Yeah, that jazz festival
Greenville announces downtown jazz festival
Hub Quick Hits: #SCartists in the news
Headlined by Ranky Tanky
A couple #SCartists were in our in-box from weekend news reports.
The Hub thought these were worth sharing to readers...
- Grammy Award-winning Charleston band Ranky Tanky added their second such award last night! They are award in the same category as in 2020, Regional Roots Music Album, for Live at the 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Big congrats to the band, which features S.C. Governor's Awards recipients Quentin Baxter and Charlton Singleton. Read the Post & Courier's coverage here (subscription possibly required).
- Aldwyth, the 87-year-old legend, is staying relevant with a new exhibition in North Carolina. The Gregg Museum of Art and design is featuring the State Art Collection artist. From TechncianOnline: "This is Not: Aldwyth in Retrospect brings together 70 years worth of mononymous artist Aldwyth’s painting, embroidery, assemblage and collage work. Exhibit curator Mark Sloan said the exhibit was something of a capstone both for Aldwyth and for himself, marking 23 years of the pair’s collaboration." The Jameson Wolf piece is a joy to read.
- Closer to home, WLTX in Columbia profiled Orangeburg artist Floyd Gordon. His experience coming from a family of 13(!) sharecroppers informed his art, which he's been completing for 75 years.
Got arts news? Remember to submit it to The Hub! Got arts events? Listings are free on the only statewide arts calendar—Arts Daily!
South Arts opens apps for Jazz Road Tours grants
PLUS: jazz creative residency grant opens soon
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Wednesday, March 8, 2023
South Arts is pleased to announce that the next application cycle of Jazz Road Tours is now open and Jazz Road Creative Residencies will open on February 8.
These artist-centric grant programs put funds directly in the hands of jazz artists across the US to connect with audiences and develop creative work.
Jazz Road Tours grants range from $5,000 to $15,000, funding the artists directly to cover a portion of eligible tour expenses including artist fees, travel, housing, meals, backline, road/sound/tour management, and costs related to tour coordination and promotion. The Jazz Road Tours program is designed to help artists earn a living wage while on the road. The next application cycle is now open with a deadline of March 8, and additional regular deadlines throughout the coming years.
Coming soon...
Jazz Road Creative Residencies grants range from $5,000 to $40,000, to remove financial barriers that keep artists from investing deeply in their creative practice, attending to their artistic and professional growth, and experimenting across a wide range of artistic and community engagement possibilities throughout the US. Through these grants, jazz artists can propose, build, and develop their own creative residency to further explore their work. The next application cycle will open on Feb. 8 with a deadline of April 8.Informational Webinar
An information webinar will be held on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, from 3-4:30 p.m. ET to share our vision for these programs and best practices on assembling a successful application. Register today to join us! The webinar will be recorded and posted on our site soon afterward.Charleston Jazz Festival announces 2022 lineup
Charleston Jazz is excited to announce the lineup for the Charleston Jazz Festival, April 21-24, 2022.
The festival draws fans from around the world for a four-day celebration of the Holy City’s rich jazz heritage and thriving music scene. It started in 2015 and since, jazz fans throughout the country flock to Charleston to celebrate the Holy City’s rich jazz heritage and thriving jazz scene.
Previous festival performers have included Bobby McFerrin, Ranky Tanky, Regina Carter, Freddy Cole, Nnenna Freelon, Arturo Sandoval, and Manhattan Transfer to name a few.
2022 Festival Highlights
From April 21-24, the 2022 Charleston Jazz Festival will feature student musicians, local jazz groups, and internationally acclaimed performers including the Emmet Cohen Trio, the Jorge Luis Pacheco Quartet, Kandace Springs and Etienne Charles in multiple venues around Charleston.
The festival will open on April 21 with Lowcountry Jazz Day, hosted by Forte Jazz Lounge. Expect a host of Charleston's own top musical talent and an appearance by the city Poet Laureate, Marcus Amaker.
