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Founded in 1978, the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame is a 501c3 nonprofit that honors Alabama’s jazz greats.
Our mission is to preserve a continued and sustained program of illuminating the contributions of the State of Alabama through its citizens, environment, demographics and lore, and perpetuating the heritage of jazz music.
We honor the pioneers who shaped jazz history, the players, the teachers, and the community leaders who gave rise to the art form.
By sharing their stories, we hope to inspire the next generation of jazz greats.
The Carver Theatre opened in 1935 as a movie house. Located in downtown Birmingham’s Fourth Avenue District, the theatre was one of few screening first-run films for African Americans during the days of segregation. It thrived for years, surviving the turmoil of the 1960s, only to close in the 1980s, when the city center was abandoned.
The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame saw to reinvent the site, and in 1993 the Carver Theatre for the Performing Arts opened. Featuring over 2,700 square feet of permanent museum exhibits and a 515-seat theatre, the facility operated as a tourist site and nonprofit performing arts venue, available for public and private bookings.
For 24 years, the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame has steered the direction of the venue’s development, presenting original, educational programming as well as community services.
The mission of the Jazz Hall of Fame is to foster, encourage, educate, and cultivate an appreciation of the medium of jazz music as a legitimate, original and distinctive art form indigenous to America.
How Do We Accomplish Our Mission ?
Under the leadership of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, the Carver Theatre has emerged as an indispensable asset to the community and receives over 30,000 visitors annually.
Museum
Visitors take a journey through jazz history, from its humble beginnings in secular, folk traditions through its many contemporary incarnations.
Radio
In May of 2018 we acquired Birmingham’s only dedicated, jazz-exclusive radio station, WAJH 91.1FM.
Through learning how to play jazz, our students cultivate the skills necessary to meet tomorrow’s challenges.
In that great tradition unique to jazz culture, our monthly jazz jam sessions invite musicians to play together or “jam” in a group improvisation session.
Over forty years, we have cultivated many rewarding relationships with neighboring institutions.
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We Put Instruments In Idle Hands
A music education opens up new ways of thinking about the world. Through learning how to play jazz, our students cultivate the skills necessary to meet tomorrow’s challenges. A jazz education teaches students how to be creative, how to collaborate, how to listen, and how to engage with others, both within and across cultures. Our educational programs give underserved students the opportunities and resources they need to thrive.
Student Jazz Band Festival
Jazz Recycle
As part of our commitment to giving underserved students access to resources, we accept donated instruments through our Jazz Recycling Program. Individuals and organizations may donate used musical instruments, which we then “tune up” and put in the hands of our band students. All donations are fully tax deductible.
Saturday Jazz Greats
Every Saturday morning since 1999, the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame has offered free jazz instruction to aspiring musicians. We nurture young talent, putting instruments in the hands of the curious. Taught by jazz professionals, the program is one-of-a-kind. No similar program exists in our area. Our students come from seven different counties in central Alabama and receive instruction at the beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels in music theory, jazz history, and jazz improvisation. Donated instruments are loaned to students in need, and past participants have gone on to receive prestigious academic scholarships or build successful careers in music. Some former students, appreciating what the program has afforded them, have even returned to donate their time and teach.
Jazz Masters Class
Every year, we present two master classes, each conducted by a professional jazz artist, at low or no-cost to participants. Students receive exclusive instruction from distinguished, professional musicians. Past artists have included: Esperanza Spalding and the Grammy nominated child prodigy pianist Joey Alexander.
Fun With Jazz
This traveling program brings jazz fundamentals into the elementary classroom with free, one-hour lessons, tailored to augment each teacher’s curriculum.
We Safeguard The Stories of Alabama’s Jazz Heroes, Honoring The Artists Who Paved The Way and The Community Traditions That Created Them.
About The Collection
Alabama has produced some of the most notable jazz musicians in the country such as Nat King Cole from Montgomery, and Tuscaloosa's Dinah Washington just to name a few. The first piano blues solo ever recorded was played by Birmingham-born Clarence “Pinetop” Smith. Sun Ra, whose innovative work remains celebrated worldwide, was born and raised in Birmingham, and native Erskine Hawkins set the standard with his signature tune about Ensley, “Tuxedo Junction.” The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame honors these luminaries and more with exhibits that showcase their accomplishments.
Visitors take a journey through jazz history, from its humble beginnings in secular, folk traditions through its many contemporary incarnations. Honoring the sacred rituals that gave birth to the genre and the visionaries who kept it alive, the museum attracts not only jazz enthusiasts, but civil rights historians, students, and tour groups. Guided tours are available by reservation and walk-in visitors may access the public archives upon request.
While the Carver is under construction, the museum collection is in storage. Forty years’ worth of archives and artifacts, including Ella Fitzgerald’s dress, instruments, memorabilia, and various personal effects, are being re-evaluated to prepare for new exhibits in the renovated venue. Volunteer interns from Jefferson State Community College’s Sigma Kappa Delta National English Honor Society have agreed to digitize, catalog, and update all archival records for the Jazz Hall’s 245 inductees.
The renovated museum will also share exhibit space with the Birmingham Black Radio Museum, now in development. Graduate students from the University of Alabama’s School of Library and Informational Studies (SLIS) are chronicling, cataloging and preserving information and materials related to the history of black radio in Birmingham.
