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Hi JazzApril Friends & Supporters:

Whew! We’re already one week into JazzApril.  We’re really happy about the response we’ve gotten to the Jazz Journalists Association’s campaign to promote Jazz Appreciation Month and Jazz Day –and just plain jazz– and  wanted to give you an update and suggest some additional ways you can participate.

First, thanks to all you who signed up as JazzApril Endorsers or to be part of our JazzApril Media Network. These groups just keep on growing: We’ve got participants from –well, the reaction shows that jazz really is practically everywhere.  Take a look for yourself on our  Community Partners page  (You should find yourself there if you registered as EITHER an Endorser or a Media Network member; Media Network-ers are also shown on the left sidebar of the JazzApril site. )

(By the way: Most of you Endorsers and Media Network members have already added the JazzApril logo to your site along with a  link back to http://jazzapril.com; thanks for that too, it really helps us extend our outreach.  If you haven’t,  please do as soon as possible, or– if your site design doesn’t permit this– please link to “JazzApril ” in text somewhere visible on the site. )

There are some other things you can do, whether or not you are a JazzApril Endorser or Media Network Member,  to get the word out about jazz in April, :

  • Put the JazzApril Twibbon on your Twitter and Facebook icons.   Get it here   See some of our JazzApril “Twibbon-ers” here.
  • “Like” us on Facebook —everybody says that, but really, we do need you to keep our online community lively and active. Even more important, comment on our Facebook posts about JazzApril and share them with your own FB friends. (you don’t need to say anything profound– but commenting and sharing gets our message out much further)
  • Post about your own and other local jazz activities on your  Facebook page– and tweet about them using #jazzapril  (as well as #celebrateJAM –for Jazz Appreciation Month– and #jazzday where appropriate)
  • Check out the Smithsonian Jazz (organizers of Jazz Appreciation Month) and International Jazz Day sites, along with our JazzApril site, for the latest information about this month’s jazz celebrations.

And, of course, if you have your own site or blog please keep posting and writing about JazzApril. Some of our friends have been posting a photo or article a day for JazzApril  We think that’s a great idea and if you are doing something like it –or something completely different– to mark JazzApril online,  let us know.

We do encourage everyone to visit the sites of our Media Network members– check out some new publications, blogs, radio programs or webcasts and, when you do, be sure to thank the maker for keeping jazz alive in our media.

DO send us photos or links to short videos about your “real world” JazzApril activities —  these don’t have to be performances, we’d love to see special store displays and other kinds of events as well.  We may be able to post them on our Facebook page.  (And if you are doing something jazz-related on April 30, be sure to register your event on the International Jazz Day site.)

(Among the month’s many events will be parties in many locales to celebrate our 2013 Jazz Heroes. Stay tuned for more information– thanks to the organizers who are working hard to put these together on short notice.)

Finally, DO  go out and hear some live jazz this month and thank the musicians — there would be no JazzApril without them and what they do for all of us.

Here’s to celebrating jazz, in April and always,
JoAnn
JoAnn Kawell
Media Director
Jazz Journalists Association