7.3.13

Getting recognition for your local jazz scene

B-Sharp's in Tallahassee is a local
jazz haven and the scene of an annual
 "satellite party" honoring a local Jazz Hero

JazzApril & City Hall

The Jazz Journalists Association is holding an online discussion on Wednesday March 13 on how to get a local proclamation about Jazz Month/Jazz Day, and other ways to work with local government. We'll also be talking about the JJA's 2013 "Jazz Heroes" awards, which honor "activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz who have had significant impact in their local communities" and about locally organized jazz "satellite parties" which will be held in April this year to celebrate JazzApril and the Jazz Heroes.
UPDATE: This discussion was recorded and you can view it here.

Jazz is most alive and thriving at the local level-- the soaring number of local jazz festivals and schools is testament to that. And in many places neighborhood jazz clubs regularly put the spotlight on local musicians, some of whom are getting their first public stage and others who are nationally known but keep coming home to play  for those who know and love them best.

One of the main goals of JazzApril is to raise the profile of local jazz scenes and  communities that may not yet have received the recognition they deserve from local governments and local media.

A good way to do both is to get a local government proclamation recognizing Jazz Month/JazzDay. Such a proclamation can be used as a "news peg" to emphasis the importance of, and  attract local media coverage for, local JazzApril events.

 This should be possible in many locales: The U.S. Conference of Mayors is urging "mayors to build partnerships with their local jazz society and other members of the arts and music community in their cities to proclaim, to participate in, International Jazz Day April 30, 2013 and to celebrate the month of April as Jazz Appreciation Month."