Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation

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Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation The Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation (including the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame) is dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and promoting jazz in Arkansas.

The Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation (which sponsors and maintains the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame) is an all-volunteer, non-profit corporation dedicated to educating the general public about the historical significance of jazz in Arkansas. Foundation membership (with annual dues of $20 payable on 1 July) is open to any adult interested in the preservation, celebration, and promotion of jazz in Ar

kansas. In addition to its own educational activities and special events, the AJHF supports (through donations and/or volunteerism) some jazz-related projects of several "shared-mission" nonprofits/agencies: Arkansas Jazz Educators, Art Porter Music Education, Central Arkansas Library System/Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Department of Arkansas Heritage/Mosaic Templars Cultural Center/Old State House Museum/Arkansas Arts Council/Arkansas Historic Preservation Program (e.g., Taborian Hall/Dreamland Ballroom). The Foundation's organizational profile and membership application, as well as a reference sheet for the Hall of Fame and list of recommended resources, are available under "Downloads" at www.arjazz.org and from AJHF Secretary James Thomson (501.661.1604, [email protected]), who several times each week posts announcements related to Arkansas jazz artists/events/venues on the Foundation's page. (Information about Arkansas jazz venues can be found at www.jazznearyou.com.) Though it provides some current materials under "Downloads," the AJHF website (www.arjazz.org) serves primarily as an archival reference; its Hall of Fame section (arranged by year, beginning in 1994) contains information about Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame inductees. (Each website page links to the Foundation's page.) The Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation's Articles of Incorporation (approved by the State of Arkansas on 7 January 1992) were filed by James Thomson and Blake Hendrix, Attorney-at-Law. The most current certificate of good standing (under Online Certificate Authorization Code No. 5837b74f1676a6b) was re-verified on 17 July 2017 by Arkansas Secretary of State Mark Martin. AJHF officers for 2020-2021) are President Michael L. Cobb (CPA; Audit Partner at Cobb and Suskie, Ltd), Vice President Clay Hooten (Director of Bands for Dardanelle Public Schools), Secretary James Thomson (1992 Incorporator and Past President), and Treasurer Melissa Woods (Past Guides Chair - CALS Arkansas Literary Festival). AJHF directors for 2020-2021 are Benita Porter Browning (Executive Director for Art Porter Music Education; daughter of 1994 Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame inductee Art Porter, Sr. and sister of 1998 Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame inductee Art Porter, Jr.), Chalk Mitchell (Judge Arkansas 1st District), and Nan Maureen Renaud (Jazz Singer - Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame 2018). An annotated album titled "AJHF Board" is provided under "Photos" near the top of the Foundation's page. The AJHF board holds its board meetings (excluding the annual meeting in June) in the conference room (Suite 400) near the offices of Cobb and Suskie, Ltd. at One Financial Center (650 South Shackleford Road, Little Rock 72211) but meetings currently are virtual via due to Covid-19 emergency 2020-2021. Regular executive-board meetings are held near the end of each quarter (September, December, March, June); special full-board meetings are held near the beginning, mid-point, and end of each year (July, January, June). Specific dates for 2020-2021 meetings are provided in the quick-reference post pinned to the top of the timeline on the Foundation's page.

End of Year 2025 message from Michael Lewis Cobb, President of the Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation / Arkansas Jazz Hal...
31/12/2025

End of Year 2025 message from Michael Lewis Cobb, President of the Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation / Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame with attached AJHF Membership Application.

JOIN AJHF VOLUNTEERS ON SATURDAY 13 DECEMBER 2025, 10 AM, FOR A LITTER PICKUP OF LITTLE ROCK'S HISTORIC WEST NINTH STREE...
11/12/2025

JOIN AJHF VOLUNTEERS ON SATURDAY 13 DECEMBER 2025, 10 AM, FOR A LITTER PICKUP OF LITTLE ROCK'S HISTORIC WEST NINTH STREET IN CONJUNCTION WITH KEEP LITTLE ROCK BEAUTIFUL (KLRB) / KEEP ARKANSAS BEAUTIFUL (KAB). 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 2025-2026 (to begin at 10 a.m.): Saturday, 13 September 2025; Saturday, 13 December 2025; Saturday, 14 March 2026; Saturday 13 June, 2026 (in conjunction with National Juneteenth Holiday (19 June 2026) 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), neighborhood festivals organized by the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center (mosaictemplarscenter.com) and Taborian Hall/Dreamland Ballroom (dreamlandballroom.org). The Saturday 13 June 2026 litter pickup is in conjunction with the Juneteenth Holiday (Thursday 19 June 2026) 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 / email [email protected].

