Next year, JAMM will celebrate twelve years in existence!
It all started with a few folks planting a few seeds.
The first Jazz Alliance of Mid-Michigan (JAMM) meeting was held on Monday, September 29, 2009 at the home of Lois Mummaw and Gregg Hill. Lois and Gregg gathered together a number of fellow jazz lovers to explore possibilities for preserving and promoting live jazz in Mid-Michigan. Many of these interested folks were musicians, patrons, promoters, business owners, and some, just curious friends.
The Michigan economy was spiraling downward and venues for jazz in the area were rapidly disappearing. After just two months of organizing, JAMM held its first major event on January 24, 2010 with a Tribute to pianist Sandy Izenson, who started the first Jazz society in Mid-Michigan. The event was held at Perspective2 in Old Town Lansing. A scholarship was started in Sandy’s name to be awarded to a high school student studying jazz. That has continued each year, and we now have a five piece JAMM Scholarship Band!
Since that first Tribute event, JAMM has hosted eleven more successful Tributes, and eleven Annual Mixers and Membership Drives. JAMM contributes funds yearly to the East Lansing Summer Solstice Jazz Festival and Lansing Jazz Festival, as well as supplying volunteers at each of those events. We celebrated the first JAMM Annual International Jazz Day Party in 2013, which has become one of our signature events, as well.
JAMM is also a 501(c)3 non-profit tax exempt organization, with new members joining regularly, which is an important source of funding all that we do. If you were a past member and wish to renew, we would love to have you back! (see “Membership” page here on website)
Over 1500 subscribe to our free weekly e-newsletter. You may do that here, as well, by clicking on “Newsletter” page.
So here we are, in the Fall of 2020. A few seeds, nurtured and cared for. Time and effort, given as “labors of love.” Kindness, patience combined with new friendships and shared passions. This is what JAMM members embraced and continue to represent.
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Sincere thanks to all involved.
We look forward to moving ahead,
We look forward to moving ahead,
and expanding this garden!
Join us for the next decade, won’t you?
