https://philadelphiajazzexperience.org/

Philadelphia Jazz Experience Foundation, Philadelphia, PA (2026)

05/13/2026

Philadelphia just reminded me why I love this city.

A North Philly warehouse at Power Market was transformed into something extraordinary this month... an immersive playground for sound, improvisation, movement, history, and what Immanuel Wilkins calls "radical play."

RECESS, presented by Ars Nova Workshop, brought together two remarkable points in Philadelphia's jazz continuum: Odean Pope, 87 years old, a living legend who toured with Max Roach and built the groundbreaking Saxophone Choir... and Immanuel Wilkins, 28, Upper Darby native, Blue Note recording artist, and one of the most exciting saxophone voices working anywhere in the world today.

What makes this even more extraordinary? Odean was Immanuel's teacher. He first heard him play at 9 years old.

The installation, part bandstand, part score, and part jungle gym, was designed by Wilkins and artist Rachael Elliott of Studio Senjeh. Theater artist Jennifer Kidwell served as guide and facilitator throughout the entire experience. Together, they transformed a vacant building into something Philadelphia rarely sees and always needs: world-class art with no velvet rope, no traditional stage, and no barrier to entry.

Mark Christman and Ars Nova Workshop deserve enormous credit for proving, again and again, that world-class creativity does not require a grand venue. Sometimes it just needs vision, courage, and an empty building waiting to be reimagined.

Here is what I keep coming back to though...

If we can transform a warehouse into a space for sound, memory, and radical imagination... what else can we transform in this city? What other underutilized spaces are sitting vacant right now, waiting for a purpose? What if we applied that same creative energy to:

Feeding people.
Housing people.
Educating people.
Building community.
Creating economic opportunity.

Art is not separate from those conversations. It never has been. Art is central to all of them.

Philadelphia needs more of this thinking. More activation. More imagination. More willingness to see potential where others see vacancy.

And candidly? The people who decide whether that happens... are us.

Huge congratulations to everyone involved in RECESS. This is exactly the kind of work that puts Philadelphia on the map, not just as a city with a rich history, but as a city actively writing its next chapter.

04/17/2026

Philadelphia, this one matters.

On April 22, the Philadelphia Jazz Archive presents a special fundraiser concert at Chris' Jazz Cafe, and Duane Eubanks is leading the charge to honor one of this city's most luminous musical voices... Lee Morgan.

This is not a nostalgia trip. This is a living, breathing continuation of a tradition that belongs to Philadelphia as much as any street, any mural, any neighborhood in this city.

Duane brings a remarkable band to the stage:

Jordan Williams
Kenny Davis
Byron Landham
Antonio Hart

These are not just musicians. These are stewards of a sound that took root here and traveled the world.

And the stakes are real. The Philadelphia Jazz Archive exists to ensure that this history is documented, preserved, and accessible. Every ticket sold on April 22 directly supports that mission.

Lee Morgan's music has always asked something of its listeners. It asks you to feel something. It asks you to remember. It asks you to carry it forward.

This concert is your answer to that ask.

Tickets are moving. If this culture means something to you, now is the time to show it.

https://www.chrisjazzcafe.com/events/131523

04/10/2026

Some stories sit just beneath the surface of jazz history. Hazel Scott is one of them.

She received a Juilliard scholarship at the age of 8. By her late teens she was performing at Café Society, New York City's first integrated nightclub. By her twenties she was one of the highest-paid Black entertainers in America. She appeared in Hollywood films. She negotiated language into her contracts requiring that she never perform for segregated audiences. Not a preference. A contractual requirement.

In 1950, she made history as the first Black person to host a national television show in America. The Hazel Scott Show aired on the DuMont Network three nights a week to strong reviews and solid ratings.

That same year, her name appeared in Red Channels, a publication listing alleged Communist sympathizers in radio and television. Rather than stay quiet, she voluntarily testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee and read a prepared statement defending her integrity.

One week after her testimony, her show was canceled.

She left for Paris. Joined a community of Black expatriate artists and scholars. Kept performing. Never stopped.

Her 1955 album Relaxed Piano Moods, recorded with Charles Mingus and Max Roach, remains one of the most quietly remarkable records in all of jazz. It is available on every major streaming platform and worth your time today.

NPR produced a short portrait of her life that I recommend without hesitation. The link is in the comments.

Some stories take time to reach the surface. That does not make them any less important.

