Click here to read WNPR’s profile of Jazz Up Close series
Stay tuned for exciting information about the 2023 Jazz Up Close series!
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, Meg Okura, Joe Locke, and Victor Lewis.
We look forward to another season of events at the Russell Library in Middletown, CT, which will remain free and open to the public. We are grateful for the support we have received over the years from Resonant Motion’s donors, the Middletown Commission on the Arts, the Friends of the Russell Library, CT Humanities, the Connecticut Office of the Arts (part of the Department of Economic and Community Development), the Shoreline Arts Alliance, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
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.