After 7 years, the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame is restarting its music classes on Saturdays

After a seven-year hiatus, Saturday morning music classes have returned to the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.

The Birmingham music and arts nonprofit has restarted Saturday Jazz Greatsthe long-standing tuition-free music education program.

The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, housed in the historic Carver Theater, started the program in 1999. Every Saturday, professional jazz musicians gathered at the Carver to teach students music at the beginning, intermediate and advanced levels, including instrumental instruction, music theory, jazz history and jazz improvisation. Over the years, program instructors have been added Dr. Frank Adams And Dr. Tolton Rosser.

(READ MORE: ‘He taught me patience’: Alabama jazz musician Dr. Tolton Rosser remembered as strict but compassionate)

The Hall of Fame paused its Saturday Jazz Greats program shortly after the Carver Theater, located at 1631 4th Ave. North in the center of Birmingham, closed for renovation work in 2017. While the Carver Theater lobby and performance hall reopened in 2022, the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame museum, located on the second floor, and the Jazz Hall Radio studio in the basement remained closed for upgrades and new installations. The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame Museum officially opened on August 6.

The Saturday Jazz Greats program resumed last month and the Jazz Hall of Fame continues to accept students on a rolling basis. This year, the program admits students in grades 3 through 12. Prospective students must complete this a registration form and pay €75 registration fee. The lessons last from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

While students pay a registration fee for Saturday Jazz Greats, the lessons in the weekly program are free. According to information on the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame website, the nonprofit has secured a grant for the Saturday program. Thanks to the subsidy, 50 students will receive a €50 discount on the registration fee.

The Jazz Hall of Fame has appointed trumpeter and bandleader Daniel Jose Carr to lead the Saturday Jazz Greats program. Carr, a celebrated teacher who also leads the city’s longest-running jazz jam sessionhas assembled a team of musicians and experienced instructors from across the state. Bernard McQueen, member of Carr’s quartet, will teach electric bass and double bass. Miles College professor Daniel Harper, who taught at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame for nearly a decade, will return to teach trumpet and piano. Renowned singer and pianist Terry Harper will instruct jazz vocals and piano. Carlos Pino, adjunct professor at UAB, will teach guitar. Arnold Montgomery will lead lessons for students learning the saxophone. Jazz drummer John Nuckols will lead sessions on percussion.

(READ MORE: ‘So You Say You Play Jazz?’: New documentary tells the story of Daniel José Carr, jazz history in Birmingham)

Students participating in the program receive an evaluation from instructors to assess their skill levels and musical needs.

Dr. Leah Tucker, the executive director of the Jazz Hall of Fame, warmly welcomed the students to the program’s reopening day.

“Learning is fun and when you start playing jazz you will feel a completely different spirit from yourself. It’s music that uplifts you. It’s very happy. And it’s very creative,” Tucker said as she addressed the students on stage in the Carver Theater performance hall. “You can do your own thing, that’s called improvising. So you’re going to learn all these things. You’re going to learn to read music if you don’t know how. And you’re going to learn how to work as a group when you come together for the band.”

For Tucker, fond memories of the nonprofit’s educational programs served as a guide while the Carver Theater was closed for seven years.

On August 3, the music hall organized a grand reopening party. The party, called ‘A Cool Jazz Afternoon’, also marked a moment of remembrance – iconic bassist Ron Carter’s induction into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.

During her welcome address that afternoon, Tucker recalled looking at folders filled with hundreds of registration forms from students who had taken classes over the decades.

“When I started looking through all the different books, there were hundreds and hundreds of names of students that we trained,” Tucker said. “So I know that jazz won’t just fade into the past.”

(READ MORE: Iconic bassist Ron Carter inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame)

She also shared success stories from the program. One student, a flautist, toured with Lizzo and played the Hollywood Bowl. Another student is now studying jazz with Rodney Whitaker, the director of jazz studies at Michigan State University.

“That’s what we do,” Tucker said as the crowd erupted in applause. “We train these young people so that they can keep this art form alive and healthy.”

The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 6 to celebrate the reopening of the museum and gallery.

The newly renovated Alabama Jazz Hall Museum features artifacts and updated exhibits dedicated to several Alabama Jazz Hall inductees, including Dinah Washington, Harry Belafonte and Sun Ra. The exhibits will eventually include interactive touchscreens with biographies of the inductees. In 2017, the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame purchased its jazz radio station from Samford University. With full control over the channel’s programming, the nonprofit is also expanding its lineup of shows Jazz Hall Radio. The Jazz Hall was added in September Shure Shot Jazz. The weekly show, hosted by vinyl deejays Suaze and DJ Rahdu, combines jazz and hip-hop culture.

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