Dear Jazz in the Neighborhood community,
We are living in challenging and momentous times. Our shared love and appreciation of jazz, America’s unique Black American art form, brings us together. We believe there is a cathartic way to approach these issues as a community, and we invite you to contribute to the Jazz Archive of Our Time. We are each creating our own narrative in dealing with these challenges, and we invite you to document your experience through a special dedicated page on the Jazz in the Neighborhood website.
In contributing to the archive, any and all of your experiences are important and welcome. This archive is for jazz artists and jazz supporters alike. We welcome your contributions as a way of documenting history, and also as a symbol of our coming together as a community.
Some questions for your consideration:
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- How have the current events regarding racial equity and of Covid 19 affected your daily life?
- What thoughts do you have about the times that we are experiencing?
- How have things changed for you during these times?
Perhaps you have an anecdote to document, a picture or video that captures a moment, or a piece of music that is particularly meaningful to you now. You might have a story about what you’re experiencing —a story of connection and hope, or struggle. Or you might have something to say about things lost and gained during these times, or even a humorous story in the midst of current challenges.
Musicians, how have these events affected the way you approach your music? The way you experience your connections with fellow musicians? The way you think about your productivity and your musical life going forward? How have recent events affected the direction of your composing? What new resources have you discovered within yourself?
Click here to submit text or a file upload.
You can sign your name to an entry or request that it stay anonymous, giving some consideration to whatever privacy needs you have. Your contribution will appear on the Jazz Archive of Our Time page on the JitN website. And just as a reminder: this is a public space, so the thoughtfulness we know that you will bring to your contribution is much appreciated. You can make more than one entry if you like. Should you choose to send artwork, a photograph, or music, please provide a caption to explain why you chose this entry. Please also include the name of the artist, photographer, musician/composer and include a date and title if you’d like. We will be curating responses and posting them on the main archive page.
A special thank you to Howard Gillis, long time JitN supporter for this great idea and we also thank you in advance for your entry. We trust that it will bring added meaning and comfort to share with others as we traverse these challenging times together.
The Archive Advisory Committee,
Howard Gillis*, Mario Guarneri, Clairdee, Ken French, Jason Hainsworth
* Howard Gillis is an amateur trumpet player, and an avid student of jazz and jazz studies. He has participated as a panelist in jazz symposia, and has written about the life of Clifford Brown, famed jazz trumpeter. He is a clinical psychologist who practices in the San Francisco Bay Area.
