BOOM Collective and Winter Jazzfest Founder and
Le Poisson Rouge Music Director Brice Rosenbloom
Named Winner of Bruce Lundvall Visionary Award,
Presented by the Jazz Connect Conference
Trumpeter/Bandleader Steven Bernstein to Introduce Rosenbloom During Keynote Session on January 14, 2016
at Jazz Connect Conference at Saint Peter's Church in NYC
The Jazz Connect Conference has announced the second recipient of the Bruce Lundvall Visionary Award,
created in 2014 in honor of the esteemed jazz record executive who was a
champion and advocate for so many jazz artists over the last four
decades. The annual award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated
extraordinary leadership and vision in expanding the audience for jazz
and who has made a real difference for the artists, the music and the
audience. The award's first recipient was SFJAZZ founder and executive
director Randall Kline, based not only on his long career as a jazz
presenter and champion, but also on the herculean task of establishing
the SFJAZZ Center in 2013.
Brice Rosenbloom,
founder of the BOOM Collective and organizer of Winter Jazzfest, the
Undead Music Festival, the BRIC Jazz Festival and other innovative live
events, as well as music director of Le Poisson Rouge, will receive the
award on the opening day of the Jazz Connect Conference on Thursday, January 14, 2016, as part of the keynote session.
Rosenbloom,
a graduate of Northwestern University, worked with SF Jazz, Central
Park SummerStage, Jazz at Lincoln Center, MAKOR/92nd Street Y, and the
Knitting Factory before launching BOOM Collective (formerly boomBOOM
Presents) in the fall of 2006. The organization brings a broad array of
live music to thousands of New Yorkers every year around the city. BOOM
Collective has been instrumental in programming concerts at various
venues and festivals around the city including NYC Winter Jazzfest,
Undead Music Festival, Jazz & Colors at The Met, Jazz & Colors
Central Park, BRIC Jazzfest, Brooklyn Masonic Temple, Stuytown Music On
The Oval Summer Concert Series, The Town Hall, The Apollo Theater,
Celebrate Brooklyn, Central Park SummerStage, Merkin Concert Hall, Red
Bull Music Academy, Hammerstein Ballroom, Travel+Leisure's Global
Bazaar, Drom, The Bell House, Littlefield and at other NYC venues. In
2008, Rosenbloom was appointed the Music Director at Le Poisson Rouge
and helped launch the programming vision for the new West Village venue
at the site of the former Village Gate. Rosenbloom and BOOM Collective
continue to curate a broad musical vision on additional stages around
the city and beyond.
Peter Gordon,
of the Jazz Forward Coalition and one the event's organizers, said that
Rosenbloom's unique approach to presenting jazz made him an obvious
choice for the award. "Brice is the embodiment of a free thinker who
takes action," said Gordon. "The extraordinary success of Winter
Jazzfest has shined a fresh light on the spirit and vigor of jazz and
its reflections cast a glow on the jazz community as a whole."
Fellow conference organizer and JazzTimes publisher Lee Mergner
added that, "Brice has managed to do what other jazz presenters have
talked about doing for the last 25 years--bring a younger audience to
the music without sacrificing its integrity."
Trumpeter and bandleader Steven Bernstein
will introduce Rosenbloom during the keynote session at the Jazz
Connect Conference. Bernstein has known Rosenbloom since he first came
on the NYC live music scene in 2006. "Brice is what I call a true
believer," said Bernstein. "I don't know why else he would be doing what
he's doing. His Winter Jazzfest has become a NYC jazz
institution--important socially, musically and economically. What I
really like about him is that I can be brutally honest with him, and we
can still create art and business together. That's the kind of mensch
that I'm always happy to see."
For
his part, Rosenbloom says about the award: "It is an absolute honor to
be recognized by my peers, friends and colleagues for doing what I love
by supporting this music. The music has always been an inspiration for
my work, and the musicians that dedicate their lives to creating and
performing are my constant motivation and driving force. I am humbled to
receive an award named after a true champion of this music, Bruce
Lundvall. Like Bruce, I hope to continue to support the music, its
audience and its future."
The Jazz Connect Conference, organized by JazzTimes and the Jazz Forward Coalition, will be held January 14-15, 2016 at Saint Peter's Church in New York City and will lead into the annual APAP (Association of Performing Arts Presenters) Conference as well as Winter Jazzfest.
Now in its fourth year, the conference will continue to focus on vital
issues affecting the jazz community, with a theme of "Fresh Horizons."
Pre-Registration
for the Jazz Connect Conference is only $125, with additional discounts
offered to members of various organizations, such as APAP, JJA,
JazzWeek, SESAC, ASCAP, BMI and CMA. Panel and workshop topics include:
social media, jazz in the mainstream media, booking & touring
strategies, streaming and downloading issues, the role of education for
artists & organizations and many other engaging subjects. The lineup
of moderators, panelists and speakers features an impressive
cross-section of artists and professionals from around the world.
To pre-register for the conference, go to the event page.
