Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame facts for kids

The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame (AJHF) is a special museum and group in Birmingham, Alabama. It celebrates and teaches people about jazz music. Jazz is a unique and important type of music that started in America. The AJHF also wants to show how much the state of Alabama has helped jazz music grow. It was started in 1978 and opened as a museum on September 18, 1993.

Explore the AJHF Jazz Museum

Members of the AJHF free Saturday jazz class.

Members of the AJHF free Saturday jazz class.

The museum is inside the old Carver Theatre in Birmingham. This theatre is part of the Birmingham Civil Rights District. Other important places there include the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the 16th Street Baptist Church.

The museum has over 2,200 square feet of cool exhibits. You can see paintings, quilts, musical instruments, and personal items. Some belonged to famous artists like Ella Fitzgerald and W.C. Handy. The Jazz Hall of Fame also puts on jazz shows around the city. They even send musicians to schools to teach students about jazz.

Free Saturday Jazz Classes

Since 1999, the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame has offered free jazz classes. These classes are for any young person living in Alabama. Dr. Frank Adams started these popular classes. Local jazz band teachers from schools lead the lessons.

In these classes, students learn how to read music and how to improvise jazz. Improvising means making up music on the spot. Many students who took these classes have won scholarships. They went on to study jazz at top music schools. Some of these schools include the University of New Orleans and the Manhattan School of Music.

Annual Student Jazz Band Festival

Every year, the AJHF hosts a special three-day event. Middle school, high school, and college jazz bands come to perform. Expert jazz musicians judge the bands. They give out awards like "Band of Distinction" and "Outstanding Soloist." These awards are given in each age group.

Past College Bands of Distinction

• 2004 - University of Alabama Jazz Ensemble A
• 2005 - University of Alabama at Birmingham, UAB Jazz Ensemble
• 2006 - Jacksonville State University Jazz Ensemble
• 2007 - Troy State University
• 2008 - Jackson State University, Jackson Mississippi
• 2009 - Troy State University
• 2012 - University of Alabama at Birmingham
• 2014 - University of Alabama at Birmingham
• 2015 - University of Alabama at Birmingham
• 2016 - University of Alabama at Birmingham
• 2017 - Alabama State University
• 2018 - Troy University

Past College Outstanding Soloists

• 2004 - Omari Thomas, University of Alabama at Birmingham
• 2005 - Omari Thomas, University of Alabama at Birmingham
• 2014 - Kameron Dickerson
• 2015 - Alex Garrett, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa

Past High School Bands of Distinction

• 2015 - Minor High School
• 2016 - Alabama School of Fine Arts
• 2017 - Oak Mountain High School
• 2018 - Minor High School

Past High School Outstanding Soloists

• 2015 Matthew Belser, Alabama School of Fine Arts

Past Middle School Bands of Distinction

• 2015 Phillips Academy

Past Middle School Outstanding Soloists

• 2015 Jaeden Henderson, Phillips Academy

New Jazz Groups from AJHF Programs

The AJHF's teaching programs have inspired new music groups. One example is the "Neo Jazz Collective." This group was formed by young students. They used the skills they learned at the AJHF. They want to become professional musicians. Lud Yisrael directs this group. They even started their own school in Fairfield, Alabama.

"Taste of 4th Avenue" Jazz Festival

Every fall, a special jazz festival takes place. It's called the "Taste of 4th Avenue Jazz Festival." The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame helps put on this event. They work with Urban Impact of Birmingham to make it happen.

Free Jazz Workshops and Clinics

The AJHF also offers free jazz workshops and masterclasses. These are special lessons from professional musicians. Past guest teachers include famous artists like Lou Marini (a saxophonist) and Joey Alexander (a pianist). Other guests have been Eric Marienthal, Bill Goodwin, T. S. Monk, Gregg Karukas, and Esperanza Spalding.

Musical Instrument Recycling Program

The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame collects used musical instruments. People donate instruments that can still be fixed. Many famous musicians have donated instruments. These include Lou Marini, Erskine Hawkins, and Sammy Lowe. The AJHF then gives these instruments to students. This helps students in their jazz education programs.

