Jazz Appreciation Month (fondly known as "JAM") was created right here at the museum in 2001 to recognize and celebrate the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz for the entire month of April.
JAM is intended to stimulate and encourage people of all ages to participate in jazz - to study the music, attend concerts, listen to jazz on radio and recordings, read books about jazz, and more.
Jazz Appreciation Month 2025
Lester Young and his "Cool School"
Poster
This year’s poster artwork features a portrait of jazz legend Lester Young (1909-1959). The portrait comes from LeRoy Neiman’s brilliantly colored 2005 Big Band painting depicting notable jazz musicians in performance. Nicknamed “Pres”—short for President, Lester Willis Young is among the most respected saxophonists of the 20th century. With an innovative playing style, a slick fashion sense, and his cool cat slang, Lester Young’s influence on jazz music and culture is profound.
Young was raised in a musical family, and from a young age he would perform and tour all over the United States. In 1933, Lester Young settled in Kansas City and rose to prominence playing with the Count Basie Orchestra. His relaxed, free-floating approach set him apart from other sax players at the time. By 1936, the Basie Orchestra moved to New York City to cut their teeth full time in the city’s thriving jazz scene. Young continued performing with Basie and others, sitting in on recording sessions, and joining jam sessions with a host of Harlem’s best jazz musicians including Billie Holiday. Young’s musicianship continues to inspire generations of saxophonists who experiment with the “cool school” sound of jazz.
Download the Poster:
Displays
Leroy Neiman’s “Big Band” Painting
Near the Jazz Café, located by the museum’s Constitution Avenue Entrance
Dizzy Gillespie’s Trumpet
Entertainment Nation Exhibition, National Museum of American History
John Coltrane’s Tenor Saxophone
Entertainment Nation Exhibition, National Museum of American History
Graciela Peréz Gutiérrez’s Microphone
Entertainment Nation Exhibition, National Museum of American History
Gene Krupa’s bass drum
First Floor Artifact Walls, National Museum of American History
A Selection of Jazz Objects
Third Floor West, Jazz Lobby, Taubman Hall of Music, National Museum of American History
Editor’s Note: All programs are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
