Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation

15/01/2025

JOIN AJHF VOLUNTEERS ON MONDAY 20 JANUARY 2025, 10 AM, FOR A LITTER PICKUP OF LITTLE ROCK'S HISTORIC WEST NINTH STREET IN CONJUNCTION WITH KEEP LITTLE ROCK Keep Little Rock Beautiful AND Keep Arkansas Beautiful FOR MARTIN LUTHER KING NATIONAL DAY OF SERVICE. YOU MAY PARK PAST THE AJHF ADOPT-A-STREET SIGN ON THE NORTH SIDE OF WEST NINTH STREET WEST OF BROADWAY. MEET AT THE ADOPT-A-STREET SIGN ON NORTH SIDE OF WEST NINTH STREET ACROSS FROM MOSAIC TEMPLARS CULTURAL CENTER. RAIN OR SHINE. Adopt-a-Street litter pickups for 2024-2025 (to begin at 10 a.m.): Saturday, 14 September; Saturday, 14 December; Monday, 20 January (MLK Day of Service); Saturday, 08 March; Saturday, 19 April (in conjunction with KLRB/KAB Earth Day Celebration); Saturday 14 June, 2025 (in conjunction with National Juneteenth Holiday (Thursday 19 June 2024) which has been recognized as an official US Holiday starting in 2021). Since 2004, the Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation (the all-volunteer nonprofit which sponsors and maintains the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame) has conducted at least six litter pickups per year along its Adopt-a-Street section of downtown Little Rock's historic West Ninth Street (a jazz mecca in its heyday). Volunteers meet near the AJHF's Adopt-a-Street sign at the northwest corner of West Ninth and Broadway (across from the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center) and work their way west past Taborian Hall/Dreamland Ballroom to Izard and West Ninth Street. This community-service project is co-supervised by James Thomson (1992 incorporator and AJHJF Board Secretary/Treasurer) and Melissa Woods (AJHF Board Director). Volunteers need not be AJHF members but must be adults (21+); the only minors allowed to participate are children of chaperoning AJHF board members. Safety vests, t-shirts, gloves, and trash bags are provided. Litter pickups are scheduled in conjunction with the following: citywide cleanups organized by Keep Little Rock Beautiful (keeplittlerockbeautiful.com), fall and spring cleanups organized by Keep Arkansas Beautiful (keeparkansasbeautiful.com), local events in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service (nationalservice.gov/mlkday) and Earth Day (earthday.org), neighborhood festivals organized by the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center (mosaictemplarscenter.com) and Taborian Hall/Dreamland Ballroom (dreamlandballroom.org). The Saturday 14 June 2025 litter pickup is in conjunction with the Juneteenth Holiday (Thursday 19 June 2025) and is the last of the 2024-2025 AJHF fiscal year. Participants are encouraged to explore (in person and online) the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center and Dreamland Ballroom, both of which are supported by the Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation members and friends through donations/volunteerism and are profiled in separate albums under "Photos" on its page. Call (501) 661-1604.

30/12/2024

To All of Our Members and Supporters,

We at the Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation thank you for your support, and we wish each of you a happy holiday season.
Throughout 2024 we have remained dedicated to our mission of
maintaining the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame, supporting music education, and celebrating our state’s rich cultural heritage of jazz.

During 2024 we inducted 9 new members into the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame, conducted cleanups of 9th Street, and continued our support of like-mended organizations, such as the Art Porter Music Education Foundation. We anticipate a busy 2025, and we invite you to consider joining us in our mission of promoting the musical heritage of Arkansas.

Attached to this letter you will see a 2 page membership form; and, if you haven’t done so, please consider filling it out and sending it in with a membership fee. If you’re not the joining type, that’s OK, too, but please consider donating in support of our organization. Checks may be made payable to the Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation and mailed to PO Box 251187, Little Rock, AR, 72205.

I wish you a safe and happy new year, and I look forward to seeing you at upcoming events. Until then, please continue to follow us on social media.

Michael Cobb, President

30/12/2024

The Swing Band Reunion features two Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame inductees Betty Ward (2024) and pictured in photo vocalist Nan Maureen Renaud (2018). The band performs at the CALS Ron Robinson Theater on Friday 31 January 2024.

✨💃🎶Don't miss Swing Band Reunion: A Sentimental Journey – LIVE in concert!

📆FRIDAY, JANUARY 31

🎟DISCOUNTED tickets available through Dec. 31st... a perfect last-minute gift for the music lover in your life!

