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(Continued from page 2)
(national) touring artists, to help local musicians get wider exposure ¼ and to work on educational programs, like outreach to the high schools," Herzig says.
As Miller notes in his history of Bloomington jazz, the Hoagy Carmichael Jazz Society, formed by Harvey Phillips, brought national acts to town in the 1980s and resulted in a Dave McKenna tribute album in honor of the Bloomington jazz great. Remarkably, however, despite the long-standing vitality of the local jazz scene, no other community jazz society existed until JfB.
In its first season, JfB hosted four concerts by national touring acts - Danillo Perez, John Scofield, Michael Weiss and Lynne Arriale.
"Five concerts are the goal this
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season," Herzig says, with three shows - by Christian McBride, Dave Holland and John Abercrombie - already firm.
In booking the major performances, JfB works to stretch its resources and keep the concerts affordable in a local arts-and-performance scene that is very competitive. "It's hard because we have such a restrained budget. We can't afford to ask someone to come here specifically for our appearance. What we're doing is looking for musicians who need to fill up a date. We've been looking at groups that are already touring in the region, people that would be in a position to add a stop here along their way."
Similarly, last year JfB seized a unique opportunity to host Joanne Brackeen at a membership reception, while she was in town conducting a workshop. The
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reception gave JfB members a chance to meet the pianist, who had just been nominated for a Grammy.
And so, the "construction work" behind JfB continues. Herzig says that the amount of work - and the complexities entailed in creating the organization - have at times surprised her and the other volunteers. Still, she said, she's optimistic about JfB's future. The concert series is shaping up to be fantastic and should draw crowds to its Buskirk-Chumley venue, she says, while the Bloomington jazz scene is increasingly vital and interesting: "But the key to our success is really going to be with our members, getting members from last year to renew and getting the word out to new members."
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JfB is now online. Visit us at http://www.bloomington.in.us/~jfb.
As appropriate for a site devoted to an art of improvisation, ours is a constant work-in-progress. For now, we have:
· Information about JfB and its mission.
· A page of links to other jazz-related sites, including local and regional musicians, organizations and venues, and links to the jazz world at large: publications, societies, record labels, and lots of national and international festivals.
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· A "Jazz Calendar," listing local and regional events on the jazz scene. You can use the Calendar as "post your own gig" publicity. Musicians, or fans with hot tips, are invited to post announcements of upcoming events. It's easy and completely free! You can flag your event as "all ages" (the audience doesn't have to be 21) or "non-smoking" (the air, not the music!), and include images or live links to other sites where viewers can learn more. Visit this page frequently to find out what's
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going on or to spread the word about your own gigs.
· A Bulletin Board where you can post and reply to public messages for the local jazz community.
· An on-line version of the newsletter, beginning with this issue.
· More ¼
Check it out, and by all means let us know what else you'd like to see on our site!
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