Jazz Bridge

Last updated
Noted artists and volunteers at a Jazz Bridge party Jazz Bridge Party Photo.jpg
Noted artists and volunteers at a Jazz Bridge party

Jazz Bridge is an arts services organization that was unofficially founded in 2004 by jazz singers Suzanne Cloud and Wendy Simon to address the lack of support for individual jazz and blues musicians and vocalists in crisis in the tri-state, lower Delaware Valley, Greater Philadelphia Metro area. Over the years, these women had witnessed the struggles of their fellow musicians and the desperation felt by the music community when the only available remedy to hardship was the traditional jam session to raise money. Seeking a more permanent support system, Simon and Cloud began to assemble like minded musicians and fans to form The Jazz Bridge Project, the organization's official name. Jazz Bridge saw a special opportunity to develop a unique, regional model that could provide local jazz and blues musicians/vocalists with no-cost or low-cost resources to support their activities of daily living—medical, financial, and professional—during times of personal crisis. [1]

Contents

Jazz Bridge was awarded its 501(c)(3) status as a nonprofit by the IRS in 2007 [2] and the members of the founding board of directors were: Singers Suzanne Cloud and Wendy Simon; Sue Ford, jazz concert producer; Bob Perkins, jazz historian and NPR deejay; Pete Souders, owner of Ortliebs' JazzHaus; bassist Mike Boone; The Tonight Show music director Kevin Eubanks. Board members have included Chris Sanchirico, Carol Rogers, Jeff Duperon, Rhenda Fearrington, Mike Boone, Wendy Simon, Jim Miller, and Bob Perkins.

Since its inception Jazz Bridge has won awards from the Philadelphia community: the Pennsylvania Humanities Council awarded Jazz Bridge "Partner of the Year" in 2013 [3] and in 2014, the organization received the prestigious David Cohen Prize for Arts and Social Justice from the Philadelphia City Council. [4] Executive Director Suzanne Cloud has also received the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Medal from the Camden County Freeholders [5] and the Rutgers Chancellor Award for Civic Engagement for her work with Jazz Bridge. [6] Filmmaker Jason Fifield of Slife Productions, and a former board member, won Best Short Form Jazz Video from the Jazz Journalists of America in 2014 for his work on Bob Perkins. [7]

Programs

Jazz Bridge presents over 48 neighborhood concerts throughout the Delaware Valley every year from October through May in Collingswood, [8] Willingboro, Philadelphia, Rosemont, [9] and Cheltenham. [10]

Jazz Bridge also aids Philadelphia-area professional jazz and blues musicians and singers in crisis, e.g. Charlie Rice when he was wrongly accused of stealing gas [11] and guitarist Monnette Sudler when she needed a lung transplant. [12]

Jazz Bridge has also been funded for special projects such as Philly Jazz: A View Through the Lens, a photography show by the city's best jazz photographers at the Kimmel Center of the Performing Arts, [13] and an original musical, one man show - Last Call at the Downbeat - written and directed by Suzanne Cloud about Dizzy Gillespie's youthful sojourn in Philadelphia with musical direction by trumpeter Dwayne Eubanks for the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts in 2013 at the Society Hill Playhouse. [14] Jazz Bridge also partnered with Life Line Coalition to create a new Great Day in Philly group jazz photo taken by photographer Elena Bouvier with Mayor Michael Nutter in front of the John Coltrane House to raise money to rehabilitate the former home of the jazz great. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camden County, New Jersey</span> County in New Jersey, United States

Camden County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its county seat is Camden. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's ninth-most populous county, with a population of 523,485, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 9,828 (+1.9%) from the 2010 census count of 513,657, which in turn reflected an increase of 4,725 (0.9%) from the 508,932 counted in the 2000 census. The county is part of the South Jersey region of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camden, New Jersey</span> City in Camden County, New Jersey, US

Camden is a city in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828. Camden has been the county seat of Camden County since the county's formation on March 13, 1844. The city derives its name from Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden. Camden is made up of over 20 neighborhoods, and is part of the South Jersey region of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collingswood, New Jersey</span> Borough in Camden County, New Jersey, US

Collingswood is a borough in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Center City Philadelphia. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 14,186, an increase of 260 (+1.9%) from the 2010 census count of 13,926, which in turn reflected a decline of 400 (−2.8%) from the 14,326 counted in the 2000 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Eubanks</span> American guitarist (born 1957)

Kevin Tyrone Eubanks is an American jazz and fusion guitarist and composer. He was the leader of The Tonight Show Band with host Jay Leno from 1995 to 2010. He also led the Primetime Band on the short-lived The Jay Leno Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Jersey</span> Geographic region of the U.S. state of New Jersey

South Jersey comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located between Pennsylvania and the lower Delaware River to its west, the Atlantic Ocean to its east, Delaware to its south, and Central Jersey or North Jersey to its north, depending on the definition of North Jersey.

