Are you ready for the Zombie Jazz apocalypse?
Over the past year, I have had the pleasure of working with Adam Schatz and the fine, frenzied folk at Search and Restore. We first met at the NYC Winter Jazz Fest where I had my face repeatedly rocked-and-wooed by artists like Gretchen Parlato, Rudder, Ambrose Akinmusire, The Chris Dave Trio, and Lionel Loueke (among dozens more). Since then we have bonded over a shared passion for proselytizing the living gospel of live jazz — get it? Not dead.
We know they’ve been declaring “jazz is dead” since 1929. Got it. It’s all over. We also know we’ve been listening to innovative movements of the finest American art form ever since. Today’s generation of jazz artists face many of the same challenges the BeBop cats had to deal with (just look at Jason Marsalis and the “jazz nerd” debate). Many traditionalists don’t like the way hip-hop bleeds into jazz, sparking once again the unending debate of what is or is not “jazz.”
Search and Restore is not taking this lightly. Live from the boiling pot of New York City comes a massive project ready to represent the state of jazz in our generation. Jazz is a living beast that feeds on your very ability to listen. I’m going to let Adam take it from here and implore you to find that rebellious, jazz-loving fool within you and throw a little love their way. They’ve got you covered for anything you’ll ever need about NYC jazz (and I love, love, love the podcast).
- Crisman
Jazz is dying, or so the critics would have you believe…
In a world where the audience for jazz is shrinking, Search and Restore is stepping up to change the future of the music as we know it, and we need your help! Between 2002 and 2008, the median age of Americans who attended a live jazz performance increased from 29 to 49. The fact that the media coverage of jazz has been in strictly traditional outlets with heavy references to the past, reinforces the stigma of jazz as an old music. Coupled with cover charges at high profile clubs of $30 or more, new fans are increasingly less likely to discover and connect with the music.
Our mission: Develop and Unite the New Jazz Community!
The audience may be fading, but the music most definitely is not. Search and Restore wants to introduce a new generation of fans to the powerful new jazz being created in New York and beyond. Since 2008, Search and Restore has been expanding the reach of new jazz. Our shows, with new, dynamic presentation and promotion do justice to the excitement we all feel for this music, and attract a growing audience of young, passionate fans. With an expanding group of committed volunteers, we have started building a palpable community for contemporary jazz, bringing aboard hundreds of new fans and artists along the way. Last June’s Undead Jazz Festival alone, attracted a crowd of 1500! SearchAndRestore.com has become the go to place to see what’s happening in jazz in NYC, with nightly listings and original content. But don’t take our word for it; see our press in the Wall Street Journal, Village Voice, NPR and New York Times.
With our new 501 (c) (3) status from the IRS, we are ready make Search and Restore a viable non-profit organization with a mission of promoting a sustainable community for new jazz. But the hard work and good will of volunteers cannot continue to sustain our operations. Our business plan is to generate revenue through a mix of advertising, grants and private donations. We are learning the hard way that foundations want to see an operating history before awarding grants, so expanding our web presence is at the heart of our plans. With your help, we can expose new audiences around the world to new jazz music and build a scene that is more sustainable and vibrant than ever before.
Our goal: $75,000 (Go big or go home!)
Search and Restore is embarking on a groundbreaking web-based video project that will simultaneously expand the contemporary jazz community without borders, and make us an attractive site for advertisers, supporting the sustainability of our efforts. The new SearchAndRestore.com will become a one-of-a kind home base for a growing audience for new jazz, providing them access to hundreds of artist pages for the mind-blowing composers and improvisers that make our community such a special one.
Over the course of one year, we will
• Send our team out to the New York City clubs and spaces where new jazz happens in New York City and capture footage of 4 concerts per week; that’s 208 concerts in one year!
• Integrate the footage into artist pages for every musician we film, complete with streaming mp3s, upcoming shows, a bio, and links to purchase their music.
• Create a feature for up and coming musicians to build their own artist pages, making SearchAndRestore.com simultaneously an amazing tool for the discovery of new music, and a way to consolidate promotional efforts for artists.
Your contribution will go towards the costs of redesigning the website, as well as staffing and equipment for video production and post-production work.
Donating is easy; you can help save jazz!
I’m asking you to join me and the others who believe jazz that is still groundbreaking, truly exciting, worth saving and indeed, celebrating! Our goal is to create a sustainable community for jazz with a new generation who will come to the music on their own terms.
With your support, Search and Restore will be at the heart of that community.
Follow this link for more details on our video project, or to make your tax deductible donation now.
Thanks for your support,
Adam Schatz
Founder, Search and Restore
P.S. Click the donate button and help save jazz today!
DONATE HERE (tax deductible!):
We will only receive the money if we meet our goal!
