City celebrates inaugural Philly Jazz Month with month-long programming
From the soul-stirring sound of John Coltrane, who honed his craft while living in Philadelphia, to Dizzy Gillespie's revolutionary bebop during his early career in the city, to Grover Washington Jr.'s sax mastery that defined the jazz-funk sound, the city's legacy as a powerhouse of jazz innovation is undeniable. Now, that rich heritage is officially being celebrated all month long.
On Wednesday, April 2, city officials read a proclamation officially declaring April Philly Jazz Month in a ceremony at City Hall. Throughout April, programming will be supported by funding from Creative Philadelphia and Mid Atlantic Arts, with over $30,000 awarded to roughly 30 engagements across the city.
Ernest Stuart, a jazz trombonist and program director at Mid Atlantic Arts, has been instrumental in organizing Philly Jazz Month. Stuart, who grew up in Pennsauken, New Jersey, and participated in Philadelphia jazz camps as a high schooler, sees the initiative as a long-held vision finally coming to life.
"Wednesday's event solidified a dream of mine that had been realized," Stuart said. "It's visibility. It signals to people who visit the city that we are a music city — we are a jazz city. We care about our arts and culture."
One of the newly funded programs this year is the inaugural East Passyunk Ave Jazz Crawl, hosted by Rittenhop, a swing dance and Lindy Hop organization that began as a group of friends dancing together in Rittenhouse Square. Executive Director Christian Muniz and his fiancée, Ashley Stewart, organized the Jazz Crawl, which will span 13 local businesses on East Passyunk Avenue on Sunday, April 14, from 12 to 4:30 p.m. and feature 15 local bands and over 40 musicians.
"The Jazz Crawl is sharing our love of jazz with the neighborhood that we're in," Muniz said.
Muniz hopes the event makes the art form more accessible to people who may not consider jazz their music of choice.
"I'm hoping that people can see jazz in a new light," Muniz said. "There are probably some people out there who have preconceived notions — 'I don't like jazz because it's just noise.' But they don't understand that this music was essentially pop music in the '20s, '30s, and '40s. I think sometimes people forget that."
For Muniz, the goal is not only music, but community.
"So they can see that jazz is something that's community-based…community-focused. It's really about building the communities that we have together," he said.
Stuart agrees that jazz is a part of Philadelphia's community fabric.
"Cheesesteaks are great. Water ice is great. But we also care about our incredible, incredible lineage of culture. In this particular case, music," he said. "Philadelphia gave birth to musicians that were the architects of the music. These effects are felt and should be felt across Philadelphia."
