A JAM Session for Jazz Appreciation Month!

 

April is Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM) and whether you're new to the genre or well-acquainted, this article is for you! JAM was created by the National Museum of American History in 2001. April was selected because so many Jazz artists were born during this month including foundational pioneers like Billie Holiday (April 7, 1915), Ella Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917) and Duke Ellington (April 29, 1899) as well as living legends like Herbie Hancock (April 12, 1940).

The official JAM site has many wonderful resources that I encourage you to explore at https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/projects/smithsonian-jazz/jazz-appreciation-month. I’ve also gathered some additional media that’ll keep you JAMming all month long!

Jazz History 101

Created by the New York Jazz Academy, this is a self-guided course on Jazz history with selected readings and music, offering an overview of the origins and development of Jazz genres throughout history. Learn more and enroll for free at www.nyjazzacademy.com/program/jazz-history-101-content-only/.

Jazz Giants of the 21^st Century

Produced by Passport International Entertainment, this documentary features 17 vintage performances by Jazz artists from Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway to Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock. Watch now at https://tubitv.com/movies/464311/jazz-giants-of-the-20th-century?start=true.

Guided Listening to Great Albums

Seattle Jazzed offers two series of 1-hour episodes that explore Jazz albums with a JazzED educator as your guide. Albums by Melba Liston, Alice Coltrane and Miles Davis are among those explored. If you’re an educator, they also offer a free toolkit with suggested lesson plans that utilize these guided listening episodes. Listen now at www.seattlejazzed.org/guided-listening.

Every year, JAM creates an official poster celebrating a particular artist and this year’s artwork features Duke Ellington on his 125^th birthday!

 As a trumpet player, I'm familiar with Jazz. I played in my school Jazz band and studied it as an undergraduate student, but I’m far from being an expert. As with any subject, there's always more to discover (and revisit!). This is a photo I took of an exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) containing precious artifacts from Jazz greats: Cab Calloway’s baton and shoes, Louis Armstrong’s trumpet, Count Basie’s hat, Ella Fitzgerald’s dress, Duke Ellington’s score and cigarette case.

MCNY Jazz Exhibit

Working with my sister Sheryl on the inaugural National Music Landmarks Week and Fest last November for the American Music Landmarks Project was a wonderful learning experience where I met two professionals representing Jazz landmarks. President and Co-Founder Lauren Parks from the House of Miles (former home of Miles Davis in East St. Louis) and Director Faye Anderson from All That Philly Jazz, a place-based public history project advocating Jazz history in Philadelphia, are two of the genre’s best resources!

I encourage you to visit their sites and contact them with any questions you may have about this history and how you can support their organizations.

House of Miles https://houseofmilesestl.com/

All That Philly Jazz https://phillyjazz.us/

In the words of the great Satchmo (Louis Armstrong), "The memory of things gone is important to a Jazz musician. Things like old folks singing in the moonlight in the back yard on a hot night or something said long ago.​" Through our collective JAM session, we can do our part to make sure that the story of Jazz plays on!