🔗https://www.simpletix.com/e/a-sentimental-journey-with-swing-band-reun-tickets-195874

13/12/2024

JOIN AJHF VOLUNTEERS ON SATURDAY 14 DECEMBER 2024, 10 AM, FOR A LITTER PICKUP OF LITTLE ROCK'S HISTORIC WEST NINTH STREET IN CONJUNCTION WITH Keep Little Rock Beautiful and Keep Arkansas Beautiful. YOU MAY PARK PAST THE AJHF ADOPT-A-STREET SIGN ON THE NORTH SIDE OF WEST NINTH STREET WEST OF BROADWAY. MEET AT THE ADOPT-A-STREET SIGN ON NORTH SIDE OF WEST NINTH STREET ACROSS FROM MOSAIC TEMPLARS CULTURAL CENTER. RAIN OR SHINE. Adopt-a-Street litter pickups for 2024-2025 (to begin at 10 a.m.): Saturday, 14 September; Saturday, 14 December; Monday, 20 January (MLK Day of Service); Saturday, 08 March; Saturday, 19 April (in conjunction with KLRB/KAB Earth Day Celebration); SATURDAY 14 June (in conjunction with National Juneteenth Holiday which has been recognized as an official US Holiday starting in 2021). Since 2004, the Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation (the all-volunteer nonprofit which sponsors and maintains the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame) has conducted at least six litter pickups per year along its Adopt-a-Street section of downtown Little Rock's historic West Ninth Street (a jazz mecca in its heyday). Volunteers meet near the AJHF's Adopt-a-Street sign at the northwest corner of West Ninth and Broadway (across from the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center) and work their way west past Taborian Hall/Dreamland Ballroom to Izard and West Ninth Street. This community-service project is co-supervised by James Thomson (1992 incorporator and AJHJF Board Secretary/Treasurer) and Melissa Woods (AJHF Board Director). Volunteers need not be AJHF members but must be adults (21+); the only minors allowed to participate are children of chaperoning AJHF board members. Safety vests, t-shirts, gloves, and trash bags are provided. Litter pickups are scheduled in conjunction with the following: citywide cleanups organized by Keep Little Rock Beautiful (keeplittlerockbeautiful.com), fall and spring cleanups organized by Keep Arkansas Beautiful (keeparkansasbeautiful.com), local events in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service (nationalservice.gov/mlkday) and Earth Day (earthday.org), neighborhood festivals organized by the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center (mosaictemplarscenter.com) and Taborian Hall/Dreamland Ballroom (dreamlandballroom.org). The SATURDAY 14 June 2025 litter pickup is in conjunction with the Juneteenth Holiday and is the last of the 2024-2025 AJHF fiscal year. Participants are encouraged to explore (in person and online) the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center and Dreamland Ballroom, both of which are supported by the Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation members and friends through donations/volunteerism and are profiled in separate albums under "Photos" on its page. Call (501) 661-1604.

29/11/2024

Thomas East - Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame 2020 and Arkansas Black Hall of Fame 2024. You can see the streaming of the 2024 Arkansas Black Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at 7 p.m. Friday 29 November 2024 on KATV.com follow the link below.

https://www.katv.com/news/local/2024-arkansas-black-hall-of-fame-stream-watch-ceremony-celebration-player-history-state-induction

The 2024 Arkansas Black Hall of Fame will stream live at 7:00 p.m.The stream can be watched in the player below or on our YouTube channel.Title: 2024 Arkansas B

14/09/2024

JOIN AJHF VOLUNTEERS ON SATURDAY 14 SEPTEMBER 2024, ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED 10 AM AND POSTPONED UNTIL 2 PM SAME DAY, FOR A LITTER PICKUP OF LITTLE ROCK'S HISTORIC WEST NINTH STREET IN CONJUNCTION WITH keep Little Rock Beautiful and Keep Arkansas Beautiful. YOU MAY PARK PAST THE AJHF ADOPT-A-STREET SIGN ON THE NORTH SIDE OF WEST NINTH STREET WEST OF BROADWAY. MEET AT THE ADOPT-A-STREET SIGN ON NORTH SIDE OF WEST NINTH STREET ACROSS FROM MOSAIC TEMPLARS CULTURAL CENTER. RAIN OR SHINE. Adopt-a-Street litter pickups for 2024-2025 (to begin at 10 a.m.): Saturday, 14 September (POSTPONED TO 2 PM SAME DAY); Saturday, 14 December; Monday, 20 January (MLK Day of Service); Saturday, 08 March; Saturday, 19 April (in conjunction with KLRB/KAB Earth Day Celebration); Thursday 19 June (in conjunction with National Juneteenth Holiday which has been recognized as an official US Holiday starting in 2021). Since 2004, the Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation (the all-volunteer nonprofit which sponsors and maintains the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame) has conducted at least six litter pickups per year along its Adopt-a-Street section of downtown Little Rock's historic West Ninth Street (a jazz mecca in its heyday). Volunteers meet near the AJHF's Adopt-a-Street sign at the northwest corner of West Ninth and Broadway (across from the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center) and work their way west past Taborian Hall/Dreamland Ballroom to Izard and West Ninth Street. This community-service project is co-supervised by James Thomson (1992 incorporator and AJHJF Board Secretary/Treasurer) and Melissa Woods (AJHF Board Director). Volunteers need not be AJHF members but must be adults (21+); the only minors allowed to participate are children of chaperoning AJHF board members. Safety vests, t-shirts, gloves, and trash bags are provided. Litter pickups are scheduled in conjunction with the following: citywide cleanups organized by Keep Little Rock Beautiful (keeplittlerockbeautiful.com), fall and spring cleanups organized by Keep Arkansas Beautiful (keeparkansasbeautiful.com), local events in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service (nationalservice.gov/mlkday) and Earth Day (earthday.org), neighborhood festivals organized by the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center (mosaictemplarscenter.com) and Taborian Hall/Dreamland Ballroom (dreamlandballroom.org). The WEDNESDAY 19 June 2024 litter pickup is in conjunction with the Juneteenth Holiday and is the last of the 2023-2024 AJHF fiscal year. Participants are encouraged to explore (in person and online) the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center and Dreamland Ballroom, both of which are supported by the Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation members and friends through donations/volunteerism and are profiled in separate albums under "Photos" on its page.