From April 22-23, the Charleston Music Hall will host internationally-acclaimed artists Emmet Cohen Trio (pictured above, with Lucy Yeghiazaryan and Bruce Harris), the Jorge Luis Pacheco Quartet, Kandace Springs, and Etienne Charles & Creole Soul.
The festival will close with Family Jazz Day on Sunday, April 24 as Charleston's brightest young musicians carry on the torch of the city's jazz art form in a special showcase at Royal Missionary Baptist Church.
The Charleston Jazz Festival is made possible, in part, by the Medical University of South Carolina.
Get the entire festival lineup and, importantly, ticket information right here.
Tuning Up: Pearl Fryar gets national attention, new jazz band formed
Good morning!
"Tuning Up" is a morning post series where The Hub delivers curated, quick-hit arts stories of interest to readers. Sometimes there will be one story, sometimes there will be several. Get in tune now, and have a masterpiece of a day. And now, in no particular order...
A pair of #SCartists updates once again from "Tuning Up," so let's get to it.
- National spotlight shines on Pearl Fryar: Bishopville's Pearl Fryar is a living legend. His work has brought untold amounts of delight to those who visit his topiary garden, spread over his own three acres in the tiny Lee County town. Often referred to as one of South Carolina's best secrets, that narrative is changing—quickly. Garden & Gun magazine published a feature on Fryar and his new apprentice, Mike Gibson, yesterday. Go check it out! Fryar received the Governor's Award for the Arts in 2013.
- Charleston Jazz gaining Momentum: A brand-new jazz band debuts in Charleston this March under the auspices of Charleston Jazz. It's name? Well, no doubt you solved that puzzle. From an email: "The members of Momentum create an eclectic mix of Classic and Contemporary Fusion, R&B, Soul Jazz, and Gospel. Their music is inspired by Robert Glasper, Jon Batiste, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Jill Scott, and Snarky Puppy. Led by Demetrius Doctor (below), music director of the Royal Missionary Baptist Church, Momentum will be an exciting new group comprised of All-Star musicians!" Look for their debut March 11 as they perform 7 and 9:30 p.m. sets at Forte Jazz Lounge.
[caption id="attachment_48939" align="aligncenter" width="600"]
Artist or arts org in South Carolina? There is very likely arts project support available for YOU. Click graphic to learn more.[/caption]
Jazz at UofSC presents Jazz Girls Day
Jazz at UofSC presents its inaugural Jazz Girls Day, Jan. 15, 2022, at the School of Music from 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Jazz Girls Day invites and inspires middle and high school girls from South Carolina to join the Jazz Faculty at the School of Music for a day of masterclasses, connection, concert and jam session. The idea behind Jazz Girls Day is to welcome girls to start or continue playing jazz and to encourage South Carolina music educators to encourage girls to play jazz, and it's goal is to help girls around the state prepare for all-state jazz auditions—although this is not a requirement to attend. This program is for all instrumentalists and vocalists (traditional AND non-traditional) at all levels. The only prerequisites are middle and high school students who identify as female. Accompanying adults are welcome as well. “It’s really exciting for us at UofSC Jazz to launch what will become an annual Jazz Girls Day,” said Dr. Colleen Clark, a drummer and newly-hired assistant professor of Jazz at UofSC. “It will better prepare and provide opportunities for grade-school students to have fulfilling and inspiring experiences in jazz.” A recently published study assessed the rate of women bandleaders and women led ensembles that made the 2019 NPR Music Jazz critics poll. From this study, only 16% of band personnel in the 2019 critics poll were made up of women. In turn, the majority of ranked jazz records did not employ women. This is something that can be addressed in the early stages of musical development, henceforth making Jazz Girls Day a necessity. For more information, contact Clark at colleenbclark@sc.edu.Schedule
- Meet and Greet with School of Music Jazz Faculty, current students (that will co-teach throughout the day)
- Breakout sessions:
- Preparing Your All-State Audition Repertoire
- Improvising the Blues
- Lunch
- Concert: UofSC Jazz Faculty featuring Lauren Meccia & Colleen Clark
- Jam Session with all participants, faculty member and UofSC Jazz Students
Registration
- Jazz Girls Day is a free event. Registration is required.
