San Ramon Library Jazz 2023 Series opens with Jamie Davis on October 7th

Across time & beyond borders, Jazz has assuredly changed to preserve itself. Since the Roaring Twenties, Jazz has ridden the syncopated wave of the Great Migration…been distilled through Prohibition…surged forth from the South to Chicago & Harlem …taken flight in Paris… to now stream digitally worldwide to every grand metropolis and virtual universes.

Sshhh… It's a well-kept Secret. In today's roaring 20's Jazz lives far from the clandestine Speakeasies and "Blind Tigers" of the bygone. Our truly American Art form - Improvisational Music - thrives boldly in suburban Library Stacks.

Librarians, jazz aficionados, and appreciative audiences have replaced gangsters & their flashy clientele as the esteemed Guardians & Patrons of Jazz. For admittance to our Private Lair - hosted by the San Ramon Library Foundation - you won't have to whisper or "speak easy". Although of course, we're always willing to give you a friendly Handshake and check your ID or Library Card!

We have presented a Fall 2023 Adventures in Jazz concert series for over 27 years. No special knock on a hidden door, nor a secret password is required for entry. On Oct. 7th baritone Jamie Davis & an all-star Quartet launch a 4-Concert series:
▪ Mimi Fox's Organ Trio lays it down on Oct. 28th
▪ vocalist Jackie Ryan on Nov. 18th
▪ Guitarist/Singer Alvon Johnson reprises Blues Night on Dec. 2nd

And…Rising Young Musicians perform Pre-Show & during Intermission!

All Saturday 7:30pm performances are held at the San Ramon Library, 100 Montgomery Street. Buy Tickets at SanRamonPerformingArts.com or call the Box Office, (925) 973-3343. Bring Friends & Family to hear live music for a great night out!

And let's not forget…San Ramon Main Library's Second Floor has a vast, well-curated Jazz Collection - one of the largest public collections in the country. Check out Books, magazines, CDs, & DVDs or enjoy onsite in cool Listening Rooms. Visit our new jazz photo exhibit and spin a favorite classic 45 rpm record on the working vintage Wurlitzer Jukebox!

San Ramon Library Foundation
c/o Jazz Committee Co-Directors B. Natale & S. Smith-Rodriguez
100 Montgomery Street
San Ramon, CA 94583

About SRLF Jazz & More

It all started when Branch Librarian Joyce Gunn successfully competed for the only California appearance of the Smithsonian Institute's first traveling jazz exhibit, "Beyond Category: The Musical Genius of Duke Ellington." The exhibit was on display at San Ramon Library from October 17 through November 28, 1996. During those six weeks, the Library and the San Ramon Library Foundation presented 31 public jazz programs and provided educational assemblies in each of the local schools.

Featured were such Ellington alumni as Kenny Burrell and Bill Berry, and scholars and writers including Philip Elwood of the San Francisco Chronicle and John Hasse of The Smithsonian. An initial collection of over 300 CDs was donated by performing artists and recording companies. A record turnout provided funds for the acquisition of additional CDs, videos, books, and sheet music for the Jazz Collection.

The Library's collection of jazz materials keeps growing. There are over 1200 CDs, 125 videos and 220 books available for checkout and subscriptions to three jazz magazines. Donations include a vintage Wurlitzer jukebox, a collection of 800 CDs (the entire catalog of Concord Records), and a personal library of 150 books about jazz.

This release was published on openPR.