Linda Walton, Vice-President of
Programming, Jazz Mobile; Robin Bell-Stevens, President & CEO, Jazz Mobile;
Kenneth J. Knuckles, President & CEO, UMEZ; Maurine Knighton, Senior V.P.
for Program and Non-Profit Investments, UMEZ; and Hans Hardisty, Associate
Program Officer for Program and Non-Profit Investments, UMEZ.
UMEZ UNDERWRITES JAZZMOBILE’S FUTURE
New York, N.Y. – Kenneth J. Knuckles, President &
CEO of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment
Zone Development Corp. (UMEZ), joined by Maurine Knighton, UMEZ’s Senior Vice President for Program and
Nonprofit Investments, announced today that UMEZ had awarded a three-year, $1,260,000 grant to Jazzmobile, the oldest not-for-profit
cultural organization created just for jazz in the United States. UMEZ’s grant
will enable Jazzmobile to expand programming, increase revenue, and upgrade the
organization’s infrastructure.
UMEZ’s support comes when many arts
organizations are struggling to cope with the economic downturn. According to
Mr. Knuckles, “A vital cultural economy is essential to the strength of Upper Manhattan. We believe this is an opportune time for
Jazzmobile to closely examine its operations and make adjustments that ensure
it maintains its place in the constellation of local arts organizations.”
Jazzmobile was founded in Harlem,
in the summer of 1964 by Dr. Billy
Taylor and Ms. Daphne Arnstein
to present, preserve, promote and propagate jazz music through quality
performance and education programs and to play a major role in the renaissance
of jazz. Over the years, Jazzmobile has been critical to the development of
jazz and jazz education programs in Harlem and throughout New York City. The organization has a rich history,
having brought performers like Dizzy
Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Nancy Wilson, Duke Ellington, Count Basie,
Wynton Marsalis,Wycliffe Gordon
and many other well-known musicians to locations where the performers could be
seen and heard free of charge by audiences of all ages and nationalities. Its programs have also been presented
nationally and internationally, expanding its influence in the jazz community.
“Jazzmobile, as a cultural entity in
this City, plays an essential role in bringing much-needed and much-appreciated
jazz and jazz education to people of all ages,” said Mr. Knuckles.“As such, it is part and parcel of UMEZ’s
larger vision of restoring Upper Manhattan as the premier cultural center and
destination in New York City.”
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Robin
Bell-Stevens, Jazzmobile’s CEO, said, “As we stand at the threshold of our
45th Anniversary, we are enormously grateful for this significant
investment in Jazzmobile by The Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development
Corporation.It serves not only as an
acknowledgment of our contribution to the cultural landscape for forty-five years;
but it is an endorsement of our ability to strategically grow our institution,
which will enable us to have an even greater cultural and economic impact
(especially) in Harlem. To this end, we welcome others to join UMEZ as we build
an even stronger Jazzmobile!”
ABOUT UMEZ:
UMEZ’s mission is to sustain the
economic revitalization of all the communities of Upper
Manhattan through job creation, corporate alliances, strategic
investments and small business assistance.UMEZ seeks to revitalize distressed communities by using geographically
targeted public funds and tax incentives as catalysts for private investment.
In Upper Manhattan, the communities that lie within the Empowerment Zone's
borders include Harlem, East Harlem,
Washington Heights and Inwood.
ABOUT THE CULTURAL
INDUSTRY INVESTMENT FUND
UMEZ’s CIIF celebrates Upper
Manhattan’s rich past while creating new legacies.The work of the CIIF is two-fold:community building through a cultural and
economic lens; and, a marketing of place that repositions Upper Manhattan as
one of New York City’s
primary cultural districts.The goals of
the CIIF are sustaining the local economy by promoting development,
revitalization and tourism; making strategic cultural investments; and,
strengthening the cultural ecosystem.
CIIF seeks to fund service organizations that
can significantly position and promote local arts and culture as an integral
component of cultural history, contemporary art production, and the local
cultural industry and economy; build the artistic and administrative capacity
of local arts and cultural players; provide technical assistance; develop
programmatic links and collaborations with other groups in Upper Manhattan,
city-wide, and/or nationally; and, service the arts across disciplines.