JOIN AJHF VOLUNTEERS ON SATURDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2025, 10 AM, FOR A LITTER PICKUP OF LITTLE ROCK'S HISTORIC WEST NINTH STRE...
13/09/2025

JOIN AJHF VOLUNTEERS ON SATURDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2025, 10 AM, FOR A LITTER PICKUP OF LITTLE ROCK'S HISTORIC WEST NINTH STREET IN CONJUNCTION WITH KEEP LITTLE ROCK BEAUTIFUL (KLRB) / KEEP ARKANSAS BEAUTIFUL (KAB) GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP. 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 2025-2026 (to begin at 10 a.m.): Saturday, 13 September 2025; Saturday, 13 December 2025; Saturday, 14 March 2026; Saturday 13 June, 2026 (in conjunction with National Juneteenth Holiday (19 June 2026) 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), neighborhood festivals organized by the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center (mosaictemplarscenter.com) and Taborian Hall/Dreamland Ballroom (dreamlandballroom.org). The Saturday 13 June 2026 litter pickup is in conjunction with the Juneteenth Holiday (Thursday 19 June 2026) 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.

The Swing Band Reunion(SBR) features two Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame inductees Nan Maureen Renaud - vocalist (inducted in...
29/08/2025

The Swing Band Reunion(SBR) features two Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame inductees Nan Maureen Renaud - vocalist (inducted in 2018) and Betty Ward - keyboards (inducted in 2024). The SBR will perform at the historic Vapors Live in Hot Springs Arkansas on Saturday 13 September 2025, 4 PM, ticket $20. Follow link to reserve tickets.

SBR PRESENTS: “50 YEARS OF BILLBOARD HITS OF THE 20TH CENTURY!”

Louis Armstrong: “Music is life itself. What would this world be without good music? No matter what kind it is.”

Miles Davis: “Good music is good no matter what kind of music it is.”

Duke Ellington: “When it sounds good, it is good.”

SBR will showcase a bucket load of good music, September 13, 4:00 p.m.! From Glenn Miller and Artie Shaw of the 1930s-1940s; to Bobby Darin and Dean Martin of the 1960s; all the way to the hits of Billy Joel, Chicago, Whitney Houston, and Earth Wind and Fire of the 1970s-1980s! Just a sampling of what’s in store for you, Saturday, September 13, 4:00 pm at historic Vapors Live in Hot Springs! Purchase your tickets online at…. https://vaporslive.com/event/swing-band-reunion/

In Memorial: Clarence "Tonk" Edwards inductee into the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame 2000 passed away peacefully Monday 11 ...
13/08/2025

In Memorial: Clarence "Tonk" Edwards inductee into the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame 2000 passed away peacefully Monday 11 August 2025.

See the previous post invitation from Barbara Newton Edwards to a celebration of his life and music Wednesday 13 August 2025 from 6 to 8 PM at Verona's, 212 E. Broad St., Texarkana, Arkansas.

Beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame guitarist Clarence Tonk Edwards passed away peacefully on August 11, 2025. Born in Mineral Springs, Arkansas, Tonk found his first audience in hometown dance halls and clubs across Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and...

I was privileged to have an on air interview Friday morning 25 July 2025 on KATV Channel 7's Good Morning Arkansas (GMAR...
27/07/2025

I was privileged to have an on air interview Friday morning 25 July 2025 on KATV Channel 7's Good Morning Arkansas (GMAR) with hosts Steve Powell and Ansley Watson. This was to promote Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation's 2025 Annual Event "Jazz at the Bakery", Friday 28 July 2025, 6 to 9 PM, $40 admission, at Community Bakery West, 11121 Rodney Parham Road Suite 14A, Little Rock, Arkansas. Thank you to Steve, Ansley, and the KATV Staff for making me feel at home. I need to correct myself - during the interview I mentioned Bob Dorough (1998 Inductee into the Arkansas jazz Hall of Fame and 2019 NEA Jazz Master) passing was in 2017 but his passing was in 2018. He actually had his last performance in Arkansas in May of 2017 at the CALS Ron Robinson Theatre, Little Rock. This post contains a link to my interview on KATV Channel 7. Thank you, James Thomson, Secretary and Original Incorporator of the Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation.

KATV ABC 7 in Little Rock, Arkansas covers news, sports, weather and the local community in the city and the surrounding area, including Hot Springs, Conway, Pine Bluff, Jacksonville, Sherwood, Stuttgart, Benton, Bauxite, East End, Scott, Pinnacle, Maumelle, Gibson, Landmark and Hensley.

COME CELEBRATE THE ARKANSAS JAZZ HALL OF FAME ON MONDAY 28 JULY 2025 6 TO 9 PM FOR "JAZZ AT THE BAKERY" AT THE COMMUNITY...
17/07/2025

COME CELEBRATE THE ARKANSAS JAZZ HALL OF FAME ON MONDAY 28 JULY 2025 6 TO 9 PM FOR "JAZZ AT THE BAKERY" AT THE COMMUNITY BAKERY WEST LOCATION 11121 NORTH RODNEY PARHAM ROAD SUITE 14A, LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS. ADMISSION IS $40 (CASH OR CHECK). MAIL CHECK FOR $40 PER PERSON TO ARKANSAS JAZZ HERITAGE FOUNDAITON PO BOX 251187, LITTLE ROCK, AR 72225. MORE INFO IN ATTACHED INVITATION. CONTACT THE ARKANSAS JAZZ HERTIAGE FOUNDATION AT (501) 661-1604 OR [email protected].