DownBeat is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois. It is named after the "downbeat" in music, also called "beat one", or the first beat of a musical measure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rutgers University–Camden</span> Regional campus of Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey, US

Rutgers University–Camden is one of three regional campuses of Rutgers University, a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. It is located in Camden, New Jersey. Founded in 1926 as the South Jersey Law School, Rutgers–Camden began as an amalgam of the South Jersey Law School and the College of South Jersey. It is the southernmost of the three regional campuses of Rutgers—the others being located in New Brunswick and Newark. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". In 2024 the school was ranked 48th among the top public universities and 98th among national universities by US News and World Report

<i>All About Jazz</i> Jazz music database website

All About Jazz is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, Jazz Near You, about local concerts and events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orrin Evans</span> American jazz pianist

Orrin Evans is an American jazz pianist. Evans was born in Trenton, New Jersey and raised in Philadelphia. He attended Rutgers University, and then studied with Kenny Barron. He worked as a sideman for Bobby Watson, Ralph Peterson, Duane Eubanks, and Lenora Zenzalai-Helm, and released his debut as a leader in 1994. He signed with Criss Cross Jazz in 1997, recording prolifically with the label. He was awarded a 2010 Pew Fellowships in the Arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicole Mitchell (musician)</span> American jazz flautist and composer (born 1967)

Nicole Mitchell is an American jazz flautist and composer who teaches jazz at the University of Virginia. She is a former chairwoman of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris White (bassist)</span> American jazz bassist

Chris White was an American jazz bassist.

Symphony in C, formerly known as the Haddonfield Symphony, is a professional training orchestra based in Camden, New Jersey. Founded in 1952, Symphony in C's mission to train young professionals is similar to that of the Chicago Civic Orchestra and Miami's New World Symphony. The orchestra's home is The Gordon Theater on the campus of Rutgers University–Camden, and its current music director is Noam Aviel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perkins Center for the Arts</span>

Perkins Center for the Arts is a regional arts center serving southern New Jersey and beyond since 1977. Perkins operates from a 1910 historic Tudor home and carriage building in Moorestown, New Jersey, and a former printing press in Collingswood, New Jersey.Perkins Center offers arts programs that promote participation, and understanding.

Charles R. Rice, better known as Charlie Rice, was an American jazz drummer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cooper River (New Jersey)</span> Tributary of the Delaware River in southwestern New Jersey

The Cooper River is a tributary of the Delaware River in southwestern New Jersey in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendy Osefo</span> Nigerian-American academic

Wendy Onyinye Osefo is a Nigerian-American political commentator, public affairs academic, and television personality. She is a main cast member of The Real Housewives of Potomac. Wendy practices in the field of journalism and has received rewards recognizing her contributions to the field of journalism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzanne Cloud</span> Musical artist

Suzanne Cloud is an American jazz singer, writer, and teacher.

Barbara J. Bullock is an African American painter, collagist, printmaker, soft sculptor and arts instructor. Her works capture African motifs, African and African American culture, spirits, dancing and jazz in abstract and figural forms. She creates three-dimensional collages, portraits, altars and masks in vibrant colors, patterns and shapes. Bullock produces artworks in series with a common theme and style.

Kimberly Camp is an artist and museum leader known for her one-of-a kind dolls and paintings, and leading influential museums and museum projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emmet Cohen</span> Musical artist

Emmet Harley Cohen is an American pianist, composer, bandleader, and educator.

References

  1. ↑ Hentoff, Nat (2007-02-28). "Jazz Columns: A Jazz Bridge to Musicians in Need". Jazz Times . Retrieved 2009-08-13.
  2. ↑ "GuideStar Nonprofit Profile for JAZZ BRIDGE PROJECT INC". www.guidestar.org. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  3. ↑ Council, Pennsylvania Humanities. "Pennsylvania Humanities Council Announces the 2013 Humanities Awards Recipients". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
  4. ↑ "Group-that-brings-arts-center-jazz-concerts-to-cheltenham-wins-prestigious-award". www.citizenscall.net. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
  5. ↑ "About the Freedom Medal | Camden County, NJ". www.camdencounty.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
  6. ↑ "Chancellor's Awards for Civic Engagement | Rutgers University-Camden". www.camden.rutgers.edu. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
  7. ↑ "JJA Jazz Awards 2015: Nominees 2015". JJA Jazz Awards 2015. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
  8. ↑ "Jawnts: Hear jazz in Collingswood" . Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  9. ↑ "Pat Martino headlines Jazz Bridge benefit at New Leaf". Archived from the original on November 1, 2014. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  10. ↑ "Pianist Dave Posmontier to kick off Cheltenham jazz series" . Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  11. ↑ Crimmins, Peter. "Jazz Bridge director Suzanne Cloud steps up to support musicians in crisis". Newsworks.org. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  12. ↑ "Lung transplant gives guitarist another second chance". Archived from the original on March 16, 2014. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  13. ↑ Tu, Alan. "Philly Jazz: A View through the Lens opens this weekend at the Kimmel Center". Newsworks.org. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  14. ↑ "Last Call at the Downbeat Jazz Bridge". thephilanews.com. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  15. ↑ "Jazz Columns: Another Great Day in Philadelphia". jazztimes.com. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.