10/7/20
Philadelphia’s Jazz Family Grows
The Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation is a partner of Jazz Philadelphia and this year’s lead sponsor of the Jazz Philadelphia Summit in partnership with PECO. Jazz Philadelphia shares MAAF’s values, namely that they believe, “art is essential, that it has the power to transform individuals and communities, and that so doing helps define our society. Excellence, integrity, service, inclusion, and engagement are fundamental tenets of its commitment to the arts.”
6/3/20
New Music USA Listening Sessions in Philadelphia Will Help Create Opportunities for Jazz Artists
New Music USA supports and connects US-based music makers, organizations, and audiences by providing financial support through project grants, fostering new connections through programming, deepening knowledge and encouraging appreciation through an online magazine, and promoting funded projects and new music events. The good news: They're coming to Philadelphia to listen to what the new music community needs now.
6/1/20
New Music For A New Day: The Painted Bride Art Center announces jazz grants
The Painted Bride Art Center is awarding 14 grants to Philadelphia jazz composers to create new music during this time when artists and audiences have limited opportunities to occupy the same physical space. This initiative is supported by The Arthur Judson Foundation and will award grants to Arnetta Johnson, Brent White, Jack Saint Clair, Tom Lawton, Jason Fraticelli, Monnette Sudler, Marcell Bellinger, Bobby Zankel, Jake Kaplan, Craig McIver, Luke Carlos O’Reilly, Jamal Jones, Will Echevarria, and Sumi Tonooka.
6/1/20
New Music For A New Day
The Painted Bride Art Center is awarding 14 grants to Philadelphia jazz composers to create new music during this time when artists and audiences have limited opportunities to occupy the same physical space.
5/21/20
Jazz in the Time of Corona
When news of a possible pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus arrived in the U.S. this spring, no one could predict the extent to which this outbreak would affect society overall. One casualty of the pandemic has been the performing arts. With the imposing of social restrictions, organizations that depended on audience revenues were immediately devastated. From large venues like the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts to the small community arts groups, everyone has been affected. Most organizations face series budget shortfalls that will result in major cuts or total dissolution. A new proposed city budget would completely eliminate arts funding.
4/27/20
V-JAM Philly Session Leader: The Philadelphia Jazz Legacy Project
In 2018-2019 five Philadelphia jazz organizations—Jazz Bridge, Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts, Philadelphia Jazz Project, Jazz Philadelphia, and Ars Nova Workshop—engaged in a collaborative discovery process to explore how to preserve, interpret, and share Philadelphia’s expansive jazz history.
4/24/20
V-JAM Philly Session Leader: Ars Nova Workshop
The Ars Nova Workshop (ANW) team has been busy during COVID-19 isolation. “We’re still dreaming up ways to support our heroes, including some virtual concerts, some commissioning, and we continue to work on our annual festival, our podcast, our upcoming LP releases, our exhibition (and connected catalog),” says executive and artistic director Mark Christman. “We’re also looking on how to partner with a record label to get recordings from our 20-year archive out commercially, getting much-needed funds into the hands of artists.”
4/22/20
V-JAM Philly Session Leader: Jazz Bridge Project
The very mission of the Jazz Bridge Project is to assist Greater Philadelphia area jazz and blues artists in times of crisis. A mission such as this would have to be born out of love, where love is a verb. It is love that shows up to meet the needs of our jazz community. It is love that finds a way to clear obstacles from a musician's path, giving them peace of mind and allowing them to re-focus their energy on their art. For 16 years, Jazz Bridge has been dedicated to addressing many types of crises without delay.
4/21/20
V-JAM Philly Session Leader: ACT4Music
An idea that started as a concept for an iPhone app a year ago has now come into fruition at the perfect time. “When the corona pandemic took over, the idea which I had been sporadically working on suddenly got moved to the front burner,” says Anthony Tidd. “I’ve been working on it non-stop—dawn to dusk—since the beginning of March.”
4/20/20
V-JAM Philly Session Leader: The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
Maud Lyon, president of The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, sees the dire situation of the Philadelphia jazz community and is working to do something about it. “Jazz suffers from both the loss of work at nonprofit venues and the closing of restaurants, bars, and clubs,” Lyons explains. “The majority of musicians are freelancers, making this situation especially difficult and uncertain. The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance is doing all we can to bring you resources, and to amplify your voice to leaders!”
4/17/20
V-JAM Philly Session Leader: Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts
“What if there was one activity that could benefit every student in every school across the nation? An activity that could improve grades and scores on standardized testing? An activity that would allow students to form lasting friendships? An activity that would help students become more disciplined and confident?” asks Lovett Hines, Artistic Director for the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts.
4/15/20
V-JAM Philly Session Leader: WXPN
Philadelphia has a unique, rich musical history, and WXPN has made it its mission to build a community focused on discovering that music and connecting artists with new audiences.
4/13/20
V-JAM Philly Session Leader: Settlement Music School
“We know that art and music lifts our souls and can unite us all,” says Karin Orenstein, Director of Education for Settlement Music School and a member of Jazz Philadelphia's Education Working Group. “At Settlement, we believe that the act of doing, of practicing, of reaching goals, will be what gets us through this time with our spirits intact.”