JazzArts Charlotte celebrates 15 years of using music to bring the community together

As JazzArts Charlotte celebrates its 15th anniversary this fall, the organization is focused as much on its future as on its past.

The nonprofit has grown significantly since its earliest days, when it started with a series of free performances at Festival in the Park and an educational program with a handful of students. It’s also been a major force behind building a jazz community in Charlotte.

Today, it serves thousands of children and adults with performances and educational initiatives.

For years, the group was considered one of the area’s best-kept secrets, said JazzArts Charlotte’s president, CEO and co-founder Lonnie Davis. It has evolved from an organization with a small budget and big ideas to an anchor arts organization in the region.

According to its 2023-24 Impact Report , the organization’s annual revenue and expenses now top $1 million.

One of the accomplishments Davis is most proud of is the way JazzArts has worked to connect people of all ages and backgrounds in Charlotte. Jazz, she said, has served as a “tool to bring people together who otherwise would never cross paths.”

Diversity and growth among jazz audiences

In 2018 and 2022, JazzArts Charlotte commissioned audience analyses from ArtsMarket, a consulting firm. According to its findings, JazzArts Charlotte’s audience is “the most diverse among local arts organizations.”

“That’s something we’re proud of, but we’re very intentional about being diverse,” Davis said. “And that is measuring diversity in every way. That’s not only ethnic diversity but it’s age, it’s socioeconomics, it’s education and… life stages.”

Davis credits JazzArts’ varied programming and affordable pricing as essential factors that allow it to serve so many different types of audiences. That’s possible, she said, thanks to a variety of funding from individuals, community partners, foundations and corporate donors.

“Through our program, we’ve been able to bring people together in a very organic, unique way… and build valuable social capital… amongst the community,” she said.

Those efforts have not only brought in a more diverse audience but also brought in many more people to its programs. Between 2019 and 2022, Davis said JazzArts doubled its audience base.

The organization’s signature jazz series, The Jazz Room, which began with one monthly show now offers four performances a month. It features local, regional and nationally-known artists throughout the year.

Shows include popular tributes to artists of the past, like the upcoming Sasha Masakowski concerts featuring the Bossa Nova sounds of Brazilian legend Antonio Carlos Jobim . They also highlight innovators who stretch the genre in new directions, like five-time Grammy nominated trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist Chief Adjuah (formerly known as Christian Scott).

JazzArts growth also comes from a commitment to building a jazz audience in Charlotte through music education, workshops and ensemble opportunities for young musicians.

According to JazzArt Charlotte’s website , the organization has reached more than 50,000 local K-12 students since 2011 through its JazzArts Academy, with 38% of those students coming from low-income communities.

The organization’s educational programs have expanded and been greatly enriched, Davis said, by hiring JazzArts Charlotte’s first Education Director, Patrick Brown, two years ago.

“We’re really thrilled to have him and, you know, all of our other amazing team members that do this work day in and day out to… move our mission forward.”

Programs include youth ensembles, jazz in school workshops and summer camp opportunities.

One of the newest groups is the Nuestro Tiempo Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble , now in its second year. The program introduces students in 7th to 12th grade to the fundamentals and history of the Latin jazz genre as they rehearse and play together.

“There are not many programs like this around the country,” Davis said. “But the goal… is to expose our young musicians to the contributions and the culture and the rich heritage of Latin Jazz, Afro-Cuban music and American music.”

The program, which is directed by Cuban jazz pianist and vocalist iliana Rose along with Afro-Caribbean and Latin percussionist Johnny Vergara, meets weekly. About 20 students, selected via audition, currently participate. Many come from families with South American or Latin American roots, Davis said.

It’s also a free program, thanks to grants from the Arts & Science Council, NC Arts Council and the Albemarle Foundation.

How JazzArts is marking its 15th anniversary

The organization is adding several educational and financial initiatives as it ushers in its 15th year. A new adult webinar series will debut in spring 2025.

Davis said one thing that sets JazzArts Charlotte apart from some other jazz organizations around the country is how it aims to provide educational opportunities for adults as well as youths.

“As part of our model, it’s important that we educate everyone.”

JazzArts Charlotte is also introducing a band director academy next spring, in partnership with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, to enrich music education through work with local band and orchestra directors. That program is possible with support from the National Endowment for the Arts .

The organization recently introduced merit-based scholarships that offer full tuition for JazzArts programs to reward the hard work by some of the community’s most dedicated young musicians. That’s in addition to existing financial aid opportunities for youth programs.

Davis said JazzArts is also rolling out a new Legacy Society, providing opportunities for donors to contribute to the organization’s endowment “to help secure long-term stability for this music and the work that we do in the rich tradition of jazz in our community.”

According to its latest Impact Report, the organization had a shortfall of more than $117,000 during its last fiscal year. Davis said the Legacy Society is one of a number of strategies the organization has implemented to address this concern.

On the performance side, Davis said JazzArts will highlight fan favorites during its upcoming season of The Jazz Room. This will include “spotlighting some of the most beloved musicians that we have featured over the years,” she said.

“Our audience can expect new collaborations with familiar artists that really helped to shape… what The Jazz Room has become.”

In November, a special alumni concert will feature former students who are now professional musicians performing around the globe.

Other events this season include the popular family-friendly holiday show “Piano Night, A Charlie Brown Christmas, featuring the music of Vince Guaraldi.”

For Valentine’s Day weekend, Charlotte’s own rising star, saxophonist Adrian Crutchfield returns to play a special concert dedicated to the music of Grover Washington Jr. Crutchfield’s resume includes collaborations with artists including Branford Marsalis, Bette Midler and Prince.

And in March, acclaimed saxophonist and vocalist Camille Thurman, who previously performed at the Charlotte Jazz Festival, will make her Jazz Room debut.

That festival last took place in 2019 and was previously organized by Blumenthal Arts. Davis said she’d like to bring it back to the city, and is aiming for it to make a comeback in the next three to five years.

Looking towards the future

Davis said the organization not only wants to continue contributing to the local arts economy with its monthly shows but also wants to attract visitors to Charlotte as a tourist destination.

JazzArts has become a model for other organizations around the country, something Davis said is an honor. Outside of Charlotte, Davis also recently finished a two-year term as board president of the Jazz Education Network , a global community advocating for expanded jazz education and performance.

Among her goals for JazzArts is working toward a day when it has its own center for jazz in Charlotte to present educational programs and host the community.

But the recent devastation in Western North Carolina from Hurricane Helene has also been a surreal reminder for Davis. The New Orleans native relocated with her family to Charlotte in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

“It’s really heartbreaking and… I feel the pain of that community and our state very deeply,” Davis told The Observer during her interview a week after the hurricane made landfall.

“My heart personally goes out to everyone experiencing loss and you know trying to recover… or looking for their loved ones… and don’t know where they are right now. I know that, I know that too well.”

The organization is discussing how it can support the people of North Carolina who are dealing with the hurricane’s aftermath. Davis hopes it can be something meaningful “that will help them to… move forward from this tragedy.”

That’s something she managed to do herself many years ago with her vision for JazzArts Charlotte. And 15 years later, Davis is still looking for ways to use music to bring the community together.

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