Today, Jerome Jennings offers his insights on Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and how the fight against injustice has continued to be reflected through jazz. What are some viable solutions towards combating the racial injustice we see in this country, especially as jazz musicians? Hear about this and more in today’s episode.

*Opening song is “Pay It No Mind” and closing song is “I Love Your Smile”, both off of the “Solidarity” (2019) album by Jerome Jennings*

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Jerome Jennings is a drummer, activist, bandleader, composer, sideman and  educator. His debut recording ‘The Beast’ is a reflection of the every day joys and  traumas of black life in the U.S. It was named one of the top three Jazz releases by  NPR, received a four star rating in Downbeat Magazine, and was nominated for the  prestigious French ‘Grand Prix du Disque’ award for Album of the Year in 2016. Jerome’s sophomore recording, ‘Solidarity’, released November 2019 was  recognized by NPR as best music that spoke truth to power of 2019.

Jerome is a pertinent performer. To date Jerome has performed, toured and recorded  with legendary musicians like Sonny Rollins, Hank Jones, Gerald Wilson, Christian  McBride, Ron Carter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Wynton Marsalis (J@LC), The Count  Basie Orchestra, Philip Bailey, Henry Butler, and countless others. He has also  made recordings and shared the stage with contemporary musicians Sean Jones, Camille Thurman, Jazzmeia Horn, Christian Sands, Charenee Wade, and Bokani  Dyer to name a few.

The summer of 2007 Jerome earned a MM from the prestigious Juilliard School in  Manhattan NY. Jerome has been the Resident Director of The Juilliard Jazz  Orchestra since fall 2017. He passed Jazz At Lincoln Centers Swing University 301  history course: The most comprehensive study of jazz from a non-performance  perspective, available. Jazz At Lincoln Center has Jerome Jennings on file as an accredited jazz scholar.

Jerome has participated on several panels including Chamber Music America:  Music, Language, and Revolution; Lincoln Center: Freedom’s State of Mind; Winter  Jazz Festival: Jazz & Gender: A Discussion Of Community, Culture & Participatory  Allies. Fall 2020, Jerome co-curated with Naomi Extra, a series of panels,  performances and discussions at The National Jazz Museum in Harlem entitled  ‘Jazz in The Era of Black Lives Matter.’

Currently, Jerome is keeping busy teaching, conducting clinics and educational  youth out reach nationally and internationally. He is one of the most successful in  the field of Black American music education. Jerome has been artist in residence,  and have lectured at dozens of Universities, Academy’s, and Camps nationally and  internationally including UNC Greensboro, John Hopkins Peabody Institute,  Rutgers University, The Juilliard School, Jazz Music Institute (Brisbane, AU), Sydney  Conservatory of Music, Xavier College (Melbourne, AU), The Ohio State University,  Aspen Colorado, Brigham Young University,

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IG: @iamjeromejennings

Bandcamp: https://jeromejennings.bandcamp.com/album/solidarity

Main Website: www.jeromejennings.com

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