SCROLL DOWN FOR RECENT POSTS. (This one is pinned to the top of our timeline for 2024-2026 reference purposes. Questions...
02/07/2025

SCROLL DOWN FOR RECENT POSTS. (This one is pinned to the top of our timeline for 2024-2026 reference purposes. Questions should be directed to AJHF Secretary/Treasurer James Thomson at 501.661.1604. Dues, donations, applications, and nominations should be mailed to Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation, P. O. Box 251187, Little Rock, AR 72225-1187.) INVITATION AND REMINDER TO ALL POTENTIAL AND CURRENT MEMBERS OF THE ARKANSAS JAZZ HERITAGE FOUNDATION: Membership is open to any adult (21+) interested in the preservation, celebration, and promotion of jazz in Arkansas. Annual dues ($20 payable on 1 July) are not prorated; there is no financial penalty for late payment, but dues received after 31 March (end of third quarter) are considered the next year's membership fee. Dues must be accompanied by a current membership application; a scanned copy of the application can be found in the "AJHF: Reference Materials 2024-2025" album under "Photos" on the Foundation's page and on AJHF website arjazz.org under Downloads tab. Though general membership in the Foundation carries no attendance requirement, officers must attend eight board meetings per year and directors must attend four; any member interested in being nominated for a position on the 2024-2026 board is encouraged to attend 2025-2026 meetings (listed below). Info about 2025-2026 officers and directors can be found in the "AJHF: Board Members" album under "Photos" on the Foundation's page. REMINDER TO ALL 2025-2026 OFFICERS (President Mike Cobb, Vice President Chalk Mitchell, Secretary/Treasurer James Thomson) AND DIRECTORS (Kim Betton, Sterling Ingram, Nan Renaud, Gerald Sloan, Melissa Woods): In order for business to be conducted in accordance with AJHF bylaws and Robert's Rules of Order, at least two officers must be present at every board meeting. All OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS are required to attend full-board meetings on 21 July 2025 (annual organization/orientation), 19 January 2026 (semiannual review), 15 June 2026 (Annual Meeting), and 22 June 2026 (annual audit). OFFICERS are also required to attend executive-board meetings (open to but not required of directors) on 15 September 2025, 15 December 2025, 16 March 2026, and 8 June 2026. All meetings are held on Mondays (6-7 pm), and all except the one on 16 June the annual meeting (location to be announced by 1 April 2026) are held via conference call (contact James Thomson AJHF Secretary/Treasurer for invitation link to meetings). The later has been the preferred meeting schedule since March 2020. All meetings start promptly at 6 PM except for the Annual Meeting 16 June 2025 is at Noon. Contact Secretary James Thomson, 501.661.1601 or [email protected] , for further information.

02/07/2025

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Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation & Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame

With Articles of Incorporation issued by the State of Arkansas on 7 January 1992, the Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation (which sponsors and maintains the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame established in 1994) is an all-volunteer nonprofit dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and promoting jazz in The Natural State. Educational materials as well as current profiles and forms (e.g., membership application for the Foundation, nomination for the Hall of Fame) are provided within the “AJHF: Reference Materials” album under “Photos” on the page, where AJHF Secretary Alita Mantels (who also serves as Arkansas Editor for All About Jazz/Jazz Near You) posts several announcements each week about jazz artists/events/venues in Arkansas. In conjunction with the Foundation’s mission, she can provide free publicity (via the Foundation’s page as well as Jazz Near You’s website calendar and weekly e-newsletter) for any all-jazz event open to the public in Arkansas; to do so effectively, she must receive (from band leader/venue owner/sponsoring organization via voice-mail/e-mail/private Facebook message by Tuesday of the preceding week) the following details: venue, date, start time, end time, cost of admission and method of payment, title/description of event, name of band/band leader, full names and instruments for all band members (except in school/big bands). With sufficient advance notice, she and/or James Thomson (1992 incorporator and current president for the Foundation) can provide free lectures and/or educational handouts about Arkansas jazz to civic organizations as well as public schools/libraries/museums. The Foundation can assist with networking within Arkansas’s jazz community but does not become directly involved in bookings/contracts except for its own adults-only public event (with $20 general admission payable by cash/check at the door) held (8-11 p.m. on the third Monday of June) immediately after the Foundation’s members-only annual meeting in Little Rock. Open to any adult (21+), Foundation membership carries no attendance requirement except for board members, who must attend at least four and no more than eight meetings per year in Little Rock. There is no penalty for late payment of annual dues ($20 payable by cash/check on 1 July), which are not prorated; however, current members wishing to be nominated for the next year’s board are expected to submit dues on time. The Foundation (which receives no government/corporate funding and engages in no fundraisers except its annual event) relies upon dues/donations from individual members to meet operating expenses related to its educational activities and Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame induction ceremonies (held at annual events in even-numbered years).