Jazz Foundation of America Announces '#TheNewGig' To Benefit Its Musicians' Emergency Fund

Seeking to address widespread financial need in the musical community following the shuttering of live performances amid the international health emergency, the Jazz Foundation of America will present a star-studded online video concert "#TheNewGig" benefiting its COVID-19 Musicians' Emergency Fund Concert," on May 14.

Proceeds from #TheNewGig will support the JFA's COVID-19 Musicians' Emergency Fund, which was established in March of this year to help musicians and families affected by the pandemic by covering basic living expenses.

Joe Petrucelli, Executive Director of the JFA, says, "An entire community of artists who survive month-to-month have gone from standstill to freefall, financially speaking, but their music has continued to give us solace and comfort in quarantine. Support for #TheNewGig and the COVID-19 Musicians' Emergency Fund offers them direct assistance and creates a sense of solidarity and hope in a time of despair and uncertainty."

In a joint effort with the 31-year-old New York-based non-profit organization, music site Relix will host the two-hour event (www.jazzfoundation.org/covid19) from 8-10 PM EDT, with a repeat videocast at 10 PM EDT, and it will remain online for 24 hours. The association is the product of the JFA's partnership with Brooklyn Bowl's Owner and Chief Executive Officer Peter Shapiro.

"We are honored to be collaborating with the Jazz Foundation of America to host #TheNewGig on Relix's YouTube platform," Shapiro says. "Jazz and blues lie at the foundation of everything, really, and it is at the core of the music that we feature everyday on our websites, in our magazine, and on our social platforms. As part of giving back, it's a privilege to host this very special event."

Hosted by Keegan-Michael Key and helmed by veteran producer-drummer and musical director Steve Jordan, the concert - which will be pre-produced to ensure top production values and eliminate technical issues - will feature new performances by Jon Batiste, Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, Robert Cray, Davell Crawford, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Stanley Jordan, Ivan Neville, Kim Wilson, Angelique Kidjo, Milton Nascimento, and other notables.

"The Jazz Foundation is a lifeline to musicians of every stripe, all over the country," says Jordan, who will also make a special appearance on the benefit show. "These are the folks who fill clubs, concert halls and turntables with jazz, blues, rock & soul every day, making our lives a little sweeter. We hope that #TheNewGig can lend the hand of support to them in these difficult days for artists everywhere."

The event will also feature memorable archival performances from the organization's annual fundraiser "A Great Night in Harlem" - which has raised tens of millions of dollars for musicians in need. Performances will include JFA lifetime achievement honorees Herbie Hancock, plus Patti Smith, Brittany Howard, August Greene featuring Common and Karriem Riggins, the Count Basie Orchestra, and a tribute to Sonny Rollins. (This year's gala, honoring Carlos Santana, Buddy Guy, and JFA Vice Chair and Founding Director Wendy Oxenhorn and originally scheduled in April, has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.)

Musicians from the JFA's Jazz and Blues in the Schools program, which brings music to schools and nursing homes in 17 U.S. states and employs hundreds of musicians every month, will also be heard during the evening.

The show will also present special appearances by such celebrity friends of the JFA as

Wayne Shorter, Bootsy Collins, Jeffrey Wright, Rosie Perez, Bruce Willis, Danny Glover, Mark Ruffin, Michael Imperioli, and Steve Schirripa.

Supporters of the COVID-19 Musicians' Emergency Fund to date include an inspiring range of individual fans from around the world showing their compassion and appreciation for musicians; institutions including the Herb Alpert Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, and other arts philanthropists addressing unprecedented need in the jazz ecosystem; and, critically, the music industry itself supporting its own in a time of crisis. A consortium of record companies in the jazz world including Mack Avenue Records, Blue Note Records, Amazon Music, Warner Music Group, Concord Jazz, and The Verve Label Group, has been pivotal to this urgent and growing effort.

During and after the benefit, contributions (credit card and PayPal) can be made at www.jazzfoundation.org/covid19 or by texting to 41444, keyword: NewGig.

For more information about the JFA, its work, and #TheNewGig, visit

www.jazzfoundation.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.