Federal Focus is a non-profit organization located in Washington, DC. The initial role of Federal Focus was to promote the importance of sound science in the federal regulatory process. Three years subsequent to its establishment in 1986, Federal Focus added the promotion of traditional jazz to its curriculum.
The aforementioned action was taken as a result of the recognizable decrease by the public in traditional jazz as witnessed by Dr. Jim Tozzi a former resident of New Orleans and the founder of Federal Focus. Dr. Tozzi is a former official of the White House Office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President of the United States. He concluded that a path immediately available to him was to promote traditional jazz by working with organizations that had continued access to the Executive Office of the President.
In doing so he also made a basic decision which defined then, as it does now, the uniqueness of the Federal Focus Band, namely that membership in the Federal Focus band is limited to young musicians. Federal Focus Band Performances The establishment of the Federal Focus band opened many doors for enterprising young musicians. Each member of the band was reimbursed at the prevailing wage for a professional musician for time spent rehearsing or performing as a band.
The early performances of the band focused on performances before White House sponsored events and White House related performances. The aforementioned performances also allowed upcoming musicians to perform before audiences they could only have dreamed of entertaining.
The Federal Focus band was welcomed with opened arms and its initial performances emphasized performances before White House and governmental related organizations; see for example its first lineup of performances some thirty-seven years ago. A close reading of the aforementioned chart will demonstrate the unique experience members of the band enjoyed as a result of performing for the political leadership of the United States. In particular note a partial listing of the performances which include:
◼ White House (White House Easter Egg Roll
◼ National Events ( Cherry Blossom Festival
◼ Federal Agencies( EPA, Agriculture, Coast Guard)
◼ State Agencies ( National Governors Association)
◼ Universities ( George Washington)
Dr. Tozzi was fortunate to reside in New Orleans to witness the performances of the great traditional jazz musicians of the the 20th Century. He has published the works of many of these New Orleans greats on this page.
Federal Focus continues to place a high priority on the preservation of traditional jazz. The preservation of this iconic work of art and one unique to the United States is most definitely a challenge for a variety of reasons.
Preservation Plan
In order to save this invaluable musical product of the past, Federal Focus continues to promote musical education programs for promising musicians.
To this end, Federal Focus places considerable emphasis on supporting the musical activities of young promising musicians. Obviously, there is a limited amount of resources available necessitating that they be used in the most effective manner. Federal Focus meets this objective by continuously studying promising musicians and their related organizations. In that our resources are limited it is essential that we study in detail the merits of potential recipients of Federal Focus funding.
