The Jazz Journalists Association has been awarded a Jazz.NEXT grant from the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, through the generous support of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, for support of hands-on training and implementation of basic video skills including equipping successful program applicants with a pocket video camera and exploring new means of video distribution.
“The idea is that jazz journalists can interview musicians, go backstage, talk to audience members — and get video clips up online quickly,” explained Howard Mandel, JJA president. “We hope to infuse online platforms with guerilla video jazz reportage.”
Jazz.NEXT, a national initiative launched in 2009, is meant to “encourage the application of technology in substantive and innovative approaches to developing audiences; communicating with the public; marketing, distributing, and selling the work of jazz artists; and building a more robust jazz infrastructure better positioned to meet current and future challenges.”
The JJA plans to convene, equip and instruct a cadre of jazz journalists from all media in readily available pocket video cameras and encourage their use in from-the-field reporting, while respecting rights of musicians to their performances.
More details about the grant, other recipients, the JJA’s programming and applications for those interested in participating in this year-long program will follow. The Jazz.NEXT grant is the first such funding to be received by the JJA for programming; the JJA is currently pursuing other funding for projects proposed for spring 2011 and January 2012. Please sign-up if you’d like to be kept informed about the project by email or you have suggestions for carrying it out.
