{"id":1573,"date":"2014-04-02T20:51:03","date_gmt":"2014-04-03T00:51:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/?p=1573"},"modified":"2014-04-02T20:51:03","modified_gmt":"2014-04-03T00:51:03","slug":"whats-april-for-jazz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2014\/04\/whats-april-for-jazz.html","title":{"rendered":"What’s April for jazz?"},"content":{"rendered":"

[contextly_auto_sidebar id=”TaYwWrGCoDuKh6ci1uaZRz8TYOdaJssE”]<\/p>\n

We’re past April Fools Day \u00c2\u00a0so I can safely say “Happy JazzApril<\/a>” — \u00c2\u00a0a \"jazzapril<\/a>shorthand hailing Jazz Appreciation Month<\/a> (April, so designated in 2001 by the Smithsonian), culminating in International Jazz Day<\/a> (April 30, first celebrated \u00c2\u00a0in 2012 by UNESCO as advised by the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz).<\/p>\n

These officialized jazz occasions — IJD with an all-star concert to be webcast live from Osaka, Japan, JAM with US gov’t sanction, and\u00c2\u00a0both events<\/em>\u00c2\u00a0endorsed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors\u00c2\u00a0— are good opportunities for jazz enthusiasts to trumpet the music’s vitality and vivacity to people who don’t pay it much attention but ought to and would probably like it if they did. The Jazz Journalists Association<\/a>, over which I preside, has encouraged and enabled grass roots supporters and organizations especially in the US and Canada to use JAM and JazzDay as pegs upon which local media can hang coverage of local jazz activities, including, for instance, the celebration of local “Jazz Heroes<\/a>” — people the JJA deem “activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz.”<\/p>\n

Here are 24 such Jazz Heroes based in 22 cities — announced yesterday:<\/p>\n

\"2014JazzAprFORFBJazzHeroesNOnumbers\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Check out these Heroes bios<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0and affiliations. They’re our neighbors, these are their networks, and everyone’s doing good even for those who aren’t into jazz (because like jazz or not, it’s good for you).<\/p>\n

For those who are<\/em> into jazz, JazzApril is a call to let that fact be known. There’s strength in our numbers if those numbers are made manifest. The vast population all ages, ancestries, genders and\/or genre-preferences who love jazz — of any kind, of any era — must not overlooked, ignored, underestimated, underfunded, disregarded, ridiculed or forgotten just because our jaunty and improvisational, bluesy and hard-bitten, lyrical and persevering \u00c2\u00a0music is commercially marginal, being more substance than flash.<\/p>\n

It’s important to assert this because jazz truly is<\/em> the American musical art form, cultural mirror and conveyance of genuine expression, though you wouldn’t know \"Unknown\"<\/a>it from most media coverage. Due to unfortunate economic and sociological factors jazz is now without much infrastructure other than what high school and college music education programs offer and what a mere dozen arts institutions (but many more elbow-grease-fueled nonprofits) provide. It has no high powered \u00c2\u00a0broadcast platforms beyond a few score staunch radio outlets ( thanks, NPR! Thanks, college stations!). Other than musicians themselves, only the hardiest independent record labels and prestigious remnants of \u00c2\u00a0proud old catalogs keep releasing jazz records. The jazz performance “circuit” \u00c2\u00a0comprises stubbornly unaffiliated, privately run clubs scattered everywhere, modest gigs in community centers, schools and private parties and the like, plus (glad for this) a year-long calendar of festivals.<\/p>\n

It’s all ok — we can embrace jazz’s contextual reality. We can also wear our jazz. at \"twibbon\"<\/a>least on our avatars. JazzApril offers\u00c2\u00a0graphics<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0from the JJA, JAM and Jazz Day that\u00c2\u00a0anyone\/everyone can use, put on as a tag, twibbon, t-shirt. coffee cup proclaiming jazz is here and now, just as it was hot or cool back when.<\/p>\n

Yes, jazz is still America’s indigenous creative, artistic, entertaining, progressive, questing, collaborative sound, forbearing challenges, bringing light to dark times — one gift to the world American’s needn’t be apologetic about. Want to make friends? Talk about \u00c2\u00a0jazz. It’s worked for me in Yerevan, Amman, Dakar, Banjul, Guelph, St. Petersburg, Veradero, Tampere, not to all over our country.\"ijd\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What’s happy about April? April = Spring = Hope. Hope springs eternal — jazz \u00c2\u00a0results.\u00c2\u00a0Jazz abides, \u00c2\u00a0jazz survives, jazz evolves, jazz thrives. Internationally now, but let’s not take jazz for granted right here where jazz started. Let’s not forsake how<\/em> it started — with folks just foolin’ around. Let’s do more of that. Let’s have fun with jazz.\u00c2\u00a0Happy JazzApril!<\/p>\n

