Jun 9, 2026 10:54 AM
In Memoriam: James Blood Ulmer, 1940–2026
With deep sorrow and profound love, we announce the passing of James Blood Ulmer, a boldly innovative guitarist,…
The Jazz Education Network was born June 1 in a hotel conference room in suburban Chicago.
Some 35 jazz education leaders and music industry professionals gathered to form the organization which will focus on expanding jazz education, jazz performance opportunities and jazz audiences.
The new organization has emerged following the April announcement that the International Association for Jazz Education would file for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.
The IAJE announcement left a void in the jazz education community that the Jazz Education Network will try to fill.
“The energy and passion that people brought into the room was incredible,” said Mary Jo Papich, who was elected president of the Network. “We were able to accomplish so much in just a short amount of time this weekend. We chose a name, drafted a mission statement, reviewed a draft of our bylaws selected a board and even began to discuss potential member benefits and levels.”
“This process went surprisingly well,” said Gene Wenner, president of Arts & Education Consultants and the facilitator of the meeting. “There was a sense that everyone had a part in the process and could take ownership in the outcome.”
Papich, the Fine Arts Chair at Highland Park High School in Highland Park, Ill., and Lou Fischer, a leading jazz educator and professor of music at Capital University Conservatory of Music in Columbus, Ohio, served as the driving forces behind the meeting. Fischer was elected to serve as vice president of the Network. Bruce Silva, vice president of Buffet Crampon USA, will serve as the organization’s treasurer and Julie Traenkenschuh, a music director at Woodruff High School in Peoria, Ill., will be secretary.
The mission statement for the organization says: The Jazz Education Network is dedicated to building the jazz arts community by advancing education, promoting performance and developing new audiences.”
The Network is in the process of filing for non-profit organization status. Once complete, it will begin the work of developing programs and attracting membership.
A Web site will be up shortly at www.jazzednet.org that will provide organizational updates and membership information.
Papich and Fischer had both resigned from the board of directors of IAJE before its bankruptcy announcement. Papich was IAJE president-elect before resigning. Fischer was U.S. Representative for the organization.
With the new organization, both expressed the need to build a new and better managed entity focused on the needs of the membership.
Frank Alkyer
To the world, James Blood Ulmer was a legend, a visionary and a musical force whose sound was distinctive and unique. To his family, he was their teacher, their storyteller and a source of strength.
Jun 9, 2026 10:54 AM
With deep sorrow and profound love, we announce the passing of James Blood Ulmer, a boldly innovative guitarist,…
Clockwise from top left, Mary Halvorson, Patricia Brennan, Adam O’Farrill, Keith Jarrett’s At the Deer Head Inn: The Complete Recordings, Sheila Jordan and Jaki Byard.
Jul 16, 2026 1:34 PM
The DownBeat Critics Poll never ceases to amaze! And the 74th Edition offered plenty of accolades for poll veterans and…
Ibrahim was an early jazz acolyte, studying the music via 78s he would buy from soldiers stationed in South Africa — who also gave him the nickname “Dollar.”
Jun 30, 2026 3:19 PM
Pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, the NEA Jazz Master from South Africa who helped fuse the folk music of his home country with…
A drummer’s drummer, Rodney Holmes gigged with everyone from Joe Zawinul and Carlos Santana to Steve Kimock and the Brecker Brothers.
Jul 22, 2026 12:37 PM
Drummer Rodney Holmes, a powerful presence behind the kit who emerged as an in-demand player on the New York scene…
“There was something about her tone and sound and phrasing — an intimacy, a vulnerability, an honesty,” says Joshua Redman, who produced Cavassa’s record after she toured with his band.
Jun 16, 2026 1:27 AM
Gabrielle Cavassa is an avowed perfectionist. So when she failed to place despite becoming a finalist in the 2018 Sarah…
