The theme of this year’s Summit, AWAKENING, invites presenters and attendees to pause, acknowledge where we are and what we continue to go through—as humans, as communities, and as an industry. The health of our community is paramount right now. The Jazz Philadelphia Summit will aspire this year to a holistic approach to personal and professional development and collective learning, healing, and sharing. 

We will create space for awakening to the fact that we are changed by the laying bare of injustices, divisions, and disparities. We will look to our legacy, as a historically Black artform now practiced around the world, and to our lineage through the life and universal spirit of John Coltrane. We’ll turn to our elders for insight as we collectively exhale and regroup, and draw in our young players and the teachers and parents who support them. 

Sessions will also focus on nuts-and-bolts business, from a pandemic-informed perspective. We acknowledge that healing must also include fortifying all aspects of musicianship and education—including marketing, contracting, the future of venues and audiences, rights and royalties, and all of the day-to-day aspects of work that keep us fed and moving forward. 

We see this moment as a time for recognition and coming together. We believe that we must face the year ahead with clear eyes and radical honesty. Now more than ever, it is vital to gather, proactively plan, and care for ourselves and each other in order to build a more equitable and viable jazz future, together.