The Jazz Gallery in 2015: Looking Forward and Back

2015 was an eventful year at The Jazz Gallery. Not only did we celebrate our 20th birthday with a series of special concerts featuring many of our favorite musicians (from co-founder Roy Hargrove, to the Jason Lindner Big Band, to Vijay Iyer/Henry Threadgill/Dafnis Prieto, to Gerald Clayton), but we also continued to be a home to the future of jazz through our Mentorship Series and Residency Commissions, as well as presenting many young musicians on our stage for the first time.This past month, the Gallery's commitment to presenting new jazz has been recognized by various arts organizations and music publications. First off, the Gallery received a generous grant from the National Endowment of the Arts to help continue and expand our Mentorship Series in 2016. Second, the Gallery received the 2016 Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming in the large jazz presenter category. This is the third time that the Gallery has been given this honor. And lastly, the Gallery was named as one of 2015's venues of the year by The New York City Jazz Record.2016 is shaping up to be just as exciting as the past year. The Gallery still has a couple of anniversary concerts in store, including a presentation of The Ice Siren, a jazz-theater piece by John Ellis and Andy Bragen, originally commissioned by the Gallery in 2008, and a special concert by Darcy James Argue's Secret Society. We will be expanding our Mentorship Series, thanks in part to grants from the NEA and NewMusicUSA, as well as continuing to present forward-thinking musicians young and old each week.To our readers and fans and members in New York and beyond: Thanks so much for making 2015 such a memorable year and for supporting the future of jazz. Here's to more great music in 2016.Check out http://www.jazzgallery.org/itinerary.php for a list of our upcoming shows!