Jazz Appreciation Month

A Report on the Tenth Annual Jazz Appreciation Month April 2011 Jazz Appreciation Month Mission and Vision Jazz Appreciation Month provides leadership to advance the field of jazz and promote it as a cultural treasure born in America and celebrated worldwide. Vision Statement The Smithsonian‘s National Museum of American History will work collaboratively with JAM Partners and Supporters worldwide to fulfill JAM‘s mission by: -Making jazz fun and accessible for all. -Highlighting the music‘s rich legacy and vibrant place in contemporary life and cultural diplomacy. -Making jazz relevant and cool for today‘s youth. -Using the Smithsonian‘s vast jazz collections, exhibits and research resources to develop education/ performance events that teach the public about the roots of jazz, its masters and the music. -Preserving the heritage of jazz and entertaining the public with classical and rarely heard jazz music performed by the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and others. -Building the music‘s future by inspiring, training and highlighting the next generation of jazz performers, educators, and appreciators. -Making jazz synonymous with ideals of freedom, creativity, innovation, democracy, cultural diversity, and au- thenticity. Table of Contents Notes from the American Music Curator……………………………………………………………….. 1 Notes from the JAM Program Director………………………………………………………………… 2 Notes from the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra Executive Producer………………...……… 3 JAM Task Force and Committees………………………………………………………………….….... 4 Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………………….……. 5 JAM Social Media…………………………………………………………………………………....… 6 Jazz Interns Forum………………………………………………………………..…………………….. 7 Why Celebrate JAM? Why April?............................................................................................................ 8 JAM Partners...…………………………………………………………………………………..……... 10 Partner Support……………………………………………………………………………………......... 11 2011 JAM Collage...……………………………………………………………………………..……... 15 Media Coverage of JAM…………………………………………………………………………..……. 16 Smithsonian Jazz……..……………………………………………………………………………......... 18 2011 JAM Launch Photo Essay………………………………………………………………..……….. 21 JAM in the United States…………………………...……………………………………………..……. 23 JAM Abroad………...…………………………...…………………………………...……....…...…….. 28 Notes from the American Music Curator Here are some 2010–2011 highlights from the National Museum of American His- tory‘s curatorial realm: Collections After her April 22 concert at the Music Center at Strathmore, singer Nancy Wilson donated two signature gowns to the Museum‘s permanent collections, a gift that was covered by The Washington Post. Colleague Ken Kimery, Executive Director of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, and I went to suburban Bal- John Edward Hasse timore to pick up a singular donation, Gene Krupa‘s vintage drum set from the late 1930s. See: http:// www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Gene-Krupa-a-Drummer-with-Star-Power.html. Smithsonian Jazz Anthology As a coproducer of the much anticipated Jazz: The Smithsonian Anthology, and co -author of the companion book, I helped Smithsonian Folkways Recordings complete the 111-track compilation for release at the JAM Launch. Published in March 2011, the six-disc anthology and accompanying 200-page book cover the history of jazz from its birth to its current place in global music. The response has been very gratifying. Time magazine called it ―the best single introduction to America‘s first great musical form.‖ The Washington Post wrote ―the Smithsonian anthology is a landmark achievement. It is the most important and most comprehensive collection of historical jazz recordings and will be a valuable educational tool for years to come.‖ More information is at www.folkways.si.edu/jazz. In support of the Anthology, my colleagues and I participated in interviews on WNEW (New York), WBGO (Newark/New York), and WPFW (Washington, D.C.) and in several panel discussions in Washington, D.C., and in New Orleans at the Jazz Educators Network conference. Cultural Diplomacy It was my honor to assist in a very small way with our nation‘s cultural diplomacy efforts. For the Voice of America, the worldwide shortwave radio service of the U.S. government, I was invited to be the guest for ten hour-long Jazz America programs, each covering a different era. The series was hosted by Russ Davis and broadcast throughout April. At the invitation of the U.S. Consulate in St. Petersburg, Russia, in May I presented four lectures there and in Moscow. I also was spotlighted in a two-hour interview on Radio Russia about Jazz: The Smithsonian Anthol- ogy. It was wonderful to witness in Moscow the terrific response and standing ovation given to the Smith- sonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, on tour with jazz dancers and a vocalist. I delivered several lectures in Ha- vana, Cuba, and made a presentation of jazz scores from the National Museum of American History to Cuba‘s leading jazz big band. And in March, I joined Kenny Burrell and Quincy Jones for a panel discussion at UCLA‘s Fowler Museum on ―Jazz and Cultural Diplomacy.