Click here to read WNPR’s profile of Jazz Up Close series
We are excited to announce the 2023 Jazz Up Close events!
May 13: Dennis Mackrel (click here to make a reservation)
September 9: Caili O’Doherty and Cory Cox
October 28: Gregory Tardy
All events take place at the Russell Library in Middletown, CT and are free and open to the public thanks to support from Resonant Motion’s donors, the Middletown Commission on the Arts, and CT Humanities (CTH), with funding provided by the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) from the Connecticut State Legislature.
One of RMI’s missions is to give people REAL access to the soul and beauty of jazz music. We say “real” access because often simply having a concert occur in a particular community isn’t enough (though it is certainly an important component). Jazz, and especially instrumental jazz, has a layer of abstraction that can initially be off-putting to some would-be listeners. BUT, we have found that this can often be overcome just by giving those folks a bit of understanding – what’s going on in the music, what’s the inspiration behind it and who are the real humans creating it? This is not an academically hoity-toity question of deeply understanding history and theory (though for those motivated accordingly those are exceptionally stimulating areas), this is a much simpler matter of giving people who have ears and emotions a few basic tools with which they can connect those things – to feel the depth of emotions evoked by these sounds.
This is the basis of the Jazz Up Close idea. The artists explain their process and inspiration and attendees get to engage in meaningful dialogue. If you have musical training, great. If you have none whatsoever, great. This access requires nothing more than attentiveness and curiosity. In past seasons, we’ve featured great talents and communicators such as Freddie Bryant, Steve Wilson, Gerald Cleaver, Meg Okura, Joe Locke, Claire Daly, and Victor Lewis.
Bookmark this page for updates on where/how to view the 10/17/20 event, which will feature the typical Q&A and conversation with those watching, along with new collaborative (socially distanced) videos of the guest artists’ compositions.
Just because a season of Jazz Up Close has passed, it doesn’t diminish the importance of the mission, the messages, or the lasting legacy of the performances. Please check out previous seasons including stellar performances from and compelling discussions with our guest artists.