The Swan Song for the International Association of Jazz Educators

Jazz, the uniquely American form of music, has been highly influenced, if not dominated, by African-American artists. Today jazz education has become a mainstay of music departments at colleges and universities across the United States. Hundreds of scholars in the United States — both black and white — concentrate in jazz studies.

Thus, it comes with great sadness that we report the board of directors of the International Association of Jazz Educators has announced that it is dissolving the organization. The 10,000-member organization, based in Manhattan, Kansas, has closed its executive offices and filed for bankruptcy. Its annual meeting scheduled for Seattle has been canceled.

In a letter to members, Chuck Owen, president of the organization and Distinguished University Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of South Florida, wrote that an uneven revenue stream from conference fees, mounting debt, and expenses incurred for a fundraising campaign that brought in very little in proceeds, caused the organization’s board to dissolve the organization.

Copyright © 2008. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.