PRESS

Jazz Coalition Grant Projects Now Posted

The Jazz Coalition, an artistic and financial support initiative for jazz musicians during the pandemic, has announced that the works of art resulting from the group’s Commission Fund grant-making process will be posted in an online gallery at jazzcoalition.org.

The Coalition awarded $1,000 grants to 104 musicians in support of new music to capture this moment and point a way toward transcendence. The grantees were announced in two groups. Artists in the second group were asked to focus their commissions on the movement for racial justice, building on a long legacy of political engagement in jazz.

By Downbeat | August 24, 2021

Jazz Coalition Shares Online Gallery of 104 Musicians’ New Work

After raising enough money to provide 104 musicians with $1,000 grants to put toward new projects, the Jazz Coalition has posted an online gallery of the new works.

Formed at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jazz Coalition was created by NYC Winter Jazzfest’s Brice Rosenbloom, artist manager Gail Boyd, and concert producer Danny Melnick. The aim was to “unite the global jazz community” by building a network of industry professionals, musicians, and supporters.

By Jazz FM91 | August 19, 2021

Jazz Coalition Commissions Now Available to Public Having provided 104 musicians with $1000 grants during the bleak times of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jazz Coalition has posted an online gallery of the astonishing resulting commissions. The audio and video works presented are from artists across the spectrum of jazz and improvised music, including Carla Bley, Linda May Han Oh, Joel Ross, Jazzmeia Horn, Orrin Evans, Fay Victor, and many more.

By Jazziz | August 16, 2021

Grammy Awards: Jazz Coalition Commission Fund Is Helping More Than 100 Jazz Musicians: The COVID-19 pandemic wounded the jazz community, leaving musicians wondering where their next check would come from. Many of them just got much-needed help courtesy of the Jazz Coalition—and they've offered an ocean of curated audio and video in response.

By Grammys | August 10, 2021 7:16 AM

‘Jazz In Brief’: Grants Announced Efforts to offset the financial setbacks performers face because of the coronavirus pandemic continue, with the Jazz Coalition, a nonprofit granting organization, announcing its second round of $1,000 allocations on Aug. 18. Artists who will be composing new works and premiering them after the pandemic recedes include trumpeter Tom Harrell, drummers Allison Miller and Makaya McCraven, and pianist Sullivan Fortner. To date, the coalition has dispensed more than $100,000 to musicians, according to a press release.
By DownBeat   I  September 4, 2020

Pollstar: Rhapsody In Green: Jazz Coalition's Commission Fund Supports Artists 
By Pollstar | July 26, 2020, 5:49 PM

NPR Morning Edition: Jazz Community Comes Together To Help Unemployed Musicians The Jazz Coalition Commission Fund is trying to help struggling musicians by doling out $1,000 micro-grants through a nomination and jury process. Winners will create new musical pieces. Heard on NPR Morning Edition | May 11, 2020, 5:01 AM ET

Newly Formed Jazz Coalition Readies Commission Grants
NEWS, COVID-19, BRANFORD MARSALIS, LUCIANA SOUZA, KRIS DAVIS, NICOLE MITCHELL, TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON
By DownBeat I May 11, 2020

Jazz Coalition Launched to Support Musicians During Lockdown
The coalition will administer a fund that commissions artists to create new works; $70,000 has already been raised, but more is needed
 By JAZZTIMES | PUBLISHED MAY 11, 2020  

PRESS RELEASE: MAY 11 2020

GLOBAL JAZZ COMMUNITY UNITES TO LAUNCH JAZZ COALITION - A COLLECTIVE OF INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS, MUSICIANS, ADVOCATES & FANS CONTRIBUTING TO A COMMISSION FUND SUPPORTING ARTISTS TO CREATE NEW WORK

 Jazz Industry Veterans Brice Rosenbloom (NYC Winter Jazzfest),  
Gail Boyd (Gail Boyd Artist Management), 
Danny Melnick (Absolutely Live Productions) 
Join Forces to Form Jazz Coalition

Musicians today face economic ruin unless organizations intervene providing resources and hope. Given the current reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, the timeline of resuming live performances worldwide is uncertain. There is an immediate need to keep artists in the global jazz community actively creating and compensated for their work. 

For this reason, professionals in the jazz field, spearheaded by Brice Rosenbloom, founder of NYC Winter Jazzfest, Gail Boyd, an entertainment lawyer and artist manager at Gail Boyd Artist Management, and Danny Melnick of Absolutely Live Entertainment, a veteran concert and festival promoter, have aligned to launch Jazz Coalition.  

Jazz Coalition is a diverse network of jazz industry professionals, artists, and supporters dedicated to  raising funds and commissioning artists to create new work in response to these challenging times.  

"With daunting uncertainty now within the live music industry and specifically in jazz," says Rosenbloom, "we realize the need to selflessly pivot and unite the jazz community in an immediate effort to commission musicians and nurture their creativity,” adds Rosenbloom.  “These commissions will create a new canon of work reflecting our collective resilience.” 

“Jazz musicians have always composed music to reflect the times we are living in," Boyd adds. "The idea that musicians will receive a grant to compose music at this time serves the purpose of documenting where they are, what they are thinking, and how they are coping at this very crucial time in our history. I am proud to be a part of the team that is helping to make that happen.” 

Melnick notes a mantra of NEA Jazz Master Todd Barkan: "Take care of the music and the music will take care of you." Melnick adds, “With that spirit at heart, we have come together during this unprecedented time to start a global movement in support of, and encouragement for, the jazz artists who create beautiful and timeless music. We know this isn’t a panacea but we hope to uplift as many musicians and listeners as possible.” 

Many jazz musicians are also joining Jazz Coalition to support their colleagues in need. “As you know, and as you can probably testify, we are living in some very challenging times. And these challenging times have affected our jazz community,” remarks GRAMMY and TONY award winner and NEA Jazz Master, Dee Dee Bridgewater.

Additionally prominent jazz educators and musicians have donated their own funds already to Jazz Coalition. Founder of Berklee College of Music's Institute For Jazz and Gender Justice, and 3x GRAMMY-winning drummer, composer and producer Terri Lyne Carrington adds, “We’re all struggling one way or another during this time of social distancing, especially the arts community. It is crucial that artists are able to remain creative and be compensated.” University of Pittsburgh Director of Jazz Studies, flutist and composer Nicole Mitchellcontinues, “I know that the independent musicians are some of the hardest hit by the Coronavirus because they can’t work, they can’t perform, they can’t help bring people together right now.“

Encouraging others to support the commission fund, saxophonist and GRAMMY-winner and 14-time nominee Joe Lovano values the process “to create new works for the future in this time of need and renewal.”  Meanwhile South African pianist, composer and healer Nduduzo Makhathini deeply expresses the artistic responsibility. “This is indeed a difficult time. But also an interesting time. It is a moment to reflect. It is a moment to think about new innovations. It is also a moment to think about new sonic imaginings. More than ever artists’ creation requires a deeper level of deliberateness.“

MEDIA CONTACT: Matt Merewitz / Fully Altered Media / matt@fullyaltered.com