Screening of Legend of Bop City, formal opening of JHC Media and Education Center kick off initiative on January 17
San Francisco, CA -- The Jazz Heritage Center (JHC), San Francisco's only permanent complex dedicated to jazz culture, art and history, announced today a special initiative on jazz and film. This new effort includes the formal opening of the JHC's new Media and Education Center, a 50-seat private theater adjacent to Yoshi's Jazz Club and Restaurant (1330 Fillmore Street).
As the JHC's most comprehensive initiative to date, programming will include twice-weekly film screenings, a new exhibit of vintage and rare jazz film posters, a mini jazz film festival, lectures, and a celebration of one of the Fillmore District's most popular jazz clubs during the 1950s and 1960s, Bop City.
“We are very pleased to launch this important effort," said Peter Fitzsimmons, Executive Director, Jazz Heritage Center. “Jazz and film have had a long, meaningful relationship. We are exploring this topic with jazz film experts, film screenings and, of course, a special celebration of a legendary Fillmore jazz club. This initiative brings the organization to a new level and we look forward to sharing the experience with our growing number of supporters, members and fans."
The initiative kicks off on Sunday, January 17th.
The JHC's jazz and film initiative includes the following elements:
* The initiative launches on Sunday, January 17th at 3pm with a celebration of legendary Fillmore jazz club, Bop City. The event will include a screening of the documentary, “The Legend of Bop City," and a panel discussion with the director, Carol Chamberland, celebrated jazz educator Herb Wong, and musicians featured in the film, including legendary saxophonist John Handy and vocalist Denise Perrier. The event marks the formal opening of the JHC's Media and Education Center.
* The following Sunday, Jan 24th at 3pm marks the opening of the JHC's next major exhibit, Jazzin', Jammin' & Jivin'. This unique exhibit features 50 vintage film posters illustrating an eight-decade period during which some of the greatest jazz musicians of African heritage appeared on film, including Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Dizzy Gillespie, Lena Horne, and many others. The exhibit will be displayed in the JHC's Koret Heritage Lobby space outside the entrance to Yoshi's Jazz Club and Restaurant and inside the JHC's Media and Education Center. The exhibit is on loan from the Separate Cinema Archive. Mark Cantor, the curator of the exhibit and a well-known jazz film archivist and historian will give the opening lecture for the exhibit, in partnership with the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco.
* A mini jazz film festival will take place on February 5-7, led by noted jazz scholar and film historian Hal Miller. As the curator of one of the world's most comprehensive personal jazz film collections, Mr. Miller makes numerous guest lectures at colleges and jazz societies around the country. Much of the footage shown in the Ken Burns documentary “Jazz" came from Miller's collection, and he continues to be a primary resource for jazz video footage for networks and independent production companies. In addition, he contributed significantly to the opening of the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City with video footage and written commentary.
* Bi-weekly jazz film screenings, starting on January 26th. Jazz films will be screened throughout the month of February, featuring some of the classic films illustrated in the Jazzin', Jammin' & Jivin' poster exhibit, including Stormy Weather, Cabin in the Sky, Swing in Harlem, Lady Sings the Blues, Round Midnight and others. Films from Hal Miller's Jazz Icons series will also be shown.
Overview of the Jazz Heritage Center (JHC)
The Jazz Heritage Center is the only permanent cultural and educational complex dedicated to the long history of Jazz in San Francisco and the Fillmore District. Located within the new Fillmore Heritage Center in the heart of the Historic Fillmore Jazz Preservation District, the non-profit Jazz Heritage Center is part jazz museum, part jazz cultural center, and part jazz art gallery. By showcasing art and historical exhibitions, concerts, films and youth programming, the JHC's mission is to preserve and promote jazz, an American national treasure, while celebrating its presence as an active, living art form in San Francisco and beyond. The JHC includes the Lush Life Gallery, the Koret Heritage Lobby, the Take Five Gift Shop, and the JHC Media and Education Center. Visit Jazz Heritage Center for more information.
