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Jazz Appreciation month with the Airmen of Note

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Bob Kamholz
Washington, D.C. --  Everyone knows April showers bring May flowers, but did you know it is also Jazz Appreciation Month? Also known as JAM, the month long celebration started at the National Museum of American History in 2002 and is now celebrated in all 50 states and in over 40 nations across the globe

According to the Smithsonian's website, "JAM is intended to stimulate and encourage people of all ages to participate in jazz - to study the music, attend concerts, listen to jazz on radio and recordings, read books about jazz, and more."

The Airmen of Note has several concerts planned throughout the month of April in celebration of the history of jazz as an artform.

The first concert kicks off on Tuesday, April 4 with a special performance at Armstrong Concert Hall in Winchester, VA, on the campus of Shenandoah University. The concert begins at 8 p.m. To reserve free tickets, please visit https://www.su.edu/performs/event/us-airmen-of-note/. 

This year marks the centennial celebration of the birth of one of jazz's most iconic female performers, Ella Fitzgerald. Join the Airmen of Note Combo as they pay tribute to women in jazz on Thursday, April 6 at the National Museum of American History. This captivating concert will feature music by some of the most influential women ever to grace the stage: Ella Fitzgerald, Mary Lou Williams, Shirley Horn and more. The group will perform 22 minute sets starting at 12 p.m., 1 p.m., and 2 p.m. Tickets are not required.

The group takes to the road on Friday, April 7 to perform at the University of Delaware Jazz Festival in Newark, DE. The concert starts at 7 p.m. in the Loudis Recital Hall in the Amy E. du Pont Music Building. The concert is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required. For more information on the festival, visit: www.music.udel.edu/ensembles/jazz/Pages/jazz-festival.aspx.

The third (and final) concert in the Note's very own Jazz Heritage Series takes place on Thursday, April 20 at 8 p.m. The performance features trombone master Marshall Gilkes at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center on the Alexandria campus of the Northern Virginia Community College. Tickets for this concert will be released on Monday, March 20, 2017 at 8 a.m. Please visit  http://usafband.eventbrite.com to download free tickets. All unclaimed seats will be released to non-ticketed patrons 15 minutes prior to the start of the performance.

The final JAM concert celebrates International Jazz Day on Sunday, April 30 at the Sylvan Theater located on Independence Ave. SW and 15th Street NW in Washington, DC. The band takes the stage from 3 p.m-6 p.m. and will perform both new and classic big band repertoire. All outdoor concerts are subject to weather cancellation. Please follow the band on Facebook at http://www.face​book.com/USAFBa​nd and on Twitter at @USAFBand for any last minute changes due to weather.

To learn more about other U.S. Air Force Band concerts visit: http://www.usafband.af.mil/eventscalendar/index.asp.