Magic City Smooth Jazz

HISTORY:  Magic City Smooth Jazz serves a culturally diverse group of people in race, age, and income.  Over the past three years, over 10,000 people have attended events focused primarily on educating youth in the Greater Birmingham area through music education workshops and live contemporary jazz performances from an ethnically diverse group of artists.

VISION: To unite Greater Birmingham communities and neighborhoods by enhancing cultural programming through jazz. 

TAGLINE: “Building Community through Jazz”

Jazz in the Park will begin the 2012 season on July 4 (Wednesday) in Caldwell Park.  The seris will continue each Sunday afterwards to various parks in Birmingham concluding on September 2.  Also, Jazz in the Park is scheduled for Tuscaloosa in April and Selma in July.  Please visit our website at www.magiccitysmoothjazz.com for the most updated information. 

In 2011 MCSJ presented “Jazz in the Park®,” in 10 Birmingham area city parks each Sunday from July 4 (Monday) that culminated at Linn Park on September 11.  On Memorial Day, organized “Pickin’ up the Pieces” FREE tornado relief concerts in 30 days that featured eight bands and 30 musicians sponsored by Waldrep, Stewart and Kendrick.  Collaborated with Magic City Art Connection arts festival and Sidewalk Film festival to present jazz music for both events.  On Mother’s Day, presented “Jazz in the Park®” in Town of Mt Laurel.      

In 2010 MCSJ presented “Jazz in the Park,” a FREE pilot concert series that traveled to five (5) Birmingham city parks each Sunday in July and culminating at Railroad Park on October 24.  Diverse area performers showcased music styles from contemporary jazz, straight-ahead jazz to Latin Jazz and everything in between.  Scrollworks, a community music school performed at all of the aforementioned sites and provided on-site lessons for the young and the young at heart on an instrument of their choice.  Our collaborative partners were the city of Birmingham Mayor’s Office, city of Birmingham Park and Recreation Board, Birmingham City Council, Wells Fargo Foundation, Daniel Foundation of Alabama, Alabama State Council on the Arts, Buffalo Rock, Samford University’s WVSU-FM 91.1, and Scrollworks through Metropolitan Youth Orchestras of Central Alabama (MYOCA).

In 2009 MCSJ collaborated with the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame and Birmingham City Schools in presenting two music workshops and performances with world renowned bassist and 2011 Grammy Award Winner Esperanza Spalding in February and saxophonist Eric Marienthal in March. The workshops and performances were made possible by a grant from The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham and generous donation from the Birmingham City Council.

Mongtomery, Birmingham, Selma and Tuscaloosa

35223, 35242, 35244, 35080, 35176, 35007, 35124, 35226, 35243, 35114, 35173, 35043, 35213, 35127, 35126, 35235, 35040, 35071, 35147, 35210, 35216, 35186, 35117, 35143, 35020, 35203, 36702, 35401

Music, education, jazz, arts, cultural, community, diversity,