13/09/2024

JOIN AJHF VOLUNTEERS ON SATURDAY 14 SEPTEMBER 2024, 10 AM, FOR A LITTER PICKUP OF LITTLE ROCK'S HISTORIC WEST NINTH STREET IN CONJUNCTION WITH Keep Little Rock Beautiful and Keep Arkansas Beautiful. YOU MAY PARK PAST THE AJHF ADOPT-A-STREET SIGN ON THE NORTH SIDE OF WEST NINTH STREET WEST OF BROADWAY. MEET AT THE ADOPT-A-STREET SIGN ON NORTH SIDE OF WEST NINTH STREET ACROSS FROM MOSAIC TEMPLARS CULTURAL CENTER. RAIN OR SHINE. Adopt-a-Street litter pickups for 2024-2025 (to begin at 10 a.m.): Saturday, 14 September; Saturday, 14 December; Monday, 20 January (MLK Day of Service); Saturday, 08 March; Saturday, 19 April (in conjunction with KLRB/KAB Earth Day Celebration); Thursday 19 June (in conjunction with National Juneteenth Holiday which has been recognized as an official US Holiday starting in 2021). Since 2004, the Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation (the all-volunteer nonprofit which sponsors and maintains the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame) has conducted at least six litter pickups per year along its Adopt-a-Street section of downtown Little Rock's historic West Ninth Street (a jazz mecca in its heyday). Volunteers meet near the AJHF's Adopt-a-Street sign at the northwest corner of West Ninth and Broadway (across from the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center) and work their way west past Taborian Hall/Dreamland Ballroom to Izard and West Ninth Street. This community-service project is co-supervised by James Thomson (1992 incorporator and AJHJF Board Secretary/Treasurer) and Melissa Woods (AJHF Board Director). Volunteers need not be AJHF members but must be adults (21+); the only minors allowed to participate are children of chaperoning AJHF board members. Safety vests, t-shirts, gloves, and trash bags are provided. Litter pickups are scheduled in conjunction with the following: citywide cleanups organized by Keep Little Rock Beautiful (keeplittlerockbeautiful.com), fall and spring cleanups organized by Keep Arkansas Beautiful (keeparkansasbeautiful.com), local events in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service (nationalservice.gov/mlkday) and Earth Day (earthday.org), neighborhood festivals organized by the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center (mosaictemplarscenter.com) and Taborian Hall/Dreamland Ballroom (dreamlandballroom.org). The WEDNESDAY 19 June 2024 litter pickup is in conjunction with the Juneteenth Holiday and is the last of the 2023-2024 AJHF fiscal year. Participants are encouraged to explore (in person and online) the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center and Dreamland Ballroom, both of which are supported by the Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation members and friends through donations/volunteerism and are profiled in separate albums under "Photos" on its page.

13/09/2024

Thomas East - Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame 2020

Introducing Mr. Thomas East, prolific musician, vocalist & entertainer. He is also a 2024 Arkansas Black Hall of Fame Inductee.

We can't wait to honor this trailblazer on October 26th.

Please share your fondest moment or memory of Mr. East in the comments. We would love to hear!
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Don't forget to secure your ticket for an unforgettable night honoring six greats! Just click the link here: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1B0061017B0F1465

13/09/2024

Thomas East (Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame 2020) is schedule to be inductee at the upcoming Arkansas Black Hall of Fame Ceremony. Arkansas Black Hall of Fame

Here's a look at the new additions to the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame and how the state plans to honor these trailblazers in a special ceremony.