- Early bird registration perk before Jan. 10, 2022: UOFSC SOM/JAZZ Merchandise
- Register online for the first annual Jazz Girls Day.
Takeaways
- Resources made specifically for Jazz Girls Day
- Connection and mentorship with the UofSC Jazz community
- Matthew White, Associate Professor of Jazz Trumpet/Director of Jazz Studies
- Craig Butterfield, Professor of Double Bass and Jazz Studies/Co-Director of Jazz Studies
- Colleen Clark, Assistant Professor of Jazz/Drumset
- Lauren Meccia, Lecturer of Jazz/Saxophone & Voice
- Michael Wilkinson, Assistant Professor Trombone and Jazz
- Bert Ligon, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Jazz Studies
Governor’s Award recipient lands new radio gig
ColaJazz to entertain on S.C. Public Radio
South Carolina Public Radio (SC Public Radio) announced a collaboration with The ColaJazz Foundation to produce and broadcast a new, weekly limited series focused on South Carolina’s jazz community.
Titled "ColaJazz Presents," the series will air Sundays at 8 p.m. on all eight SC Public Radio stations, with the first episode slated to debut on April 4 – a fitting premiere date as April is recognized as National Jazz Appreciation Month. The first episode will spotlight the Columbia-based ensemble Les Flat Out Strangers.
Host Mark Rapp (right), executive director of The ColaJazz Foundation, will feature performances from a diverse group of South Carolina’s top jazz musicians, as well as interviews with those musicians offering an intimate glimpse into their lives, communities and passion for music. Consisting of 13 episodes, with the last one slated for broadcast on June 27, the series will utilize The ColaJazz Foundation’s ever-growing library of concerts, many of which were recorded over the last year in socially distanced recording sessions where COVID-19 safety precautions were followed.
Ed. note: Rapp is no relation to the author of this article.
“South Carolina is home to a growing jazz community consisting of some incredibly talented musicians and charming venues that provide a home to their performances. We couldn’t be more excited to partner with The ColaJazz Foundation to launch this new series and shine a spotlight on this burgeoning community,” said SCETV President and CEO Anthony Padgett.
This project is the result of SC Public Radio’s ongoing strategy to ramp up local programming. Now in its 48th year of broadcasting, the SC Public Radio network covers not only most of the Palmetto State, but also communities that border South Carolina, including Charlotte, Augusta and Savannah. This broad coverage area allows the network to reach an average weekly listenership of approximately 300,000 individuals. “It is with great honor and excitement for The ColaJazz Foundation to partner with and to be supported by SC Public Radio. The weekly Sunday night ‘ColaJazz Presents’ radio show expands our ongoing mission in style, and we can’t wait to share the incredible jazz music being made in South Carolina by South Carolina jazz artists,” Rapp said. Established in 2014, The ColaJazz Foundation is a community-minded 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization focused on growing, supporting and promoting jazz in the Midlands through events, education, recordings, resources and advocacy. The ColaJazz Foundation is a recipient of the 2021 South Carolina Governor’s Awards for the Arts, the state’s highest award for achievements in practicing or supporting the arts. For more information on ColaJazz Presents, click here.
Hub E-vents: April 30
You want art. You crave art.
#SCartists and arts organizations want to fill that void.
They live for that. It’s a calling.
Yet in times of social distancing, that’s hard to do. Through the wonders of modern technology, many are trying and succeeding. So while we’re all staying home to protect vulnerable family, friends, and neighbors, The Hub is stepping up to fill the void between artists and arts lovers. (Learn more about Hub E-vents here.)
