Jazz Appreciation Month (fondly known as “JAM”) was created at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in 2001 to recognize and celebrate the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz for the entire month of April.
JAM 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.
This year, JAM celebrates the relationship between jazz and justice by looking beyond the music to the dynamic ways jazz has played a transformative role in social justice, musician’s rights, and equality since its birth in America. For the first time JAM will not feature a musician but instead hightlight “one of the most influential nonmusicians in jazz history,” producer Norman Granz, and his work as an innovative producer, tireless promoter for his musicians, and uncompromising advocate for civil rights.
Looking for ideas and other ways to celebrate jazz during April and year-round? Find the category that best suits you or your organization and read through some of our favorite ways to celebrate and participate with jazz:
Individuals:
Teachers | Students | Parents | Band Directors | Fans | Musicians | Historians | Collectors | Philanthropists
Organizations:
Libraries | Churches | Jazz Societies | Museums & Historical Societies | Performing Arts Organizations | Foundations | Public Radio Stations
The 2018 Jazz Appreciation Month Poster is the second in a special three-year series featuring the center section of LeRoy Neiman’s Big Band, a large-scale painting that hangs on the first floor of the National Museum of American History. The JAM Posters from 2017 and 2019 feature the left and right side of the painting respectively, so that when all three are hung next to each other, the iconic painting can be recreated! Big Band is a gift of the LeRoy Neiman Foundation.Part Two of the Big Band JAM Poster Series (2017-2019)
This year, JAM invites all jazz fans and appreciators to look beyond the music to the dynamic ways jazz has played a transformative role in social justice, musicians’ rights, and equality. Our featured JAM artist this year, producer Norman Granz, devoted his life to civil rights and equality – within the music industry and beyond. Through numerous record labels and his iconic touring show, Jazz at the Philharmonic, he helped propel many jazz musicians to greatness. Fittingly, all the musicians featured in this section of the JAM poster had careers that overlapped or were influenced by Norman Granz:
– Charles Mingus (bass) – performed with Jazz at the Philharmonic in 1945.
– Benny Goodman (clarinet) – Performed in a Norman Granz-organized tour in 1953 with Louis Armstrong. Some of Benny’s musicians on the tour was pianist Teddy Wilson, drummer Gene Krupa and trumpeter Ziggle Elman. Their April 17 concerts at Carnegie Hall were sold-out and according to John Hammond, surpassed the gross ticket sales of any jazz concerts in the hall up to that time.
– Gerry Mulligan (saxophone) – had multiple albums produced under Norman’s lable, Verve Records, including Blues in Time, Jazz Giants ’58, Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster, and more.
– Lester Young (saxophone) – performed with Jazz at the Philharmonic for 12 years and recorded a couple albums produced by Norman Granz.
– Charlie Parker (saxophone) – performed with Jazz at the Philharmonic and recoreded Charlie Parker with Strings produced by Norman Granz under Verve Records in 1949-50, fulfilling a long-held desire to perform with a string section.
– John Coltrane (saxophone) – toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic during its later years and released several albums under one of Norman Granz’s earlier labels, Pablo Records, including Afro Blue Impressions.
This poster helps form the larger whole of Big Band and, with the 2017 poster, illustrates the diverse performers and styles that defined jazz as an inclusive space. This inclusivity extended beyond the musicians to the people behind the scenes, including our featured artist, producer Norman Granz. Check our featured artist page here to learn more about his work and legacy.
LeRoy Neiman (1921 – 2012) was an American artist known for his brilliantly colored, expressionist paintings and screen prints of athletes, musicians and sporting events. Neiman had a great love for jazz and spent more than 50 years sketching and painting musicians in an attempt to portray how it felt to watch jazz performances as well as how the sounds and colors evoked emotions and movement. Completed in 2005, Neiman’s painting, Big Band depicts performers he saw in concert from the 1950-80s. Learn more about the painting and its musicians here and here.