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[contextly_auto_sidebar id=”TaYwWrGCoDuKh6ci1uaZRz8TYOdaJssE”] We’re past April Fools Day \u00c2\u00a0so I can safely say “Happy JazzApril” — \u00c2\u00a0a shorthand hailing Jazz Appreciation Month (April, so designated in 2001 by the Smithsonian), culminating in International Jazz Day (April 30, first celebrated \u00c2\u00a0in 2012 by UNESCO as advised by the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz). These officialized jazz occasions […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1573","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-main","7":"entry","8":"has-post-thumbnail"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1i3CL-pn","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2757,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2020\/04\/revered-jazz-elders-deceased-portraits-by-santa-istvan-csaba.html","url_meta":{"origin":1573,"position":0},"title":"Revered jazz elders, deceased: portraits by S\u00c3\u00a1nta Istv\u00c3\u00a1n Csaba","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"April 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"As a generation of jazz elders leaves our world -- some hastened by the pandemic -- their faces as photographed by S\u00c3\u00a1nta Istv\u00c3\u00a1n Csaba become even more luminous, haunting, iconic. Guiseppi Logan, multi-instrumentalist (May 1935 - April 2020) Henry Grimes, bassist (Nov 1935 - April 2020) Pianists Geri Allen (June\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/GiuseppiLogan-NewYork_2012.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1295,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2013\/04\/jazzapril-begins-no-joke.html","url_meta":{"origin":1573,"position":1},"title":"JazzApril begins (no joke!)","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"April 1, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"April is Jazz Appreciation Month (so named by the Smithsonian Institution), culminating on the 30th with\u00c2\u00a0International Jazz Day (a project of UNESCO, organized by the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz) -- and both those initiatives are endorsed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. So the Jazz Journalists Association has launched\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"ja-ijd-jamSQ200","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/ja-ijd-jamSQ200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3181,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2026\/04\/celebrating-the-heroes-behind-the-jazz.html","url_meta":{"origin":1573,"position":2},"title":"Celebrating the Heroes behind the Jazz","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"April 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"As jazz -- the music, business and culture of it -- depends on an intricate and widespread network of activists, altruists and advocates to thrive, and celebrating local doers at least used to be a way to focus attention on the out-of-the-spotlight work necessary to make anything worthwhile happen, the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2026-JJA-Jazz-Heroes-collage.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2026-JJA-Jazz-Heroes-collage.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2026-JJA-Jazz-Heroes-collage.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2026-JJA-Jazz-Heroes-collage.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2026-JJA-Jazz-Heroes-collage.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2026-JJA-Jazz-Heroes-collage.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":237,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2009\/08\/smithsonian_jazz_09-10_four_sh.html","url_meta":{"origin":1573,"position":3},"title":"Smithsonian jazz ’09-’10: four shows and JAM","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"August 14, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0Cannonball Adderley, Mary Lou Williams and Freddie Hubbard are celebrated in Smithsonian Institution concerts next October, February and April; a December \"Swingin' in the Holidays\" performance by the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra completes its year's jazz offerings. Well, there's also\u00a0Jazz Appreciation Month\u00a0in\u00a0April (otherwise known for fools and taxes) during which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2552,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2019\/01\/2018-jazz-blues-and-beyond-deaths-w-links.html","url_meta":{"origin":1573,"position":4},"title":"2018 jazz, blues and beyond deaths w\/ links","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"January 21, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Cecil Taylor, March 15, 1929 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c April 5, 2018, photo by S\u00c3\u00a1nta Istv\u00c3\u00a1n Csaba Not a happy post, but a useful one: here are the hundreds of musicians and music industry activists who died in 2018, as compiled by photographer-writer Ken Franckling for the Jazz Journalists Association. Ken scoured local\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/CecilTaylor-nea-jazz-master-2014-santa.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":194,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2009\/05\/jvc_jazz_fest-ny_cancellation.html","url_meta":{"origin":1573,"position":5},"title":"JVC Jazz Fest-NY cancellation reported","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"May 20, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"No major, mainstream, corporate-supported jazz fest will occur in New York City this summer, according to today's New York Times report confirming my posting of\u00a0 April 15. Festival Network principal Chris Shields, purchaser in 2007 of the production company headed by George Wein which staged June jazz concerts at major\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1573"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1573\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}