JAZZ APPRECIATION MONTH & EXPERIENCING JAZZ LIVE

I just learned April is officially Jazz Appreciation Month. And today, April 30, marks International Jazz Day.

Which made me pause for a second, because jazz has never really been something I revisit once a year. It’s always been in rotation for me. Especially while I’m working. There’s something about it that settles the room in a way nothing else really does.

And thinking about it now, I wonder if that started earlier than I realized.

Probably from growing up hearing it in the background. Sitcoms, late night talk shows, moments where jazz was just there. You didn’t have to understand it, you just felt it.

That’s kind of the point.

Jazz Appreciation Month, or JAM, was created in 2001 by Dr. John Edward Hasse at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History as a way to bring more attention to jazz and create space for people to engage with it.

Because jazz is originally a Black American art form that has gone on to shape music all over the world. And even with that influence, there are still people who haven’t had real exposure to it in a live setting or in a way that feels accessible.

That’s why moments like this matter.

You hear that foundation in the greats.

Miles Davis constantly redefining the sound. John Coltrane stretching it into something spiritual. Nina Simone using it as both expression and resistance. Herbie Hancock pushing it forward in ways that still shape how music sounds today.

But for me, it always comes back to being in the room.

I saw Venna live at The Atlantis in DC on January 28, the second stop of the U.S. leg of his Malik tour. This was my second time seeing him. The first was in Richmond last summer as part of the Yussef Dayes Experience, which is still one of the best live jazz shows I’ve been to.

This show felt different, but just as intentional.

He played through Malik, along with music from Venology and Equinox. Malik is still one of my favorite jazz albums of 2025, and hearing it live added a different layer to it.

From the start, the music took over the room. The band locked in, Venna stepped in, and the energy moved through the crowd immediately. People weren’t standing still. We were moving with it, letting the music lead.

Venna moved through the set in a way that kept everything flowing. Switching between slower moments and more upbeat ones, playing, directing the band, and keeping the crowd engaged the entire time. The band followed him closely, and everything felt locked in without feeling tight.

There were moments where he let the music stretch out, getting caught up in it and letting certain songs run longer than expected. That improvisation, that willingness to stay in the moment, is what makes live jazz feel different every time.

He talked with the crowd between songs, joked, took requests, and kept the energy open.

And the energy stayed there.

That’s the part that stands out to me every time.

People tend to think of jazz as slow or something you just sit and listen to. But nights like that feel different. The music moves, and the crowd moves with it. The way Venna blends different sounds while still letting jazz lead makes that clear.

After the show, I got the chance to meet him, get a signed poster and t-shirt, and take a photo. I also made sure to express my gratitude for what he’s contributing to jazz right now. A simple moment, but it meant something.

Thinking about it now, that night felt like exactly what jazz is supposed to be.

The improvisation. The collaboration. The way the music adjusts in real time. The way it brings people into it without needing explanation.

Jazz shows up in a lot of different places now. In R&B, in live sets, in artists who build around musicianship instead of just production. It’s not always labeled that way, but you can hear it if you know what to listen for.

That night wasn’t about discovering jazz. It was a reminder of why it stays in rotation.

And that’s really what Jazz Appreciation Month, and International Jazz Day, should be about.

Not just looking back, but showing up. Supporting the artists who are carrying it forward in real time. Going to the shows. Listening with intention. Letting the music move you the way it’s meant to.

Because jazz isn’t just something to appreciate.

It’s something to experience.