Today marks the start of the 2010 D.C. Jazz Festival, hands down the biggest annual jazz event in our nation’s capital. For five years, it was called the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival, in celebration of the jazz icon who was born here in the District. The name was changed for this sixth iteration for multiple reasons.

“When I first came up with the Idea, Duke Ellington made so much sense,” said Charlie Fishman, the festival’s founder and Executive producer. “It was very important to identify where it is, number one. But number two, to brand the city.”

While organizers, sponsors, and city officials all welcomed this change, the festival, like last year’s, has felt the effects of the economic downturn. To compensate, DCJF has expanded its partnerships with venues and private sector partners such as ABC, The Washington Post, and The City Paper.

“A lot of [the help] is in kind, but it makes a big difference,” said Fishman.

While this increase in support has helped, there have been some programming cuts. Duke Fest’s most well-attended concert was its free show on the Mall, and one of it’s most popular was the annual closing concert held at the Voice of America. Due to budgetary constraints and scheduling conflicts, neither show will take place this year, but the organizers are confident of their return next year, and are already planning the lineups. Additionally, this year’s program, which runs through June 13, has added more ticketed events, and retains favorites like the Jazz N’ Families Fun Day and Jazz in the Hoods. Both are unusual to jazz events of this scale, in that they reflect the organizers’ commitment to jazz education, and to integrating the festival into every part of the city, as opposed to just one central arts district.