Press Releases

For Immediate Release: 1/5/05

"Save the Jazz Museum in Harlem" Fund Raising Campaign Kicks Off the New Year

HARLEM, NY - The Jazz Museum in Harlem (JMIH) is launching a nationwide fundraising campaign asking Americans to SAVE THE JAZZ MUSEUM IN HARLEM WITH ONE DOLLAR. "To keep the momentum growing the Museum is currently seeking a permanent residence." Executive Director Loren Schoenberg states, "There is nothing as American as jazz, and in times such as these, it's worth holding onto and supporting something that speaks to our very best intentions as a nation. For a nominal fee, every American can own a part of this new and dynamic Museum currently taking shape in Harlem. We want the Jazz Museum in Harlem to be a down-home kind of place where Americans from all 50 states have a home when they come to New York."

Out of their office in Harlem, over the past three years, JMIH has:

• Launched a bi-weekly series, "Harlem Speaks," honoring individuals of importance to the legacy of Harlem jazz.
  
  
• Co-produced first jazz event at The White House celebrating Black Music Month, and hosted a Planning Conference with a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts.
  
  
• Founded The Jazz Museum in Harlem All-Stars, which have performed at the White House and at benefits for leading not-for-profit organizations such as The Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, the Friends of the Yitzhak Rabin Medical Center and The Theater For A New Audience.
  
  
• Collaborated with The Juilliard School and The Ramaz School on educational events.
  
  
• Produced for The Museum of the City of New York: a concert/lecture series on Harlem Jazz, featuring Bobby Short, Stanley Crouch, Jon Gordon and Wycliffe Gordon, and a summer film series.
  
  
• Received a grant from JPMorgan Chase and The Harlem Chamber of Commerce in recognition of JMIH accomplishments.
  
  

Negotiated a historic agreement between the Broadcasting Board of Governors, The National Archives and The Jazz Museum in Harlem to preserve Willis Conover's legendary "Voice of America" broadcast.

The mission of the Jazz Museum in Harlem places an emphasis on its role as a "virtual museum" with many programs going on while development plans continue to evolve. The following initiatives are in varying stages of development:

• The Harlem Speaks series will be developed into a series of educational programs taking the speakers into local schools as part of a multi-part series dealing with Harlem's great jazz legacy.
  
  
• Create programs for pre-school age children, including a puppet show based on Harlem History with jazz themes associated with the characters.
  
  
• Produce concerts with an historical perspective highlighting our Harlem Speaks artists, and focusing on the JMIH's mandate to preserve Harlem's jazz heritage, including an event featuring musicians with strong Harlem connections such as Sonny Rollins and Ornette Coleman. An emphasis will be placed on fostering relationships with locally based musicians, creating opportunities for youngsters to interact with them.
  
  
• Development of JMIH walking tours in Harlem, culminating in an evening at the Lenox Lounge and other community venues. JMIH will integrate these tours with local educational institutions, and they will be hosted by accomplished Harlem historians and musicians.
  
  
• Conduct extensive interviews with elderly residents whose lives have intersected with jazz. There is a large local senior population, and their participation would be used as basis for creating a "Lost Treasures" initiative where we will ask Harlem residents to search their family archives for photos and other memorabilia that would be used in our exhibits. This program will also be integrated into the Harlem Speaks series.