[Dixielandjazz] April is Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM) Month

[Stephen Barbone]

FOR ALL USA BAND LEADERS ON THE LIST.

April is Jazz Month. I got this from Philadelphia's Organizer. Is this
going on in your city? If not, why not start it?  We got a little thing
going in April 2003 and for 2004 hope to really focus folks on Jazz in
the Philadelphia area.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone


Dear Colleague:

 Most of you would agree that Jazz is a vital part of America. In fact,
it is America's indigenous music and is the heart and soul of all
popular music. But believe it or not, jazz is still undervalued compared
with European-rooted art forms.

To keep America's music alive - to honor its value as an historical and
living art form - and to raise awareness of jazz as a national treasure,
the Smithsonian Institution has launched an exciting new initiative
called Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM). Celebrated every April, Jazz
Appreciation Month serves as an annual affirmation of jazz. JAM seeks to
raise public awareness of jazz as one of America's cultural treasures
and to nourish an understanding, appreciation, and appetite for the
music. People of all ages can study the history and heritage of the
music, attend concerts and listen to jazz, read books about jazz, and
support jazz in other ways.

The Smithsonian Institution launched JAM in 2001 with a national press
conference and formed a coalition of educational, governmental, and
cultural organizations to support the efforts. Now in its third year,
the Smithsonian is hoping to create grass roots JAM celebrations in
several cities in the US and has appointed JAMbassadors to act as
catalysts in those areas.

I will be serving as the Philadelphia JAMbassador for JAM 2004. Please
join me, along with a representative of the Smithsonian Institution on
Monday, December 8th 2003 @ 5:30pm at The Philadelphia Clef Club, 736-38
S. Broad St. for the first Philadelphia meeting to organize Jazz
Appreciation Month.

Some of the goals of JAM are to encourage participation in jazz
programming of all types during the month of April; to draw attention
and publicity to JAM through news media, magazines, meetings and public
forums; and to create a master calendar of JAM events throughout
Philadelphia. Please bring your ideas on how we can improve
collaborations and partnerships among our many educational and cultural
resources in Philadelphia. Let's try make April in Philadelphia a time
to swing, JAM, riff, and finger-pop to the syncopated strains of jazz.

For more information ...
Please RSVP by... e-mail or phone

Sincerely,

Bill Z. Foster
JAMbassador for Philadelphia
Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM)
Visions In Jazz Inc. & The Smithsonian Institution
215-474-0320
bfoster at visionsininjazz.com
www.visionsinjazz.com