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.

13/06/2025

JOIN AJHF VOLUNTEERS ON SATURDAY 14 JUNE 2025, 10 AM, FOR A LITTER PICKUP OF LITTLE ROCK'S HISTORIC WEST NINTH STREET IN CONJUNCTION WITH PREPARATIONS FOR NATIONAL JUNETEENTH HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS. 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 2025) 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.

08/06/2025

Dear Members and Friends of AJHF,

REMINDER 2025-2026 ANNUAL DUES (PAYABLE 1 JULY 2025): Membership in the Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation (the all-volunteer nonprofit which sponsors and maintains the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame) is open to any adult (21+) interested in preserving, celebrating, and promoting jazz in Arkansas. General membership carries no attendance requirement. Annual dues ($20 payable 1 July) are not prorated; there is no financial penalty for late payment, but dues received after 31 March (end of third quarter) will be considered the next year's membership fee.

Please take a moment to complete the attached two page AJHF Membership Application with your updated information, sign and date, include you check for $20 dues payable to AJHF and mail to The Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation, PO Box 251187, Little Rock, AR 72225-1187. You may also include with your dues any addition donation to the Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation. Thank you if you have already responded.

2025 Annual Board and Membership Meeting is Monday 16 June 2025 6 PM

The 2025 Annual Meeting will be held only via conference call on Monday 16 June 2025 at 6 PM. AJHF Members who wish to attend the meeting please RSVP to Secretary James Thomson via email [email protected] or phone 501.661.1604. A link to the conference phone call will be sent via email by Sunday 15 June 2025.

Thank you,

James Thomson,
Secretary/Treasurer/Original Incorporator
Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation/Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame
PO Box 251187, Little Rock, AR 72225-1187
(501) 661-1604, [email protected], https:/www.arjazz.org
Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation on Facebook

22/04/2025

Your Invited. Come celebrate International Jazz Day with the Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation.

Who?
Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation / Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame
Members and Friends, Event open to the public - No Admission.

What?
Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation Meet and Greet with
Live Jazz performed by
David Higginbotham - bass/vocals,
Chris Parker - Keyboard,
Kelly Hurt - vocals, and
Phillip House - drums.

When?
International Jazz Day
Wednesday 30 April 2025
5 to 9 PM

Where? Dizzy's Gipsy Bistro, 200 River Market Ave, Suite 150, Little Rock, Arkansas, https://www.dizzyslr.com/, 501.375.3500.

How? For dinner reservations call Dizzy's Gypsy Bistro, 501.375.3500, [email protected], https://www.dizzyslr.com/.

For information about the Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation, 501.661.1604, [email protected], Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation on Facebook, or www.arjazz.org. AJHF will have an information table at the venue. Join, Renew, and/or Donate to AJHF.

COME SUPPORT LIVE LOCAL JAZZ IN A FINE DINING ATMOSPHERE.

20/04/2025

REMINDER RE 2025-2026 ANNUAL DUES (PAYABLE 1 JULY 2025): Membership in the Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation (the all-volunteer nonprofit which sponsors and maintains the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame) is open to any adult (21+) interested in preserving, celebrating, and promoting jazz in Arkansas. General membership carries no attendance requirement. Annual dues ($20 payable 1 July) are not prorated; there is no financial penalty for late payment, but dues received after 31 March (end of third quarter) will be considered the next year's membership fee.

Please take a moment to complete the attached two page AJHF Membership Application with your updated information, sign and date, include you check for $20 dues payable to AJHF and mail to The Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation, PO Box 251187, Little Rock, AR 72225-1187. You may also include with your dues any addition donation to the Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation.

18/04/2025

JOIN AJHF VOLUNTEERS ON SATURDAY 19 APRIL 2025, 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 EARTH DAY CELEBRATION. 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 2025) 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. The Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation is in the 22nd year of service with Adopt-A-Street.

01/04/2025

01/04/2025

01/04/2025

Love music? Need help paying for college? The APME Scholarship can help! But don’t wait too long—the deadline is March 31, 2025! 🚨
Who Can Apply?

🎶 Arkansas high school seniors
🎶 Music majors or those pursuing a related field
🎶 Students with a 2.5 GPA or higher
🎶 Those ready to submit an essay & audition video

More details & applications available at www.artporter.org ! Don’t miss out—APPLY TODAY!

01/04/2025

ArkCDA and ASBOA
ALL-STATE PERFORMANCES
Tuesday 1 April 2025

ArkCDA CONCERTS
In Russellville
Russellville Center for the Performing Arts
6:00 pm TTBB CHOIR – Dr. Jonathan Palant
6;30 pm SSAA CHOIR – Dr. Joni Jensen
7:00 pm SATB CHOIR – Dr. Jeffery Ames

ASBOA CONCERTS
In Maumelle
Maumelle High School Auditorium
1:30 pm SECOND JAZZ BAND – Dr. Steve Holley
2:15 pm FIRST JAZZ BAND – Dr. Roosevelt Griffin
3:15 pm ORCHESTRA – Dr. Gene Moon
4:45 pm CONCERT BAND – Dr. David Robinson
5:45 pm SYMPHONIC BAND – John Fannin
6:45 pm WIND SYMPHONY – Dr. Christopher Cicconi

07/03/2025

JOIN AJHF VOLUNTEERS ON SATURDAY 08 MARCH
2025, 10 AM, FOR A LITTER PICKUP OF LITTLE ROCK'S HISTORIC WEST NINTH STREET IN CONJUNCTION WITH KEEP LITTLE ROCK BEAUTIFUL (2025 GREAT AMERICAN CITY WIDE CLEANUP) AND (KEEP ARKANSAS BEAUTIFUL 2025 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 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 2025) 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 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.

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+15016611604

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https://www.arjazz.org/

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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).

13/06/2025

08/06/2025

22/04/2025

20/04/2025

18/04/2025

01/04/2025

01/04/2025

01/04/2025

01/04/2025

07/03/2025

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Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation & Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame