Blog

This month, Conversations with Curtis welcomes Ben Jaffe, Creative Director at Preservation Hall. JazzArts Charlotte has celebrated our holiday at the JAZZ ROOM with the Preservation Hall All-Stars several times to sold-out crowds.   They know how to bring the house down with their New Orleans traditional jazz sound.  But there is much more to Preservation Hall.

It’s been an unprecedented summer of jazz with the radical shifting of programs to a virtual environment and an expansion from monthly to weekly events, albeit online.  Behind the scenes, three summer interns have been a significant resource applying their fresh skill to this transition.

You’ve seen their faces in the JAZZ ROOM and they have been hard at work for the past several years ensuring the growth of our mission. This past year, celebrating our 10 year anniversary, has highlighted the amazing results that the board is instrumental in delivering.

In catching up with a few of the All-Stars, we hear an echo of our own state of mind, and can capture a sense of encouragement. They each describe this summer as a combination of relaxing and revealing.

There’s Bop, Swing, Modal, Free, Latin, Soul and Contemporary; a category of jazz for every taste. This time of year, people often ask me this question, one that is simple but not so categorically easy: “What is Summer Jazz?” Lets explore.