Since it inception in the Fall of 2001, the forum has strived to construct an environment where participating artists can express their ideals of creating and risking through the development and exploration of new music, while providing an opportunity for the general public to attend inexpensive concerts. Through our concert series, which features regional and nationally acclaimed jazz composers, we have connected with a large audience within the Western North Carolina area. Our mailing list, which is continually updated, has been compiled through sign-up sheets, people calling or writing us directly, and by the musicians themselves. It has come to include a wide range of listeners, a significant portion of which have rarely heard modern jazz. The rest of the listeners are an even mix of jazz enthusiasts, musicians, students, and the curious. All concerts to date have been presented in numerous places including, Zambras' Wine and Tappas Bar, The Left Bank Restaraunt, Asheville Community Theatre, The Blowing Rock Jazz Society, Appalachian University, UNC-Charlotte, UNC-Asheville's Concert on the Quad Series, Claxton Elementary School and The Cafe on the Square.

The format of our presentations is flexible, however our current program presents a monthly concert series that features new works of rising and established jazz composers from regional and national areas. Each concert is organized in a two-set performance, one presenting works from a composer in residence and one presenting works from a guest artist/composer. Upon the conclusion of each performance the composers become available for an informal discussion which aims to explain their works, educate the listener, and build a mutually beneficial dialogue between musicians and audience members. Through this open discussion we hope to create an awareness of the rich musical heritage we share in the incredible American art form known as jazz. Each performance is recorded by a professional and is made available to our audience upon request.

The impetus to organize such a forum stems from the need to create and risk. There is a pervasive feeling among our constituents that in such a highly profit-driven and competitive industry, much of the artistic integrity of the contemporary composers and musicians must sometimes be sacrificed in order to fill the demands for "sellable" material. The forum hopes to address this imbalance by becoming less and less reliant on the industry in order to achieve our goals. Following a long line of similar musician-run organizations such as Arnold Schoenberg's "Society for Private Musical Performances", Charles Mingus' Jazz Composers Workshop, and The New York Jazz Composers Collective and a new organization The Brooklyn Jazz Underground we believe that such a concentrated creative effort can only serve to foster a continually growing interest in what is essentially "America's classical Music".

The forum has and will continue to be vital and evolving arena for the creation, exploration, and sharing of new music by up-and-coming composers with an ever broadening and diverse audience. As Beekman Cannon states in "The Art of Music", "The musician's perception of the world will be conditioned by the intellectual and spiritual climate of his day and this in turn will be reflected in his style. The style of a work of art thus enables us to understand the spirit and ideals of the past." By reflecting on and learning from the past, taking action in the present, and innovating for the future, we hope to contribute to this vast American musical hertiage known as jazz.

To book the Composers in Residence Band or one of our guest composers for your event, or to book a Master Class, contact us.