About JAF

Organizational History

The Jazz Arts Foundation, Inc. (JAF) is a non-profit, educational organization whose mission is “to enhance the awareness of Jazz as a performing art.” Since its establishment in 1989, the Foundation has published newsletters, coordinated jazz calendars, awarded educational scholarships and sponsored many jazz events and performances. The latter included the Regional Artist Series of five concerts each year at Breeding’s nightclub in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, between 1991 and 1993. During that same period it arranged for jazz ensembles to perform as part of the Children’s Miracle Network Charity Telethons. From 1990 to 2000 it coordinated talent for the Jazz Corner at Lexington’s Annual Fourth of July Festival as well as sponsoring a float with musicians playing Dixieland Jazz.

Since 2007, JAF has continuously produced the free monthly Jazz: Live at the Library! concert series on the second Thursday of the month in the downtown Lexington Central Library Farish Theater, which has featured many different musicians from Kentucky, Ohio, Nashville, and Indiana and internationally from Brazil and Russia. For five years (2010 to 2014) JAF produced the Lexington Jazz Festival at Talon Winery bringing together local, regional and national jazz performers for an afternoon of great jazz on the first Sunday in June. JAF continues to produce a free Jazz on the Porch (JOP) concert series held on the last Sunday (when possible) during the months of May through September and early October at Talon Winery. JOP was started by Vice President and board member, Teresa Tope, while she was employed at Bluegrass Community and Technical College.

In the past several years the Foundation has awarded more than $5,000 in youth scholarships for jazz camps and workshops. More than one hundred youth and adult musicians have participated in these Foundation programs. It is estimated that the audience for JAF events has exceeded 35,000 people.

Board Meetings

Board meetings are held quarterly as determined by the Executive Committee (at least three per calendar year), and are open to members and the public. However, please submit the Contact form letting us know of your intent to attend since the meeting room is small.

The Board Meetings are usually held at one of the following Lexington Public Library branches, or Talon Winery:

Eastside Branch Library, 3000 Blake James Dr, Lexington , KY 40509, (859) 231-5500, in the small meeting room unless otherwise noted.
Tates Creek Branch, 3628 Walden Dr., Lexington, KY, (859) 231-5500;
Northside Branch Library, 1733 Russell Cave Rd., Lexington, KY, in the small meeting room.

What Your Mission Dues Accomplish

It’s important to know where your money is being used, some of which include:

Helps fund scholarships and grants provided by JAF to local High Schools, Universities, Arts organizations, musicians and students to heighten Jazz awareness and activity.

Helps fund our annual Duke Madison Scholarship for a CKYO JAO member to attend the prestigious Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshop in Louisville, KY.

Helps us maintain a communications network to keep members informed, including our website, www.jazzartsfoundation.org.

Helps support Jazz Live at the Library concerts at the downtown Lexington Public Library and Jazz on the Porch at Talon Winery.

Please be sure to return to our site often for your only source for local and regional Jazz information.

Acknowledgement

The Jazz Arts Foundation, Inc. is grateful for the IBM On Demand Community Grant that was used to fund the creation of the previous version of our website for its first year. JAF has also benefited from other On Demand Community Grants that have paid for office, computer and photographic equipment, fliers and posters, and other items. The continuation of IBM’s commitment to the community through its On Demand Community program is greatly appreciated.