Article : https://jazzfuel.com/hazel-scott-the-pianist-who-refused-to-be-erased/

04/08/2026

APRIL IS PHILLY JAZZ MONTH… BUT LET’S BE REAL—EVERY MONTH IS JAZZ MONTH

Some cities talk about culture. Philadelphia IS culture.

From John Coltrane to the next kid picking up a horn in North Philly…
from living room jam sessions to world-class stages…
this city doesn’t just play jazz—it breathes it.

This month is a reminder. A spotlight. A celebration.But let’s not get it twisted…

- This music doesn’t survive on articles.
- It survives on people showing up.

So here’s the assignment:

Go hear something LIVE.
Sit too close to the band.
Buy a ticket. Buy a drink. Tip the musicians.
Stay for the second set. Bring a friend who “doesn’t get jazz.”

Because once they feel it… they’ll get it.

Philly Jazz Month is packed—crawls, concerts, students, legends, killers, OGs, and the next generation coming for everything.

But this isn’t about one venue, one artist, or one night—
this is about a city that refuses to let one of the greatest art forms in human history fade quietly.

So support it. All of it. Everywhere.

Because if you love Philadelphia…you love jazz.

And if you love jazz…you don’t just celebrate it in April.

You show up. All year.

04/06/2026

PHILADELPHIA… DO WE REALIZE WHAT WE HAVE HERE?!

For 60 YEARS—let me say that again—SIX. ZERO. YEARS.—the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts has been holding down the soul of this city… teaching, mentoring, preserving, and STRAIGHT UP PROTECTING one of America’s greatest art forms: JAZZ.

This isn’t just a music school.
This isn’t just a venue.

- This is where legends are honored
- Where young talent finds its voice
- Where culture is not talked about… it’s LIVED
From giving kids free access to music education, to bringing in world-class artists like Tia Fuller and Donald Harrison, to literally shaping the next generation of musicians like Malachi Rose—this place is doing the work most people just post about.

Let’s be clear:
If you care about Philadelphia… you should care about the Clef Club.

At The Philadelphia Jazz Experience, we don’t just support this—we STAND ON IT.
Because jazz isn’t background music…

- It’s history
- It’s resistance
- It’s innovation
- It’s US

So here’s the ask—no, the challenge:
- Show up
- Support
- Donate
- Bring someone young with you

Because if we don’t invest in institutions like this… we lose more than music.

We lose identity.

The music can’t stop. And thanks to the Clef Club… it WON’T.

03/26/2026

Before the six Grammy Awards. Before Carnegie Hall. Before the world tours and the magazine covers.

There was a Philadelphia gospel group called The Savettes.

Elder Goldwire and Ruth McLendon founded them. They traveled through this city spreading music wherever they went. Their son Antonio was born in Philadelphia and built a career as a musician and songwriter. And his daughter, Samara Joy, grew up hearing the stories and visiting family in West Philly several times a year.

Samara Joy is now the most decorated jazz vocalist of her generation. Six Grammy wins, including Best New Artist, multiple Best Jazz Vocal Album awards, and multiple Best Jazz Performance awards. At 26, her trajectory belongs in the same sentence as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Billie Holiday.

She has also played SOUTH Restaurant and Jazz Club.

When she came through for two nights in 2022, before the full weight of her stardom had arrived, she told WXPN: "Even though I'm from New York, it always feels like home to me. I have a connection to Philly. I'm Philly-adjacent."

That connection is not incidental. It is genetic. It is cultural. It is the kind of thing that reminds you that Philadelphia's contribution to American music runs far deeper than most people give it credit for.

This city is part of her story. And she is part of ours.

That is what SOUTH is here to be. A room where the lineage of this music is honored. Where an artist on the rise can play an intimate stage before the world catches up to what the people in this city already sense.

We were glad to have her. We will always be glad to claim the connection.

03/24/2026

April 30 is International Jazz Day. And this year, Philadelphia is showing up.

I have been involved with Jazz Bridge for a while now. When I was asked to help, my answer was simple: what better way to spend your time than supporting jazz musicians in crisis?

Jazz Bridge has been doing this work for over two decades. They provide emergency financial assistance, medical referrals, housing support, and paid performance opportunities to professional jazz and blues musicians across the greater Philadelphia area. These are working artists. People who have dedicated their lives to one of America's greatest art forms. When hardship hits, Jazz Bridge is there.

