October 1993 Co-Founders Carol Stone and Woody Woodland conceived the idea of a jazz festival in Cape May while returning from the Rehoboth Jazz Festival on the Cape May Lewes Ferry.

April 8, 1994, Douglas Jewel of the Atlantic City Press wrote "Move over Newport and Montreaux the Cape May Jazz Festival premiers this weekend at the Marquis deLafayette Hotel." The weekend of April 8-10 featured Tim Eyermann and East Coast Offering, The Kenny Blake Quartet, a Saturday Jam and Sunday 9-year-old Jamie Knight sang with the Eric Lewis Quartet in the Top of the Marq, hosted by owner Bob Menz. Local musicians Nic Gaetano and Jimmy Love provided the sound with 1100 people attending the 3-day event. The Newark Star Ledger's jazz critic George Kanzler stated
" the end depends upon the beginning and if you judge the progress of this festival from the first one, man, it's happening". The festivals have grown from 2 venues at the Marquis in April 94 to 9 venues and hosting an audience over 8,000 twice a year.

The Friends of Cape May Jazz, Inc. had its first Executive Board Meeting February 2, 1994, became incorporated that same month and became a nonprofit corporation in September 1994. The first Executive Board of Directors consisted of the following members:
Carol Stone, President; Chris Igoe, Vice President; Marian Taylor, Secretary; Irene Gangloff, Treasurer; Curis Bashaw, 1st co-Vice President and Chairman of Fundraising; Starr Taylor, 2nd Co-Vice President, Membership Chair; T. J. McCarthy, 3rd Co-Vice President, Public Relations Chair; Woody Woodland, 4th Co-Vice President, Program Chair. Additional members of the Board were John Bailey, Michael Craig, Heidi Cummings, Bill Cottman, George Loper with Bill Rowling, Consultant.

Stone, Woodland and Bashaw remain on the current Executive Board with Woodland assuming the Presidency at the 2003 September Board Meeting and Stone becoming 1st Vice President, Program Chair, and continuing as Artistic Director. An Executive Board of Directors consisting of 12 members meets monthly and acts as administrative oversight. A 6-member Program Committee also meets monthly to plan all events involving all details for each festival, 4 of the members are members of the Executive Board.