Today the Autumn Creek Blog is excited to be writing about Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM), which is this month. Learn about the history and ways you can celebrate the month in today’s blog.
One of the reasons April was chosen as JAM is because it’s the birth month of many of the great jazz musicians, including Ella Fitzgerald, Bessie Smith, Johnny Dodds, Billie Holiday, Charles Mingus, Lionel Hampton, Gerry Mulligan, Shorty Rogers, Tito Puente, Herbie Hancock, and Duke Ellington. Miles Davis, speaking of Duke Ellington said, “At least one day out of the year all musicians should just put their instruments down, and give thanks to Duke Ellington.”
We invite members of our apartment community at Autumn Creek Apartments to take some time this month to get out (or stay in) and appreciate some smooth jazz. To help you out, we’ve put together some ideas about how to celebrate JAM:
— Follow your favorite musicians or groups on social media.
— Seek out new jazz music, musicians, and albums.
— Read a biography about one of your favorite jazz musicians, a book of jazz poetry, or other jazz book, fiction or nonfiction.
— Watch a jazz documentary, film, or performance.
New York has a long tradition of being home to some of the best jazz in history. Yelp has some suggestions for jazz venues in the East Amherst, NY area you may want to check out.
Jazz Buffalo is also a great resource for finding out about the jazz scene in the area. In association with Pausa Art House, they will be hosting a free event for International Jazz Day, April 30th, from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Here’s some additional information from the calendar event announcement:
So far, The Hot Club of Buffalo, the Buffalo Brass Machine, and My Cousin Tone’ will be performing. International model and singer Carmina Suzanne will also be singing a song or two in French/Italian to add to the international flavor of the event. Look for one or two more groups performing. Donations will be accepted with proceeds going to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, in which the annual MS Walk is on the following Saturday, May 6.
You can also take an extra excuse to get your passport ready: you can catch a double feature of Justin Kauflin and Alfredo Rodríguez, who are billed as “internationally-acclaimed jazz pianists,” at Bravo Niagara on May 6th at the Stratus Vineyards. We hope you enjoy some jazz this month. Thanks for reading today’s post!