Jazz Forum Arts is celebrating its 40th Anniversary! To see the organizations history throughout the years, click here.
About Jazz Forum Arts
Milestones
Since 1985 Jazz Forum Arts has brought top quality, live jazz to audiences throughout the New York metropolitan area.
As Westchester County’s premier nonprofit jazz organization, Jazz Forum Arts is committed to elevating the jazz community through appreciation and understanding of this uniquely American art form.
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Our Programming
Jazz Forum Club
Watch our video Jazz Forum: Keeping Jazz Alive in Westchester. Special thanks to Jesse Ovalles of Impact Stories.
The Jazz Forum is an intimate 90-seat performance venue, often called a “living room” where new and frequent patrons are welcomed personally and enthusiastically.
The club provides a special space for live music lovers as it is a listening room, first and foremost.
The club offers world-class jazz and Brazilian music every weekend, a delicious dinner menu complemented by Italian wine, local draft beer and a full bar featuring specialty cocktails.
There is no elevated stage so artists are uniquely accessible to the audience. There is a pool table in the adjacent lounge for patrons to enjoy before and after the music. The physical space of the club reflects the love in the room, the eclectic taste of the founders, and furniture – each piece with its own story – gifted to the club from friends and family over the years.
The Jazz Forum is located in Tarrytown, New York, and is celebrated as Westchester’s premier jazz club. Over the years, it has become a cherished destination for everyone – from couples seeking a romantic night out to the most dedicated jazz enthusiasts.
Outdoor Summer Concerts
Experience jazz, Brazilian and world music in beautiful, open-air settings at our free summer concert series.
We bring both acclaimed and up-and-coming artists to scenic parks along the Hudson River for unforgettable evenings of live music.
Just pack a picnic, grab a blanket, and bring your beach chairs. Join the community for a perfect sunset soundtrack.
At some locations, Jazz Forum Arts also offers free-to-attend Jitterbugs Jam sessions for kids of all ages to come and groove, prior to the concerts. Some locations also feature menu options by area food establishments and ice cream for the family.
Education
Jazz Forum Arts is dedicated to fostering a love for jazz across all ages through accessible educational programming.
The organization nurtures the next generation of performers, listeners and patrons by providing a structured, engaging and enjoyable learning environment.
Their diverse initiatives range from the Jitterbugs: Jazz for Kids program for preschoolers to the Jazz Forum Student Ensemble for older students, grades 5-12.
Scholarships are available for both programs. Additionally, students are invited to attend several shows at the club at no charge.
Monthly Jam Sessions
The Jazz Forum’s monthly jam sessions provide a welcoming environment for musicians of all levels to connect, collaborate and grow, while listeners enjoy the spontaneous creativity and interaction.
These jam sessions are free for students who present a valid ID at the door.
Rotating Art Gallery
The art gallery at the Jazz Forum expresses a commitment to presenting diverse visual art forms alongside the musical performances. It features rotating exhibits of regional artists, providing a space for the cross-pollination of artistic disciplines which adds to the warm environment of the club.
As part of its community efforts, Jazz Forum hosts free gallery receptions for each new exhibit that include engaging panel conversations with the artists. These events provide an opportunity for the community to learn directly from the creators. Guests are encouraged to discuss the art with the artists themselves, gaining personal insight into their process and vision – all while enjoying a glass of wine and cheese on the house.
The art presented at the Jazz Forum art gallery exhibits is available for sale.
The History of Our Organization
Jazz Forum Arts brings the world of Jazz to you. From internationally-renowned musicians to emerging artists, we aim to showcase the diversity within the genre. We foster an environment where the truest expression of the music can be celebrated in all its forms.
Our audiences experience progressive and bebop, Latin & Brazilian, world music, thythm and blues, New Orleans, traditional, swing and contemporary jazz. Jazz Forum Arts is for longtime Jazz enthusiasts and budding Jazz aficionados alike.
Driven by the desire to preserve and expand the appreciation of jazz music, Jazz Forum Arts is proud to be contributing to the cultural landscape in the New York metro area.
We believe jazz is for everyone and we strive to make music accessible to all members of the community. Jazz Forum Arts is committed to education and aims to inspire current and future generations of jazz lovers.
In addition to our listening room located in Tarrytown, New York, Jazz Forum Arts has produced its jazz at the Tarrytown Music Hall series for several decades. The series has featured unforgettable performances by Billy Taylor, Lionel Hampton, Betty Carter, Gerry Mulligan, Sonny Rollins, Clark Terry, Dave Brubeck, the Count Basie Orchestra and many others.
Jazz Forum Arts has also produced concerts at Peekskill’s Paramount Center, Purchase College’s Performing Arts Center, and Valhalla’s Kensico Dam. For over a decade, Jazz Forum Arts has been a leader in producing jazz festivals throughout the East Coast including the Riverside Park Arts Festival in New York City, the Berkshire Jazz Festival, and the Sunnyside Jazz Festival.
With a presence in NYC, Jazz Forum Arts has presented at The Town Hall, Symphony Space, The Michael Schimmel Center at PACE Downtown, the Beacon Theatre, NYU Skirball Center and from 2005 to 2015 at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Jazz Forum Arts’ Free Summer Concert series is at the heart of what we do – bringing jazz music to the community. For more than twenty consecutive summers, Jazz Forum Arts has presented dozens of concerts as part of this series, bringing live music outdoors to towns and villages throughout Westchester County, New York.
Our founding board members, which included David Amram, Dizzy Gillespie, and Wynton Marsalis, helped establish the one-of-a-kind organization that Jazz Forum Arts is today. We are proud of the music Jazz Forum Arts has brought to the community since those early days and we value the recognition we’ve received for our work.
Jazz Forum Arts have received six grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. This grant, which helped fund the National Public Radio broadcast of Cedar Walton & Barry Harris on WBGO’s Toast of The Nation (New Year’s Eve), documented our long-running Piano Summit concert series at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall.
Jazz Forum Arts And the Tarrytown Music Hall
On June 13, 1992, Jazz Forum Arts co-founder Mark Morganelli inaugurated “Jazz at the Music Hall.” He created a “Swing Summit,” featuring Harry “Sweets” Edison, Frank Wess, Al Grey, Dr. Billy Taylor, Milt “The Judge” Hinton and Oliver Jackson. Jazz Forum Arts has continued and expanded upon that initial offering, presenting over 150 concerts in over two decades at the historic Tarrytown Music Hall.
This collaboration has featured performances by internationally acclaimed artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Mercer Ellington, Dave Brubeck, Lionel Hampton, Chuck Mangione, Pat Metheny, Betty Carter, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby McFerrin, The Manhattan Transfer, Chris Botti, Cassandra Wilson, Spyro Gyra, Dianne Reeves, Hugh Masekela and many others.
Our Mission Statement
Jazz Forum Arts is a 501© 3 not-for-profit arts presenting organization whose mission is to present top-quality events to the public at little or no cost, while enhancing the appreciation of jazz, America’s preeminent indigenous musical artform.
Story of the club
Do you want to learn the story of our club, the Jazz Forum in Tarrytown? Find out what we’ve been up to since the beginning!
Jazz Forum Arts Management
Learn more about the people working at Jazz Forum Arts.
Our Sponsors
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