Jazz and April

Despite the anxiety-provoking month that April has been thus far – politically, economically and environmentally – April also is a time to celebrate.

It’s Jazz Appreciation Month, as established by the Smithsonian Institution’s National Musuem of American History (NMAH) in 2001. For 25 years, the museum and other entities around the country have celebrated the treasures that the music known as jazz offers to all who would listen.

So why not check out the remaining events the Smithsonian has scheduled honoring jazz creators and performers? To see what the NMAH has cooked up, click here.

And if you’d like to hear a few of the shows from NPR’s Peabody Award-winning Jazz Profiles series, please click here. Nancy Wilson, the late, gifted singer and artist, lovingly hosted the series that focused on the musical lives and innovations of jazz giants.

Please also note that Thursday, April 30, 2026 is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO’s) International Jazz Day.  This year’s host city is Chicago, Illinois, and guidng the day’s activities are UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany and legendary composer/pianist Herbie Hancock.

Oh, and FYI, my profile of singer, composer and bandleader Betty Carter is included in the Jazz Profiles link above.

Enjoy!

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June Is Busting Out all Over – As is Black Music Month!

As this days of this month roll along, there’s still time to celebrate Black Music Month and African American music in all its forms.

With that in mind, feel free to check out this rendition of the spiritual Deep River, as performed by my choir – the Prince George’s County Choral Society, based at Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland.

Enjoy it and more Black musical creativity as the summer heats up!

 

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