So this is it for April.
The Hub doesn't know about you, but it felt only about half as long as March's approximately 250 days. Progress! (Right?) Let's dance into a new month, and get closer to returning to the people, places, and things we miss.Here are some events for today. (Or anytime.)
- Zumba not cutting it for the serious dancers out there? How about an Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater masterclass instead? The renowned company posted a recorded livestream from a masterclass last September. You. Can. Do. This. (H/t to SCAC alumna Kate Fox for sharing via Facebook.)
- The real headline, though, is that today is International Jazz Day. Here's a sampling of some events to enjoy! (All times Eastern.)
- 11 a.m. throughout the day: Don't forget Skipp Pearson Jazz Foundation's event (registration required)
- 4 p.m.: Some #SCartists appearing at Fest Bossa (Brazil)
- 7 p.m.: Cheraw Arts Commission + Cola Jazz 1: https://facebook.com/colajazz
- 7:01 p.m.: Charleston Jazz Orchestra "Songs of Love" concert: https://youtu.be/8UyQRCJetgQ
- 8 p.m.: Cheraw Arts Commission + Cola Jazz 2: https://facebook.com/cherawartscommission
Hub E-vents: April 28
You want art. You crave art.
#SCartists and arts organizations want to fill that void.They live for that. It’s a calling.
Yet in times of social distancing, that’s hard to do. Through the wonders of modern technology, many are trying and succeeding. So while we’re all staying home to protect vulnerable family, friends, and neighbors, The Hub is stepping up to fill the void between artists and arts lovers. (Learn more about Hub E-vents here.)
Here is an event for today Thursday
(Advance registration is required, so we're posting in advance.)
South Arts can help musicians hit the (jazz) road
#SCartists: apply for Jazz Road Tours grants of up to $15,000
Application deadline: Tuesday, April 21, 2020 [caption id="attachment_36519" align="aligncenter" width="600"]
Columbia musician Mark Rapp (file photo).[/caption]
South Arts is now accepting applications for the second cycle of Jazz Road Tours, offering grants of up to $15,000 to support tours by emerging and mid-career jazz artists.
Artists can apply for funds to build tours that include three to six sites, with an emphasis on bringing jazz to rural, isolated, and underserved parts of the country.
This national program, funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation with additional support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, is led by South Arts in partnership with the five other U.S. Regional Arts Organizations (Arts Midwest, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, New England Foundation for the Arts, and Western Arts Alliance/WESTAF).
“This year, we have simplified the application process for artists,” said Sara Donnelly, director of jazz with South Arts. “We recognize how challenging it can be for artists to gain footholds in new markets or secure engagements in parts of the country that rarely see touring jazz artists, and Jazz Road aims to make touring possible.”
This cycle of Jazz Road funding will support tours occurring between August 2020 and August 2021. Recipients will be able to use the funds to pay for necessary aspects of touring, including travel, lodging, meals, and artist fees. “Artists deserve to be paid equitably for their work, and Jazz Road is able to ensure that musicians can focus on their art as much as their wallets,” continued Donnelly.
To apply, artists must submit information about themselves and any other artists in their ensemble, samples of their work, the structure of the tour, and offer letters countersigned by the performance venues. Artists living anywhere in the U.S. may apply. A peer panel will review all of the applicants using the criteria of artistic excellence and merit of the proposed tour to recommend funding.
“Because of [Jazz Road], the tour was financially stable,” said Caleb Wheeler Curtis, a previous Jazz Road Tours grant recipient. “Without touring, a band cannot be a band. [Our] music grew exponentially. We are excited for the future and can imagine growing an audience to a sustainable size.”
Applications for this round of Jazz Road Tours are due by April 21, 2020. Artists selected for funding will be informed in July. Full guidelines, program information, and additional details are available on www.jazzroad.org and www.southarts.org.