Smithsonian Jazz

Smithsonian Jazz Welcome to Smithsonian Jazz at the National Museum of American History. Exhibits, Concerts, Program For our Privacy Policy: http://www.si.edu/Privacy

At the National Museum of American History, we explore America's fundamental ideas and ideals to help people understand the past in order to make sense of the present and shape a more humane future. By learning more about the history of jazz in America, and the values inherent in jazz such as risk-taking, collaboration, individuality, and freedom, we can better understand the roles we play as musi

cians, students, teachers, audience members, supporters, and leaders. Through the museum's world-class collections, scholarship, concerts by the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, Jazz Appreciation Month, exhibitions, programs, and more, Smithsonian Jazz at the National Museum of American History is committed to exploring and celebrating the American experience through the transformative power of jazz. Please feel free to share thoughts about our posts, ask us questions, or tell us about your experience. We hope you’ll contribute to this interactive forum and to our ongoing conversation about the work we do to further the Smithsonian's mission to increase and diffuse knowledge. While on-topic discussion is encouraged, we ask that you express yourself in a civil manner and treat other users with respect. The Smithsonian also monitors and may remove posts consistent with its terms of use, as described at http://si.edu/Termsofuse -gen.

04/20/2024

Marty Ashby is joined by the Jazz Program Director at the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian, Ken Kimery. Marty and Ken will take a look at the music and legacy of Louie Bellson, a beloved NEA Jazz Master. Louie was a talented jazz and swing drummer, as well as a bandleader and composer/arranger. Tune in to find out why Duke Ellington deemed Bellson as "the world's greatest musician."

Friday and Sunday at 6:00 PM
Saturday at 1:00 PM
WZUM The Pittsburgh Jazz Channel

02/17/2024

The Washington Ballet’s “Jazz Icons: A Fine Romance” pairs two disciplines, and occasionally achieves cosmic liftoff.

02/03/2024
Jazz Appreciation Month 2023Jazzed about Art “Miles Davis” Sketch of jazz musician Miles DavisThis year’s poster artwork...
04/03/2023

Jazz Appreciation Month 2023
Jazzed about Art “Miles Davis” Sketch of jazz musician Miles Davis
This year’s poster artwork comes from the museum’s LeRoy Neiman collection and is a sketch of trumpeter Miles Davis created during or soon after Davis’s July 5, 1981, performance at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, New York. In addition to this sketch of Miles Davis, one can also enjoy seeing Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, and a whole host of legendary jazz musicians depicted in LeRoy Neiman’s “Big Band” painting online and on display at the museum.
https://americanhistory.si.edu/smithsonian-jazz/jazz-appreciation-month/jazz-appreciation-month-posters

2023 NEA Jazz Masters Honored at Free EventsAnnual Concert to Take Place April 1, 2023, at the John F. Kennedy Center fo...
03/30/2023

2023 NEA Jazz Masters Honored at Free Events
Annual Concert to Take Place April 1, 2023, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts & Streamed Online

In honor of the 2023 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters—Regina Carter, Kenny Garrett, Louis Hayes, and Sue Mingus—the NEA is collaborating with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on a series of free events March 30-April 1 that will give audiences opportunities to exper...

Jazzed About Art: Jazz Appreciation Month Saturday, April 1, 7:00 p.m. To kick off the annual worldwide celebration of j...
03/28/2023

Jazzed About Art: Jazz Appreciation Month
Saturday, April 1, 7:00 p.m.

To kick off the annual worldwide celebration of jazz, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra offers a soundtrack filled with rhythm, texture, and color as it showcases the work of prominent 20th–century visual artists including William Sharp, John Fenton, and Romare Bearden. "Be-Bop" by Dizzy Gillespie, "Crying and Singing" by McKinney's Cotton Pickers, and "Kingdom of Not" by Sun Ra are among the musical selections.

To kick off the annual worldwide celebration of jazz, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra offers a soundtrack filled with rhythm, texture, and color as it showcases the work of prominent 20th–century visual artists including William Sharp, John Fenton, and Romare Bearden. Works by Dizzy...

Mamie Smith, Bessie Smith, and the Centennial Year of Race Records Saturday, February 18, 7:00 p.m. Baird Auditorium, Na...
02/14/2023

Mamie Smith, Bessie Smith, and the Centennial Year of Race Records
Saturday, February 18, 7:00 p.m.
Baird Auditorium, National Museum of Natural History

The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Ensemble delves into the vocal stylings of legendary blues singers Mamie Smith and Bessie Smith, the Queen of the Blues and the Empress of the Blues. Both Mamie Smith and Bessie Smith (no relation) were highly touted in the 1920s for their groundbreaking Okeh “Race Record” recordings. Singer Ekep Nkwelle performs “Crazy Blues" (1920), "Gulf Coast Blues" (1923), and “Jenny’s Ball” (1931).

Tickets on sale through the Smithsonian Associates
Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Under the artistic direction of maestro Charlie Young, enjoy outstanding live performances of great jazz music by the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra. This in-person concert delves into the vocal styling of legendary blues singers Mamie (“Queen of the Blues”) Smith and Bessie (&ld...

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