Spearheaded by Ajay Heble, the Guelph Jazz Festival was founded in 1994 by a group of friends who shared a love of creative improvised music and a commitment to Guelph. The Festival has consistently garnered praise from local, national, and international critics for its great programming. Ajay Heble retired as Artistic Director in 2016; Scott Thomson was hired to replace him in early 2017.