Jazz Odyssey: Richmond Jazz Society

 

The early days of the Richmond Jazz Society were filled with Saturday-afternoon jam sessions and the aroma of fresh seafood. “We started our first programs in a fish market,” says B.J. Brown, executive director of the society, a nonprofit that promotes and nurtures jazz music in the region.  

Over the years, the scrappy organization has grown from concert promotion and music advocacy to becoming an educational resource for area youth. Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter René Marie credits the society for launching her career more than 20 years ago.  “It's hard to put into words how important an organization like this is,” she says. “You might think they're only servicing this small group of jazz musicians, but it touches so many people.” 

My Richmond Magazine piece on the 40th anniversary of the RJS is online, and can be found right here.

For more on the Richmond Jazz Society, go here.

To hook up with my previous coverage of Jazz in Virginia, click this. 

(Photo of  Rene Marie at an RJS Guest Educator concert last year, with saxophonist James "Saxsmo" Gates, by Jerrold Price)