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Smithsonian to Launch Jazz Appreciation Month
First Jazz Appreciation Month is April 2002
Legendary bandleader, producer and composer Quincy Jones joined with the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History to announce the launch of Jazz Appreciation Month. JAM will pay tribute to jazz annually both as an historic and a living American art form, with the first celebration scheduled for April 2002. During the month of April the museum will spotlight the history and music of jazz through concerts, programs and museum collections.
Other organizations, including schools, colleges, museums, concert halls, libraries and public broadcasters, will be encouraged to mark the month with programs of their own. The museum designated the month of April in honor of the birthdays of such jazz giants as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Gerry Mulligan and Tito Puente. "Jazz is a vital part of America, and as the nation’s history museum we want to raise public awareness of jazz as one of America’s cultural treasures," said Spencer Crew, director of the National Museum of American History." We hope JAM will continue to nourish the growing appetite for jazz."
Jones, who performed with the Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie bands, is an ideal ambassador for jazz, said John Edward Hasse, the museum’s curator for American Music. Having been active in show business from more than 50 years, he is the most nominated Grammy artist with 77 nominations. He was among the first black composers to be accepted in Hollywood and now has more than 40 major motion picture and television scores to his credit. Jones is also renowned as a record company executive, magazine publisher and social activist. “I can only hope that one day America will recognize that our indigenous music--jazz--is the heart and soul of all popular music, and that we cannot afford to let its legacy slip into obscurity,” said Jones.The creating of Jazz Appreciation Month is a step towards honoring that legacy.”
In establishing JAM, the museum has joined with a distinguished roster of partners, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the U.S. Department of Education, the MENC: The National Association for Music Education, the International Association of Jazz Educators, and the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation. JAM received early funding from a federal partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. Bill Ivey, chairman of the NEA, said, “Jazz, like America’s democratic heritage, represents the borrowing and blending of different cultures. The NEA, with its longstanding support of jazz including our annual American Jazz Master Awards, is proud to partner with the museum in initiating this annual celebration.
The Smithsonian operates the world’s most comprehensive set of jazz programs. The National Museum of American History is home to the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, more than 100 oral histories of musicians, composers and others, and 100,000 pages of Ellington's unpublished music, as well as Ella Fitzgerald's famous red dress, Dizzy Gillespie's angled trumpet and Benny Goodman's clarinet.
The Smithsonian also launched a preview of a new Web site devoted entirely to jazz. Smithsonianjazz.org will explore the full breadth of jazz related holdings and programming at the Institution, including scheduled events for JAM 2002. The site is made possible by America's Jazz Heritage, a partnership of the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund and the Smithsonian Institution.
In April 2002, the museum will mark the first annual Jazz Appreciation Month in a major way. The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, the museum's acclaimed 18-member big band (funded by a congressional appropriation) will join the celebration with a weekend of concerts that will bring alive the jazz legacy. Other program components will include lectures, educational materials, an exhibition and more. For details, call (202) 357-2700 in spring 2002 or email: [email protected].
Legendary bandleader, producer and composer Quincy Jones joined with the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History to announce the launch of Jazz Appreciation Month. JAM will pay tribute to jazz annually both as an historic and a living American art form, with the first celebration scheduled for April 2002. During the month of April the museum will spotlight the history and music of jazz through concerts, programs and museum collections. Other organizations, including schools, colleges, museums, concert halls, libraries and public broadcasters, will be encouraged to mark the month with programs of their own. The museum designated the month of April in honor of the birthdays of such jazz giants as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Gerry Mulligan and Tito Puente. "Jazz is a vital part of America, and as the nation’s history museum we want to raise public awareness of jazz as one of America’s cultural treasures," said Spencer Crew, director of the National Museum of American History." We hope JAM will continue to nourish the growing appetite for jazz."
Jones, who performed with the Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie bands, is an ideal ambassador for jazz, said John Edward Hasse, the museum’s curator for American Music. Having been active in show business from more than 50 years, he is the most nominated Grammy artist with 77 nominations. He was among the first black composers to be accepted in Hollywood and now has more than 40 major motion picture and television scores to his credit. Jones is also renowned as a record company executive, magazine publisher and social activist. “I can only hope that one day America will recognize that our indigenous music--jazz--is the heart and soul of all popular music, and that we cannot afford to let its legacy slip into obscurity,” said Jones.The creating of Jazz Appreciation Month is a step towards honoring that legacy.”
In establishing JAM, the museum has joined with a distinguished roster of partners, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the U.S. Department of Education, the MENC: The National Association for Music Education, the International Association of Jazz Educators, and the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation. JAM received early funding from a federal partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. Bill Ivey, chairman of the NEA, said, “Jazz, like America’s democratic heritage, represents the borrowing and blending of different cultures. The NEA, with its longstanding support of jazz including our annual American Jazz Master Awards, is proud to partner with the museum in initiating this annual celebration.
The Smithsonian operates the world’s most comprehensive set of jazz programs. The National Museum of American History is home to the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, more than 100 oral histories of musicians, composers and others, and 100,000 pages of Ellington's unpublished music, as well as Ella Fitzgerald's famous red dress, Dizzy Gillespie's angled trumpet and Benny Goodman's clarinet.
The Smithsonian also launched a preview of a new Web site devoted entirely to jazz. Smithsonianjazz.org will explore the full breadth of jazz related holdings and programming at the Institution, including scheduled events for JAM 2002. The site is made possible by America's Jazz Heritage, a partnership of the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund and the Smithsonian Institution.
In April 2002, the museum will mark the first annual Jazz Appreciation Month in a major way. The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, the museum's acclaimed 18-member big band (funded by a congressional appropriation) will join the celebration with a weekend of concerts that will bring alive the jazz legacy. Other program components will include lectures, educational materials, an exhibition and more. For details, call (202) 357-2700 in spring 2002 or email: [email protected].
For more information contact All About Jazz.
