A Great Day in Seattle: A Jazz Legacy Photo Project
Did you know that April is National Jazz Appreciation Month, as legislated by the U.S. Congress in August of 2003? In April of 2007, a group of local musicians began to organize a project to help Seattle celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month. On May 6th, 2007, they gathered more than 250 local professional jazz musicians to create a Seattle version of the now famous “Great Day in Harlem” photograph taken by Art Kane for Esquire magazine in 1958. The photograph was shot by Pulitzer-Prize winning photographer Daniel Sheehan on the steps of City Hall in downtown Seattle – a historic moment in Seattle’s jazz history.
In addition to celebrating Jazz Appreciation Month, the organizers designed the project as a means to give back to the music community. Sales of posters and prints of the photograph benefit the MusiCares Foundation, which provides a safety net of critical assistance for music professionals in times of need.
The results of the Great Day in Seattle project are now available just in time for Jazz Appreciation Month. Limited edition posters are being sold at Bud’s Jazz Records, Tula’s Restaurant and Nightclub, Silver Platters, the New Orleans Creole Restaurant, and at the “A Great Day in Seattle” website – www.agreatdayinseattle.com. The posters are being sold for $20.00 each. Also for sale are 20 original framed prints, signed and numbered by Daniel Sheehan, and autographed by the more than 250 musicians depicted in the photo. These rare prints are going for $2,500 each and can be purchased through the project website. Again, all proceeds from the purchases go to the MusiCares Foundation. Ten additional original prints will be donated to local non-profits for their fund-raising events.“This has been an amazing project,” said Seattle jazz trumpeter Thomas Marriott who came up with the idea for “A Great Day in Seattle.” The project was coordinated by four local musicians: Marriott, Jane Peck, Greg Williamson and Chad McCullough.
“We’ve not only created a piece of Seattle jazz history,” said Marriott, “but we’ll be able to make a significant contribution to MusiCares, which has come to the aid of so many musicians in their time of need, for many, many years.” MusiCares’ services and resources cover a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies. MusiCares also focuses on human service issues that directly impact the health and welfare of the music community. The MusiCares Foundation is an affiliated charitable entity of The Recording Academy (www.Grammy.com/MusiCares).