Grammy award-winning saxophonist and songwriter Kirk Whalum hosts a night of world-class jazz on Saturday, October 23. Nashville Jazz Workshop will host this jazz party of the year online for the second time. In 2020, for the first time ever the Nashville Jazz Workshop (NJW) hosted their popular annual jazz concert Jazzmania virtually during the pandemic to showcase their love of jazz musicians and jazz music on the world stage.

This year the annual fundraising concert boasts an iconic jazz lineup including the following acts: Kevin Whalum, Chester Thompson, Donna McElroy, Jovan Quallo, Tyler Bullock, Giovanni Rodriguez, Tierney Sutton, Jeff Hamilton, Peter and Will Anderson, and The Time Jumpers. Registration free to the public at https://nashvillejazz.org/jazzmania2021/.

Local leaders in business, arts, government, and music are coming together to support this great event and let everyone know that Jazz Lives Here Too. Meet the inaugural group of Jazz Ambassadors to the Music City for Jazzmania here. They are as follows: Mandy Barnett, renowned vocalist and newest Grand Ole Opry member; John Birdsong, Jazz Bassist and Bandleader; Brassville, Nashville’s own brass band . . . TSU alumni and music educators; Yuri Cunza, President and CEO, Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Sharon Hurt, Metro Council at Large and President/CEO of J.U.M.P.; Rod McGaha, Jazz Trumpeter, Visual Artist, and Charter NJW faculty; Ellen Pryor, Communications Director, Frist Art Museum; Marie Sueing, Senior Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation; and Brandon Taylor, Metro Council District 21.

“While Jazz lives in Music City in a variety of venues, most of all it’s in the hearts of many Nashvillians,” says  Sharon Hurt, Metro Council at Large, President/CEO, J.U.M.P. “Thus, it is permeated throughout North to South, East to West reaching and touching individuals’ souls one at a time.”

The concert will stream live on Saturday October 23 at 7:00 p.m. CDT, and afterwards be available for viewing anytime at the Nashville Jazz Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/Nashvillejazz

This annual event is more than special this year as NJW celebrates Jazzmania live from their new location on Buchanan Street in North Nashville and their new state of the art Jazz Cave. At the Nashville Jazz Workshop, music is a means of building community and enriching lives and neighborhoods. Located in North Nashville, the Workshop is open to students and audiences of all ages and abilities to listen, play and learn from one another, enhancing creativity and connecting through the power of music.

For over 21 years the Nashville Jazz Workshop has been a place where students of all ages and abilities learn jazz directly from the masters, and where audiences hear jazz in a world class listening room.  Visiting artists who’ve toured all over the country continually tell us how unique the Workshop is. Jazz fosters creativity and expression in students of all ages, and feeds the spirit of listeners. Through online classes and streaming performances, NJW now takes great jazz to the world.

For more information on Jazzmania including charitable donations and free event registration, visit https://nashvillejazz.org/jazzmania2021/.