“You ever see a flock of birds?” jazz impresario Vijay Iyer asked a room full of more than 20 middle and high school student-musicians. “You might think, well, who’s steering it? And actually, they’re all somehow doing it together. So we’re going to do this with sound.”
After performing at Spoleto Festival USA, the world-renowned composer, pianist, bandleader and educator stayed in town an extra day to host a workshop at the Charleston Jazz Academy on June 4.
Iyer’s aim was to teach the students how to think about music — how to collaborate and improvise — not how to play it.
Every year, Spoleto’s Wells Fargo Jazz Series brings two of its performers to the summer camp, which is run by a nonprofit organization, as a way to give back to the community. Earlier that week, trumpeter Etienne Charles held a similar workshop two days before his own Spoleto performance.
From chaos to cohesion
Iyer told the room full of young drummers, trombonists and everything in between to start by playing a concert C.
“After we hear that everyone is on that pitch, somebody — it could be you, it might not be — will move to a different note and hold that note, and then everyone else will merge with that note,” he said.
The chaos that ensued turned into a lesson.
“Things don’t always go according to plan,” Iyer said. “Sometimes you have a moment of crisis or meltdown. But that’s music, too.”
Phillip D. Smith, board president of Spoleto, believes the event aligns with the festival’s dream.
“For this jazz academy to have access to some of the jazz greats in the world right now is really special,” Smith said. “We don’t want great jazz just for wealthy people. We want great jazz that’s for everyone.”
Smith said outreach events like these help prove Spoleto’s value to the community, which attracts donor support and lowers ticket prices.
“If we didn’t do this at Spoleto, I don’t know that the corporate support would be as strong as it is,” he said.
With donations making up about 60% of the festival’s operating expenses, that support is essential to keep it afloat.
Spoleto’s jazz curator, Larry Blumenfeld, said this collaboration is more than a good deed; it also helps the festival stay rooted in the community.
Strengthening local roots
“A big part of the tradition of jazz is mentorship and education,” Blumenfeld said. “Another big part of the tradition of jazz is having music that connects to a community. We align with organizations that can help us contribute to but also be grounded in the community.”
In April, Blumenfeld started the “Jazz Is Community” series, an initiative that grew out of this annual workshop.
He said saxophonist Donald Harrison played a concert, visited a high school and visited Charleston Jazz Academy. Harrison then participated in a free documentary screening, a conversation about community building through jazz, and a free concert for the public.
“I’m hoping it happens again,” said Blumenfeld.
The impacts of the event extended far beyond the music itself.
Before Iyer said goodbye to a roomful of his young fans, he left them with some words of advice.
“I’m really grateful for this time, and I hope you have a great time here, too,” he said. “Make a lot of music, make a lot of friends, stay creative, build community with each other, keep collaborating together and find a way to make your own music.”
Olivia Meier is a magazine, news, and digital journalism graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
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