The Jazz Foundation of America (JFA) will present its annual “A Great Night in Harlem” gala concert on Thursday, March 28, 2024.
Proceeds from the event benefit the JFA’s life-saving programs, which provides housing assistance, pro bono medical care, disaster relief, meaningful work, and direct financial support to musicians and their families in times of crisis.
JFA’s annual “A Great Night in Harlem” will be held at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, featuring a night of jazz, blues, rock, and more for an incredible show.
The evening will feature a historic collaboration between Bobby Weir, founding member of the Grateful Dead, Dead & Company and Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros and JFA Musical Director, Steve Jordan. Additionally, there will be a performance by the pioneers of Afrofuturism, the Sun Ra Arkestra, directed by 99-year-old Marshall Allen.
The gala will also feature a Max Roach Centennial Tribute led by trumpeter/composer Charles Tolliver and featuring fellow all-stars Dee Dee Bridgewater, Billy Harper, George Cables, and Rufus Reid. The segment will include three masters of the drums—Al Foster, Billy Hart, and Louis Hayes—who will be honored as Titans of Jazz.
The night will culminate with a special honor presented to esteemed business icon and beloved JFA Chairman Emeritus Richard D. Parsons with JFA’s Dr. Billy Taylor Humanitarian Award for his leadership and service to JFA and musicians nationwide.
This presentation will mark a leadership transition at JFA, with longtime JFA President, Jarrett Lilien (WisdomTree) assuming the role of Chairman following Parsons’ 15-year tenure, and dedicated board member Dr. Daveed D. Frazier becoming the President of JFA’s Board of Directors.
Visit to buy tickets, benefit packages or donate: https://jazzfoundation.org/Gala2024
The Jazz Foundation of America
For 35 years, the Jazz Foundation of America (JFA) has been keeping jazz, blues, roots, and R&B alive by helping the musicians who have played the soundtrack to our lives. With compassion and discretion, JFA makes it possible to pay someone’s rent and keep them from eviction or homelessness when illness, accident, or old age prevents them from working.
Our social work services and Musicians’ Emergency Fund provide housing assistance, pro bono medical care, disaster relief, and financial support to musicians and their families in times of crisis. In the past year, JFA assisted in more than 7,000 cases.
Through our Jazz and Blues in the Schools and Gig Fund performance programs, we create purpose and dignified employment for hundreds of musicians every month and bring free concerts to thousands of underserved audience members at public schools, hospitals, nursing homes, museums, parks, libraries, and community centers across the country.
Photo credit: Dee Dee Bridgewater.
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