On April 30, we are hosting a fundraiser at Southside Events and Catering. The evening includes live performances by local jazz musicians, a live auction, and an exclusive food and drink menu. Tickets are $75, with an optional $25 add-on to directly sponsor a jazz musician.

All proceeds after costs go directly to Jazz Bridge and the musicians they serve.

There is more to the evening. We will also be connecting with what is happening at SOUTH that night, where Gerald Veasley and the legendary Randy Brecker will be performing and contributing to the cause as well.

And on the International Jazz Day front: I had the honor of being on a call with Herbie Hancock as part of the global planning conversation around this day. Being in that room, even virtually, reminded me why this work matters. Jazz is not just music. It is history. It is community. It is Philadelphia.

April 30. Southside Events and Catering. Come out, support a great cause, and enjoy yourself.

Grab your tickets here: https://jazzbridge.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events?path=%2Fportal%2Fevents%2F35921

03/18/2026

Some organizations run programs.

Others quietly change the future of an art form.

Key of She Jazz is doing the second thing.

Founded by saxophonist Olivia Hughart... a Philadelphia area native and NYU jazz studies graduate... Key of She Jazz began when Olivia was just 12 years old and noticed she was one of the only girls in her middle school jazz band. That observation became a conversation with her band director. That conversation became a community. And that community is now a fully established 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization building a national network of support for girls, women, and nonbinary students in jazz from middle school all the way through professional careers.

Through annual jazz jams, conferences, education programs, virtual events, and a growing international community, Key of She Jazz is creating something that didn't exist before... a space where the next generation of musicians can see themselves in the music, hear themselves in the music, and know without question that they belong.

That matters more than it might sound.

Because when a young musician looks around a jazz band and realizes they are the only one in the room who looks like them, something subtle but real happens. Key of She Jazz is working to make sure that experience becomes less and less common.

At the Philadelphia Jazz Experience, jazz is something we believe in protecting and growing. Supporting organizations like Key of She Jazz means investing in the next generation of musicians, bandleaders, composers, educators, and innovators who will carry this music forward.

We are proud to support their mission and grateful for the work they are doing.

If you care about jazz, if you care about education, if you care about the future of this music... please check them out.

www.keyofshejazz.org

Philadelphia has always been a jazz city. And thanks to organizations like Key of She Jazz, the next generation is already rising.

02/24/2026

Sun Ra wasn't just a musician. He was a cosmic architect.

200+ albums. 1,000+ compositions. Self-produced. One of the first Black artists to own his own record label. Afrofuturism before the word existed. Swing to bebop to free jazz to outer space.

And Philadelphia is part of that story in a way this city doesn't always claim loudly enough.

The Arkestra's home at 5626 Morton Street in Germantown is a city-designated historic landmark. Sun Ra lived and rehearsed there from 1968 until 1993. Marshall Allen, who still leads the Arkestra today, still lives in that house.

That's not a footnote. That's a chapter.

American Masters just released "Sun Ra: Do The Impossible" on PBS. Watch it on PBS or the free PBS App.

This is bigger than nostalgia. This is legacy. This is imagination as resistance.

Tag someone who needs to expand their mind tonight.

02/05/2026

Jazz Bridge takes care of musicians in crisis. Can't imagine anything more important than that.

Philadelphia Jazz Experience is on the board. Strategic planning session coming up. 20 years of work to build on.

Stay tuned. 🎷

01/18/2026

Today we honor Martin Luther King Jr. — not with platitudes, but with honesty.

Dr. King didn’t just talk about dreams. He talked about poverty. He talked about hunger.
He talked about the moral failure of a society that lets people go without while abundance sits untouched.

He said, “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”
I’d add this: injustice in access to food is right there with it.

Because you can’t learn, work, heal, or dream on an empty stomach.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth — we produce more than enough food. Yet millions of Americans are food insecure. Tons of edible food are thrown away every single day. That’s not an accident. That’s a system failure.

And systems don’t change themselves. People change them.

So today, instead of pointing fingers, I’m pointing one right back at myself. I need to do more. Louder. Smarter. Faster. Less talking, more doing.

Dr. King believed justice required action, structure, and courage — not charity alone.

If we really want to honor him, we don’t just quote him once a year. We build systems that reflect his values every damn day.

Today is a reminder. Tomorrow is a responsibility.

I’m in. Who else is?

Philadelphia Jazz Experience Foundation

05/13/2026

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