The story of jazz music is a story of hope. It is a testament to the power of people to overcome adversity with grace. Envisioned as the musical complement to the nearby Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame museum shares the joyful stories of resilience, underscoring the civil rights movement.
Jazz Hall Radio
In May of 2018 we acquired Birmingham’s only dedicated, jazz-exclusive radio station, WAJH 91.1FM. Playing jazz since the 1980s, the station reaches central Alabama on 91.1 and a worldwide audience online at jazzhall.com. As the Voice of Jazz in Alabama, Jazz Hall Radio plays both classic recordings and new releases, with a focus on Alabama artists. Enhancing our mission, the station plans to showcase the work of student musicians and share the stories of Alabama’s jazz visionaries.
Presenting Inspired New Works For All Tomorrow’s Patrons
Artistic Programming
Jazz Jam Sessions
In that great tradition unique to jazz culture, our monthly jazz jam sessions invite musicians to play together or “jam” in a group improvisation session. A cherished addition to downtown nightlife, the sessions attract a wide audience of locals and tourists, and sometimes a few celebrities.
Spoken Word Open Mic: On Stage at the Carver
Every third Sunday we invite local poets and writers to perform their original, literary works before an audience “on stage at the Carver.” Last October marked the 12-year anniversary of this event, making it is the longest-running spoken word, open mic night in Birmingham.
Taste of Fourth Ave. Jazz Festival
This one-day, outdoor jazz festival is held on the last Saturday of August in Birmingham’s historic Fourth Ave. District, known for being a bustling enclave for black businesses and culture during segregation. Launched in 2003 to celebrate the legacy of the neighborhood, the festival features local and international artists on a main stage, and a diverse selection of commercial booths and food vendors participate.
Fifteen years later, in collaboration with Urban Impact, Inc., the Fourth Avenue Merchants Association, and the City of Birmingham, this one-day festival has turned into a beloved community event, presented every summer at no cost to attendees.
Artists who have participated include: Bobbi Humphrey, Kim Waters, Ben Tankard, Norman Brown, Euge Groove, Paul Taylor, Ronnie and Deborah Laws, Michael Ward, Joey Summerville, Gabbie McGee, Dee-Lucas, DieDra Young, the Birmingham Heritage Band, Foxxy Fatts & Company, Bo Berry, and the Neo Jazz Collective.
Film Series
As one of the main venues for the annual Sidewalk Film Festival, the Carver Theatre has welcomed many emerging, independent filmmakers in its history.
We are dedicated to giving underserved populations opportunities to see their stories on the big screen, and in March of 2017 we negotiated with Magnolia Pictures to screen the first run film I am Not Your Negro, about the unfinished work of James Baldwin. In a first- of-its-kind screening for the area, we ran the film for a month, and by the end of the run screenings were near sold-out.
We have also produced multicultural film festivals, including a tribute to the works of Harry Belafonte, who participated in a discussion with the audience after the screening of his 2011 documentary Sing Your Song.
Induction Ceremony
Every three to five years, the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame welcomes new inductees in a grand ceremony. Inductees are nominated by the community and selected by a special committee. In December 2015 eight artists were inducted, including Birmingham native Marion Evans, who won a Grammy Award for his arrangement of the album Cheek to Cheek featuring Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett.
Comedy Night
This event gives up and coming local comedians the opportunity to hone their craft on stage for a live audience. Comedians receive instruction in professional comedy techniques, and promising participants are invited to perform as part of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame’s regular comedy series.
We connect jazz artists to each other and the community.
Over forty years, we have cultivated many rewarding relationships with neighboring institutions. We have worked with the following organizations:
Birmingham Children's Theatre (BCT)
In 2016 a Jazz Hall Inductee hosted a pre-show performance for the full run of BCT’s original stage production about jazz history in Birmingham, “Tuxedo Junction.” Children explored jazz instruments in a musical “petting zoo” and were introduced to the Jazz Hall’s educational programs. 7, 233 students participated.
Birmingham Area Consortium For Higher Education (BACHE)
In partnership with Samford University, the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame participated in a cultural passport program. Students with passports gained free access to participating arts institutions and received a stamp upon visiting. The program served to enhance learning outside the classroom.
Birmingham Cultural Alliance Partnership (BCAP)
This after school program connects 200 inner city youth and their families to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and its community partners. As a partner, the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame hosted students for four weeks, during which students learned about the history of jazz and its culture. At the end of the program, students participated in a recreation of a jazz juke joint and performed jazz standards and Savoy style dance moves for an audience.
Birmingham Museum of Art: Langston Hughes Project
This multidisciplinary project introduced students to Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance. Jazz musicians, incorporating spoken word and video footage, brought Langston Hughes’ epic poem, “Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods for Jazz,” to life. Schools were given study guides and each presentation included a pre and post show discussion.
Alabama Dance Council & Abraham.In.Motion
As part of the Alabama Dance Council’s Festival of Dance, we sponsored two student workshops with American choreographer Kyle Abraham (abrahaminmotion.org). Held at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, the workshops explored storytelling though modern dance and were led by Abraham and his company. Abraham also performed his original, award-winning dance The Radio Show.
Contact Us
Feel free to contact us.
Birmingham, AL 35203
205-327-9424
info@jazzhall.com