After looking forward to this for weeks it was a major disappointment. Spent travel time, gas, and money and all we got were two wristbands that granted us access into nowhere.

All the performances were tremendous. Although there were multiple venues, it was easy to get from one to another. The volunteers were friendly and helpful. Due to the performances timing I could not attend all that I would have liked.