1/13/23
Mid Atlantic Arts welcomes new Program Director, Jazz, Ernest Stuart
Mid Atlantic Arts is pleased to introduce you to their new Program Director, Jazz, Ernest Stuart. Ernest will be responsible for leading and managing the Jazz Touring Network and grant support program, the Living Legacy Jazz Award selection process, and serving as Mid Atlantic’s liaison to the national Jazz Road program. Ernest has worked in the arts as a performer and event producer since graduating from Temple University.
11/10/22
A Farewell to Jazz Philadelphia, but Not to Jazz
A Farewell from Our Executive Director: This week will be my last at Jazz Philadelphia, and it’s bittersweet to step down as our first Executive Director; I’ll tell you more about where I’m going in a minute. First, I’m grateful to have been given the opportunity to help build this new organization from the ground up...
11/3/22
President’s Letter: November 2022
Read about all the unique moments that made this such a memorable Summit -- from inspiring keynote presentations and informative sessions to receptions, CORE cooperative performances and awards!
9/29/22
Thank you to our 2022 Summit Giant Steps Sponsor: Mid Atlantic Arts
The Living Legacy Jazz Award was created in 1994 as a way to honor living jazz masters in Mid Atlantic Arts’ nine state region. The Award has always focused on contributing to the perpetuation of the jazz legacy and education with an emphasis on passing skills and knowledge to the next generation of musicians. The first awardee was trumpeter Clark Terry and 28 stellar artists have joined him since – including our 2022 awardee, Roger Humphries.
9/8/22
Official statement from Christian McBride regarding the passing of Joey DeFrancesco
Joey DeFrancesco was my oldest friend in music. We first met at the Settlement Music School as part of their jazz program that Mr. Lovett Hines ran, and we instantly became best friends. I was 12, he was 13. It stayed that way through our next four years together at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts [CAPA]. We were inseparable...
9/7/22
Episodic Memories of Joey DeFrancesco
Words seem to be shallow, and even the act of writing falls short of expressing the heartbreak I have experienced over losing a young musical genius who has been in my life since he was 11 years old. On further consideration and from a therapeutic perspective, I would like to share a few episodic memories of my association with Joey DeFrancesco...
8/31/22
A Farewell to Monnette Sudler
Monnette’s music has many influences and she can play it all, including blues, folk, and rock music. But no matter what she was playing, underneath it all was a tremendous musical voice and ground, soulful, warm, swinging, funky, free, experimental, fearless, and open. And she really loved the guitar—you can feel this love when she plays...
7/21/22
Roger Humphries Receives the 2022 Living Legacy Jazz Award Presented by PECO
Previous Living Legacy Jazz Award winners include Amina Claudine Myers, Charles Tolliver, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Odean Pope, Ron Carter, and many more!
6/2/22
June President’s Letter: Black Music Month 2022
Established in 1979 by Kenny Gamble, Ed Wright, and media pioneer Dyana Williams, it was Williams's lobbying work that ultimately led to the signing of a White House proclamation for the annual celebration in 2000.
4/17/22
April President’s Letter: Jazz Appreciation Month 2022
The experience was yet another confirmation of the promise of our soon-to-be-launched Passages program. Passages will connect musicians across generations using the jam session medium as a foundation for mentorship, storytelling, and transference of cultural knowledge. When youthful energy meets seasoned experience, everyone gets lifted.
4/13/22
Lovett Hines Wins Jazz Journalists Association Award
Other regional winners include bassist, composer, and educator Ed Hrybyk of Baltimore, Massachusetts-based Terri Lyne Carrington, a drummer, composer, and educator who has been a keynote speaker at the Jazz Philadelphia Summit; and Sara Donnely from Washington, D.C., a longtime jazz advocate who administers programs that support jazz musicians at South Arts.
4/1/22
Philadelphia’s Rising Women in Jazz
The city of Philadelphia honors the legacy and tradition of jazz music, by providing exceptional educational resources that continue to contribute to the profound jazz community that has been established here.Temple University and University of the Arts, two of Philadelphia's premier institutions of higher learning, have exceptional jazz programs where students can hone in on their craft...
3/25/22
March President’s Letter: Get Jazzed Day 2022
The collaboration between the organizations for Get JazzEd Day was fluid and inventive, much like jazz itself. And just like the music, which serves the purpose of touching the lives of the listeners, our partnerships are designed to impact the lives of musicians, educators, students—everyone in our creative community...
3/22/22
Key of She Jazz March 2022 Recap
Up next, Key of She has been working to improve their website and expand their already extensive resources list (which already includes reading lists, film lists, listening recommendations, and a comprehensive list of over 600 women in jazz)...
3/14/22
Poet and Hometown Hero Sonia Sanchez Honored With Edward MacDowell Medal
A literary giant who was at the forefront of the Black Arts Movement, Sanchez is the author of more than 20 books of poetry, children’s literature, and plays.
3/3/22
A Note about Women’s History Month
"I experience first hand the lack of gender representation in academic settings. I also see how important it is to have a supportive community – not only of other girls and young women in jazz, but peers, teachers, and others who see the importance of the mission."