Minton’s Playhouse Announces Massive Expansion in Jazz Programming

Minton’s Playhouse in Harlem, New York has announced a massive expansion in its jazz programming and community outreach through the formation of the non-profit foundation Minton’s Mentors, as well as through an international partnership with South Africa’s Fort Hare University and the director of its burgeoning Jazz Studies Department, Hotep Idris Galeta. New developments to Minton’s include two year-long Artist in Residence positions, held by Onaje Allan Gumbs and Buster Williams; family-oriented concerts with established jazz legends; jazz internships and jazz camps for developing musicians; as well as new technology initiatives such as streaming video of concerts, a podcast series, and the formation of a record label.

The new programming will commence this fall. Fund-raising for these initiatives kicks off this summer, when Minton’s Playhouse hosts a world record-breaking event, programming 48 consecutive hours of jazz performances from July 4-July 6. Featured artists will include Cyrus Chestnut, Grady Tate, Melba Moore, Onaje Allan Gumbs and Geri Allen. During the daytime hours between the hours of 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Minton’s will host a “Community Day Picnic” outside of Minton’s Playhouse on West 118 St.

Central to all of Minton’s Playhouse’s upcoming activities is the non-profit organization Minton’s Mentors, which is dedicated to contributing to residents of the Harlem community through educating, informing, and supporting community members, particularly youth. This organization will work closely with the club to develop family-oriented concerts, lecture series, neighborhood concerts, and jazz education programs as well as a jazz camp that will maximize Minton’s positive impact on the community.

Expanding its outreach even farther, Minton’s will develop a number of multimedia outlets for artists, including streaming video of performances, an ongoing podcast series, and also a label for creating and selling CDs and DVDs of performances at the club.

Minton’s Playhouse will be adding updates to its fundraising activities and artist lineups throughout the upcoming months. Updates will be posted at MintonsMentors.org, and immediate notification of updates may be obtained via the RSS feed.

Originally Published May 15, 2008