‖ Jazz Appreciation Month In support of the 10th Jazz Appreciation Month, it was my pleasure to participate in seven public programs in the Washington, D.C., area, and to deliver a talk at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, ―Leadership Lessons from the Jazz Masters.‖ Latin Music Finally, our division spearheaded the development of a 20-page illustrated color booklet, Latin Music at the National Museum of American History, with photos and information on a number of Latin jazz artifacts and programs. It was eagerly received in Cuba and elsewhere. 1 Notes from the JAM Program Director: Jazz Building Bridges Sometimes looking back you better understand the present and catch a glimpse of the future. Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM) had such a moment this year. The JAM theme ―Women and Jazz: Transforming a Nation‖ paid tribute to jazz women and their role as cultural change agents, bridging communities and lifelong friendships through music. Jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams graced the JAM 10th Anniversary poster with beauti- ful art from Keith Henry Brown. More than 175,000 posters were distributed with sup- Joann Stevens port from public and private agencies representing education, cultural diplomacy, libraries, music, and the hu- manities. A niece of Mary Lou Williams helped get posters to public school music teachers in Pittsburgh, the artist‘s hometown. The Kennedy Center distributed 10,000 posters at the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival. Surviving members of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, the nation‘s first integrated female, jazz big band, were presented at the JAM Launch and in onstage programs at the Museum and in the community. The launch, webcasts, and an Archives Center exhibition on the Sweethearts were developed by a team that included myself, Deborra Richardson, and Craig Orr of the Archives Center, and James Zimmerman of Public Programs. Events were promoted nationally with help from Radio One, the nation‘s largest black-owned and operated broadcast network. (See webcasts at www.smithsonianjazz.org.) Blogs, webcasts, musical performances, and film presentations featured the Sweethearts, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Mary Lou Williams, the Jen Krupa-Leigh Pilzer Quintet (musicians from the Smithsonian Jazz Master- works Orchestra), and other jazz women, with support from PBS and the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, among others. And DownBeat magazine and National Public Radio‘s All Things Considered ran stories highlighting the Sweethearts and jazz women. None of these JAM programs and outreach could have occurred without financial support from JAM Lead Spon- sor the Argus Fund, directed by Mark Dibner, and continuing supporters BMI, the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, the Herb Alpert Foundation, NAMM, and the National Park Service. Thank you! JAM also worked with Smithsonian and community collaborators to make sure that jazz education and live music reached the public, especially youth. Some highlights. American Jazz The George Washington University Global Media Institute program produced on Sirius XM Ra- dio, paid tribute to JAM‘s 10th Anniversary in a two–part program produced by Dick Golden. Archbishop Carroll High School presented a school tribute to the Sweethearts, and their Music Chorale performed a funky version of the Sweethearts‘ tune ―Jump‖ at the JAM Launch and at the Library of Congress. Brubeck Jazz Institute Quintet Students from the University of the Pacific performed their own and Brubeck compositions for more than 800 elementary school students, educators, and parents at a Title 1 school in Mary- land, and held a ―jazz family workshop‖ sponsored by the Twins Jazz Foundation. The D.C. Public Libraries Division of Children and Youth Services celebrated JAM at 20 of its 25 branches, creating 25 programs that reached 1,013 youth from preschool to high school age. Events ranged from jazz story time and ―drawing the music‖ for preschoolers to live concerts with young jazz players and jazz professionals. SJMO provided jazz education and music to more than 500 youth in programs at the Musical Instrument Mu- seum in Arizona (a Smithsonian Affiliate), Howard University, and other D.C. locales. The National Park Service supported live concerts at D.C. public libraries and Fort DuPont Park, hosting ―Jazz Day in Anacostia‖ with live music, dance, and student jazz performers. In 2012, JAM will build on this momentum. 2 Notes from

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