13/09/2024

Mosaic Templars Cultural Center home of the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame exhibit which will inductee Thomas East (Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation 2020) at its ceremony on Saturday 26 October 2024.

🎉 Exciting Events at Mosaic Templars this September and October! 🎉

Join us this September as we celebrate the 16th anniversary of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center (MTCC) and unveil the Top 15 Trailblazers of our second class! 🌟

Then, in October, experience several installments of our Soul Series, featuring programs connected to the Soul of Philanthropy exhibit, which presents stories of generosity among Americans of African descent. 🖤✨ This exhibit is on display until December 3rd!

👉 To learn more, visit our website: mosaictemplarscenter.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter)! 📲

24/08/2024

Thomas East - Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame (2020) will be inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame on 26 October 2024. Follow this post for more details.

Tickets are officially available for purchase! Just click the link below to secure your spot: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1B0061017B0F1465

The 30th Arkansas Black Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is just around the corner, and we're honoring six incredible individuals, from business titans to creative juggernauts, whose impact is truly unmatched.

Save the date: October 26, 2024, and join us in celebrating Black Excellence, Black History, and Black Legacy!

🖤✨ 🎉

17/08/2024

We share a recent UAM - University of Arkansas at Monticello post celebrating Lester "Les" David Pack Jr. who was inducted into the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame on Monday 17 June 2024 at the Old State House Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame is sponsored and presented by The Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation, has 86 inductees, and was established in 1994.

The prestigious Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame has had fewer than one hundred inductees since it was established in 1992. On June 17, while surrounded by fellow musicians and supporters at the Old State House Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas, Lester “Les” David Pack, Jr., a guitarist and professor of music at UAM, became one of those inductees.

Pack, who was recognized in the category of jazz guitar performance, is also a member of the Four States Bandmasters Association Hall of Fame. He teaches music theory and jazz guitar, among other courses, at UAM, where he has taught for 20 years. During this year’s inaugural UAM Jazz Week, he was honored during the UAM Jazz One concert for 40 years in music education.

Pack is a Pine Bluff native and hails from a musical family. His mother, Paula, was a choir director and piano major. “I was raised around music, so when I grew up, I knew this was what I was going to do,” Pack said. His father, David, signed him up for guitar lessons one summer when he was 10 or 11. David was a microbiologist by trade and also a jazz guitarist whose best friend in high school was Jim Ed Brown. They played at the famous Trio Club in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, which Brown’s parents owned. Elvis Presley often visited the club while he was a truck driver in the 1950s, providing David with the opportunity to perform with Presley on numerous occasions.

Pack also has had the opportunity to play with a long list of prominent musicians including Jon Faddis, Clark Terry, Marvin Hamlisch, Sam Rivers, Charo and Doc Severinsen.

You don’t have to spend more than a few minutes with Pack to understand his love for teaching music.

“I’ve been teaching for 40 years. If I retired, I wouldn’t know what to do,” Pack said. “I was waiting for my July classes to start because I was bored being on summer break during June. I had such a great class during the two-week master’s capstone residency in July that I hated to see the students go. One of the students came from Tokyo, Japan. He flew in to take this master’s class. One of the students this time was from Seattle. We get people from all over the country and the world coming to UAM for our Master of Music in Jazz Studies.”

And for Pack’s students, the feeling of appreciation is mutual. On July 14, Vapors Live in Hot Springs, Arkansas, themed its monthly Jazz Jam around Pack, and many of his former students joined him on stage for a special performance to celebrate him. “It was so much fun. There were about 25 of my former students there. I didn’t hardly have to play. They played all night.”

Dr. Justin Anders, UAM chair and associate professor of music, congratulated Pack for his accomplishments, stating, “While it is impossible to list all of Mr. Pack's many accomplishments, watching him teach is always a joy. I have unique insight because, like many others, I was once a student of his. I can attest that he has the innate ability to explain difficult concepts in the most basic language possible. After 40 years, I don't think he can imagine his impact on countless students.”

As for his new place in the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame? “Huge honor,” Pack said. “I wasn’t expecting it. I never thought I would be in it, and it wasn’t even in my view. It’s probably the biggest honor in my life, to tell you the truth.”

29/07/2024

Reminder: "A Work of Art 2024" starts today Monday 24 July 2024 Noon at Little Rock City Hall. Find more information about all the events this week on the Art Porter Music Education website.

News & Events Great legends never die, but instead are passed through generations to live and enrich the lives of other…such is the legacy of Art Porter Sr. and Art Porter Jr. Though, both Arts have transitioned to a higher realm of life, their spirit and legacy inspired family and friends to esta...

02/07/2024