Apply for a 2025 John Stites Jazz Award February 15!
Honoring the memory of John Stites and his passion for jazz music
Honoring the memory of John Stites and his passion for jazz music
Posted March 14, 2025
When John Stites created the John Stites Jazz Artist Organization in 2017, his goal was to bring great jazz to Southwest Michigan. He firmly believed that music brings people together and he wanted to share the music he loved with audiences of all ages and backgrounds. After working with The Gilmore for over 25 years, John knew that The Gilmore was the right partner to make his vision a reality. For the past 5 years, The John Stites Jazz Artist Organization and The Gilmore have been bringing great jazz to southwestern Michigan. We are honored to continue this tradition on Sunday, April 13, 2025, when we will present the Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride and Marcus Gilmore trio at Chenery auditorium at 7:30 pm.
Mehldau, who became an international sensation at age 30 after releasing his 5 “Art of the Trio” albums will be joined by 2 incredible grammy winning jazz artists – well-known bassist and Director of the Newport Jazz Festival Christian McBride and Marcus Gilmore, grandson of legendary drummer Roy Haynes and acclaimed drummer for Chick Corea. We recommend purchasing your tickets now, since this performance is one of only 2 scheduled for the Midwest. Next stops are the East coast, Hong Kong, and Japan!
The New York Times called Brad Mehldau “the most influential jazz pianist of the last 20 years”. But in an April 2023 Downbeat interview, Mehldau said that he “didn’t like to make assumptions about his influence on others” and stated that the gift that he perceived in himself “is an ease in bringing together musical streams that may seem disparate”. Downbeat also cited Mehldau’s appreciation for the literary classics as a gift that he incorporated into his music as readily as the music of Bach, Brahms, and the Beatles! Mehldau credits his own “strong curiosity which makes him a perpetual fanboy of whatever he is discovering” as the inspiration for his music. The JSJAO and The Gilmore hope that we have awakened your curiosity, and you are as eager as we are to discover the music that will evolve from a Brad Mehldau/Christian McBride/Marcus Gilmore collaboration! Tickets are available at The Gilmore website here.
Photo credits: Mehldau – Elena Olivo, McBride – Ebru Yildiz, Gilmore – Ogata
John was kind and patient with great attention to details. He loved good music of all sorts...
Joel Mabus
The John Stites Jazz Awards (JSJA) are funded by the John Stites Jazz Artist Organization.
The organization funds advanced studies for emerging jazz musicians, as well as personal development projects which enhance their career opportunities.