List of Inductees

The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame honors people who have made a big impact on jazz music. These people are called "inductees." Here is a list of some of the talented individuals who have been inducted:

• 1978: Frank Adams, Amos Gordon, Erskine Hawkins, Haywood Henry, Sammy Lowe, John Tuggle "Fess" Whatley
• 1979: Paul Bascomb, Dud Bascomb, John Bell, Jothan Callins, Charles H. Clarke, Cleveland Eaton, Johnny Grimes, Richard Harris, Jo Jones, James H. Mitchell, Avery Parrish, Sun Ra, John C. Reed, Laura Washington
• 1980: Walter Blythe, Babe Clarke, Peter F. Clarke, Jimmy Colvin, Charles Daniels, Wilson Driver, Jerry Grundhoefer, Calvin Ivory, Henry Kimbrell, Jesse Larkins, Shorty Long, Rushton Miller, Walter Miller, Fletcher Myatt, C. Julian Parrish, Hampton Reese, Alwilda Smith, John S. Springer Sr., Newman C. Terrell, Iva B. Williams
• 1981: John Anderson, Henry Blankenship, Melvin H. Caswell, Richard Clarke, Victor Cunningham, Murray Harper, Jimmie Harris, Theodore Hill, George Hudson, William Johnson III, Warren Parham, Avery Richardson, Richard Sanford, E. W. Williams, Ivory Williams.
• 1982: Joe Alexander, Esau Coleman, Alton Davenport, Joseph Guy, Leon Hines, George Hudson, Lovell Litton, James Powell, Sam Ranelli, Tolton Rosser, Joseph Sanford, John Santoro, Roszetta Johnson, William Stewart, Robert Summers
• 1983: Hooper T. Abrams, Leroy Allen, Leatha Bell, Frank Carpenter, Paul B. Coman, LaVergne Comer, Dolly Brown Gibson, Marcellus Green, Frank Greer, Monroe Kennedy, Robert McCoy, Neil McLean, Bull Simpson, Jesse Taylor
• 1984: Doris Adams, Carl Atkins, Lucius Daniels, Ella Fitzgerald, Shelton Gary, James McDaniels, Robert Moore, H. T. Raleigh Randolph, Johnny Smith, Arthur Stringer, Sam Taylor
• 1985: Bo Berry, Edward A. Brown, Henry Caffey, Andrew Fair, Howard Funderburg, W. C. Handy, Jerome Hopkins, Everett Lawler, James Lowe, Willie Richardson, Lee Stanfield, Jonny Williams (Honorary inductees: Richard Arrington Jr., Gloria Curry, J. Garrick Hardy, C. W. Hayes, David Vann, Lewis White)
• 1986: Lucky Davis, Henry Glover, Hortense Henderson, Thomas Lyle, Mary Alice Marable, Jack Marshall, Ellis McClure, Lucky Millinder, Jerry Reed, Dinah Washington, H. T. Ward, Zelpha Wells, Harry Young
• 1987: Guitar Allen, Donald Crawford, Jesse Dandy, Ted Galloway, Jerry Greene, Tommie Harris, Aldolphus Williams
• 1988: Horace Carney, Roosevelt Hatcher, Attorney James Henderson, Nathaniel Miller, Bobby Owens, Rose Marie Rushin, Bonna Mae Perine Samuels, Tommy Stewart
• 1989: Emerson Able, John Carlton, Eddie Castleberry, Samuel Fisher, John McAphee Jr, Henry Pugh, J. B. Sims, Cornelius Aikens
• 1990: James Reese Europe, Joseph Giattina, William W. Handy, J. Earl Hensley, Nuncie LeBerte, William Lee, Irene Monroe, William Nappi, Jimmy Randolph, Evelyn Wallace
• 1991: Pat Cather, Andre Ford, Ann Graham, Eric Essix, Alex Gulas, Wilbur Harden, Cliff Nation, DeWitt Shaw, Pinetop Smith, James Swyne, Cootie Williams
• 1992: Earlie Billups, Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Trenton Harris, Samuel Lay, Consuela Lee Moorehead
• 1993: Nat King Cole, John Collins
• 1994: Cholly Atkins, Mary Ogletree, Willie Ruff
• 1995: Jim Bell, Countess Felder, Urbie Green, Henry Panion, Hassan Ralph Williams, Bobby Smith
• 1997: Victor Atkins, Jesse Champion, Foxxy Fatts, Thomas Lindsey, Johnny O'Neal
• 2001: Rickey Powell, Charles Ard
• 2008: Gene Conners (aka “The Mighty Flea”), Frank Davis Jr, Bart Grooms, Alvon A. “Sonny” Harris, Grover Mitchell, Steve Sample Sr, Harry Noble Simms, Roy Yarbrough
• 2013: Harry Belafonte
• 2015: Mart Avant, Rick Bell, Daniel Jose Carr, Marion Evans, John Hayden, Robert Horton, Don Jones, Hal Kemp, Al Killian, Jean Kittrell, Jack Marshall, Gary Motley, Phelton Simmons, Eb Swingle, Ward Swingle, George Washington and Fred Wesley Jr.

See Also

• List of music museums
• List of jazz institutions and organizations