It’s that time of year again – we’re celebrating jazz music for the entire month of April! Fondly known as “JAM”, Jazz Appreciation Month was created in 2001 by The Smithsonian Institution to recognize and celebrate the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz for the month of April.

It is intended to stimulate and encourage people of all ages to participate in jazz – to study the music, attend concerts, listen to jazz on radio and recordings, read books about jazz, and more. As the initiator of JAM, the Smithsonian Institute also graciously provides great resources for Jazz Radio Announcements and a Directory for Jazz Societies. So cool!

This year’s poster artwork features a portrait of jazz legend Lester Young (1909-1959). The portrait comes from LeRoy Neiman’s brilliantly colored 2005 Big Band painting depicting notable jazz musicians in performance. Nicknamed “Pres”—short for President, Lester Willis Young is among the most respected saxophonists of the 20th century. With an innovative playing style, a slick fashion sense, and his cool cat slang, Lester Young’s influence on jazz music and culture is profound.

Young was raised in a musical family, and from a young age he would perform and tour all over the United States. In 1933, Lester Young settled in Kansas City and rose to prominence playing with the Count Basie Orchestra. His relaxed, free-floating approach set him apart from other sax players at the time. By 1936, the Basie Orchestra moved to New York City to cut their teeth full time in the city’s thriving jazz scene. Young continued performing with Basie and others, sitting in on recording sessions, and joining jam sessions with a host of Harlem’s best jazz musicians including Billie Holiday.

His tone was a striking departure from the accepted full-bodied, dark, heavy variety, with its quick vibrato, because his was light in weight, colour, and texture, with a slow vibrato. The swinging, rhythmic feeling in his improvisations was far more relaxed and graceful than that usually heard in the work of others during the 1930s. His lines were streamlined, logical, and refreshingly melodic. The impact of his style was so broad that he has been cited as a favourite by such diverse modern jazz figures as Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, and John Coltrane. Young’s musicianship continues to inspire generations of saxophonists who experiment with the “cool school” sound of jazz.

Now that Lester has got you pumped up, how can you celebrate jazz this April and year-round?! Here are some great suggestions, courtesy of the Smithsonian Institute:

If you’re a Jazz Fan –

• Attend a jazz concert at a local concert hall, performing arts organization, church, school, college, or jazz society
• Follow your favorite musicians or groups on social media
• Seek out new jazz music, musicians, and albums
• Share your favorite music, musicians, or new finds with friends and peers
• Read a biography about one of your favorite jazz musicians, jazz poetry, or other jazz book – fiction or nonfiction
• Tune into a local jazz radio station or online radio station or playlist
• Make a pilgrimage to your favorite jazz city, jazz museum, or to a musician’s birthplace or gravesite
• Watch a jazz documentary, film, or performance
• Join your local jazz society or organization (If none exists, organize one!)
• Subscribe to a jazz magazine or other publication online or in print
• Host jazz listening sessions
• Hold a jazz-themed party in honor of a favorite musician, or to celebrate jazz in general

If you’re a Musician –

• Partner with a local elementary, middle, high school or college for a concert, masterclass, or workshop for students
• Go to Today in Jazz History and find an anniversary around which you could perform a piece, dedicate a tune, compose a piece or more
• Partner with other local musicians and music organizations to organize a city-wide “Jazz Day” or “Jazz Night” and have a city-wide JAM session
• Share your upcoming concerts and programs online and connect with other musicians
• Participate in or organize a local jam session or jazz open mic night
• Join your local jazz society or organization (If none exists, organize one!)
• Subscribe to a jazz magazine or other publication online or in print

If you’re a Student –

• Organize a jam session with your friends or through your music teacher
• Learn a new piece of music by one of your favorite jazz musicians
• Attend a jazz concert at a local concert hall, performing arts organization, church, school, college, or jazz society
• Watch a jazz documentary, film, or performance
• Follow your favorite musicians or groups on social media
• Read Gene Seymour’s overview of the music, Jazz: The Great American Art
• Read Langston Hughes’s First Book of Jazz
• Read a biography about one of your favorite jazz musicians
• Ask your teacher to organize an in-class or after school jazz appreciation activity
• Connect with a local jazz society or organization and see if they offer any jazz education programs

Still have questions? Check out JAM’s FAQ page and subscribe to never miss a beat! (Pun intended.) 🙂

Now go and enjoy, listen, and play some jazz music!

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Pastimes For a Lifetime Art and Piano School is located in Valley Glen, California. 818-766-0614. School is open Tuesday – Saturday year round, except major holidays.

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