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The Jazz Forward Coalition has named The Nash, the popular jazz venue in downtown Phoenix as one of 4 partners in its national “jazz hubs” initiative. The Nash, along with major jazz venues in Pittsburgh (MCG Jazz), Washington D.C. (Smithsonian Jazz) and Portland (PDX Jazz) will lead the Jazz Forward Coalition, funded by the Doris Duke Foundation, to pilot a “jazz network” to strengthen jazz’s cultural presence in the United States.
In this leadership capacity, The Nash will share and help create “best practices” for audience development, community engagement and programming for jazz venues across the nation. The four hubs will participate in an 18-month pilot program focused on resource and capacity building through national and local summits.
According to Peter Gordon, CEO of the Jazz Forward Coalition, “Phoenix was selected as a jazz hub city because of the extraordinary accomplishments of The Nash in creating a vibrant center for jazz in Arizona. It’s a unique space, built on the idea of creating a comfortable, welcoming home for jazz musicians, educators, students and audiences, which it has done with tremendous success.”
The Nash namesake, Lewis Nash.
“The Nash has always been a place for collaboration, even before it was built,” says Joel Goldenthal, Executive Director of The Nash. “Instead of ‘build it and they will come,’ we said, ‘let’s ask first, then build it, and then they will come.’
Says Goldenthal, “that spirit of bringing the community together, talking with all of its stakeholders, listening and sharing ideas, then taking those ideas to the next level, that’s what’s made The Nash such remarkably vibrant and inclusive place. And for us to now be in a leadership position with the Jazz Forward Coalition, to facilitate and influence the growth of jazz community on a national level, is truly exhilarating.”
The Nash will also be celebrating its 4th anniversary with a weekend of Jazz from October 7-9. The party will include The Lewis Nash Big Apple Quintet, a group of musicians hand-selected by Nash namesake, Lewis Nash.
The celebration includes a house party on Friday, October 7 and performances at The Nash on Saturday, October 8 and Sunday, October 9. Tickets for the 4th Anniversary Concert range from $49 – $99 with limited $29 seats for students. Patron Badge Packages for the full weekend are available for $250.
For tickets or more information, please visit www.thenash.org or call 602-795-0464.
Images courtesy of The Nash.
