Jazz Appreciation Month

April is Jazz Appreciation Month! April was chosen for Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM) in recognition of the birthdays of jazz greats such as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Gerry Mulligan, and Tito Puente. This year, the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, which operates the world’s most comprehensive set of jazz programs,  celebrates JAM with the theme Jazz Alchemy: A Love Supreme, to pay tribute to John Coltrane and the 50th anniversary of his composition A Love Supreme.

For the latest jazz music in the catalog, including The Great Gatsby: The Jazz Recordings, Michael Bublé, Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, and more, search the catalog using the term "Jazz", and limiting your search by subject, date & the format "soundrecording" in the sidebar options.

For the latest movies related to jazz, including Chico & Rita and The Original Rompin' Stompin', Hot & Heavy, Cool & Groovy All-Star Jazz Show (featuring Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, and others), search the catalog using the term "Jazz", and limiting your search by subject, date & the format "videos DVD" in the sidebar options.

To find new books about jazz or jazz-related in the library catalog, search the catalog using the term "Jazz", and limiting your search by subject, date & the format "books" in the sidebar options. You'll find books for kids like Herman & Rosie, for young adults (The Sound of Letting Go), and of course adult reads, including biography, poetry, and titles such as Keystone Korner: Portrait of a Jazz Club.


Links


112 Ways to Celebrate Jazz

Jazz Appreciation Month: National Endowment for the Humanities

Jazz Appreciation Month: American Jazz Museum



*Catalog instructions are for searching in Encore.

Jazz Appreciation Month

LIVE IT-LEARN IT-LOVE IT

April is Jazz Appreciation Month! Visit the Smithsonian Jazz site to view their Jazz Month events, This Day in Jazz History, & suggestions on how to celebrate Jazz Month, including recommended jazz-themed children's books for kids aged 4-8 like The Jazz Fly by Matthew Gollub and Karen Hanke, The Sound That Jazz Makes by Carole Boston Weatherford and Eric Velasquez, If I Only Had a Horn: Young Louis Armstrong by Roxane Orgill and Leonard Jenkins, & Chris Raschka’s Mysterious Thelonious or Charlie Parker Played Be Bop.

A keyword search of jazz in our catalog will bring up a variety of items in books, music, & movies! Check out the most recent biographies of Thelonious Monk & John Coltrane, both very favorably reviewed. For an interesting listen, check out Melody Gardot's My One & Only Thrill or Worrisome Heart.

Django Reinhardt, Gypsy Jazz Guitarist

Today marks the 100th birthday of European jazz great Django Reinhardt. Reinhardt, a Gypsy jazz guitarist, was one of the first prominent European jazz musicians and remains one of the most renowned jazz guitarists of all time. For more about Django Reinhardt, check out:

Django Reinhardt and the Illustrated History of Gypsy Jazz by Michael Dregni with Alain Antonietto and Anne Legrand

Django: The Life and Music of a Gypsy Legend by Michael Dregni

Happy Birthday Django Reinhardt! (Guardian website)

If you'd like to listen to Reinhardt's music, consider:

An Introduction to Django Reinhardt (music CD)