Advance Evening News: Giving Everyone a Voice Through Jazz
11th annual Jazz4Justice concert raises funds for Legal Aid Works and to provide scholarships to members of the University of Mary Washington Jazz Ensemble.
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
Email Adele
The nonprofit Legal Aid Works exists to give a voice to those who are up against the civil justice system—whether for matters related to housing, employment, debt, or family law—and are unable to afford legal representation.
Giving everyone a voice is also what jazz music does.
“Jazz is creating music on the spot. It’s spontaneous composition and it’s the performer’s way of speaking to the audience,” said Doug Gately, senior lecturer in the music department at the University of Mary Washington and director of the UMW Jazz Ensemble.
Those who attend next week’s Jazz4Justice concert at UMW will be helping Legal Aid Works give disadvantaged members of the community a voice in court and helping students find their musical voices through jazz.
The concert, now in its 11th year, raises funds both for Legal Aid Works and to provide scholarships to students in the jazz ensemble.
The students can be music majors, but the beauty of a liberal arts school such as UMW means they don’t have to be, Gately said.
“Every student here can be part of the music program, no matter what their major is,” he said.
Students who study and play jazz at UMW are exposed to a century of music, from the art form’s roots in Black communities, to the Dixieland jazz of the early 1900s, to the swing and Big Band sound of the 1940s, to rock-infused jazz fusion, to modern and contemporary jazz.
“The beauty is also that it’s been embraced by countries around the world that put their stamp on it,” said Gately. “Here in the States, we’re always borrowing, and jazz can absorb anything.”
The 11th annual Jazz4Justice concert on November 2 will feature everything from standards by Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, and Count Basie; Brazilian bossa nova with vocals in Portuguese; and contemporary pieces from TV.
It will include original arrangements by Gately and others and an original song by UMW student and vocalist Mima Manton.
There will also be a special appearance from the United Voices of Fredericksburg, a gospel choir directed by Eric Armstead, performing three songs.
Gately plans the program each year and the team at Legal Aid Works plans the logistics. The nonprofit serves 17 counties as well as the City of Fredericksburg, and “the need does exceed the capacity,” said Katerina Vollten, development director.
“That’s why we’re so focused on funding and making sure we have a full staff of attorneys and advocates,” she said.
There has always been a need for Legal Aid Works’ services, but Vollten said the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the need.
“People are dealing with job loss or debt caused by medical illness,” she said. “The financial instability that comes as a result of a pandemic is staggering. So, we definitely have always struggled with the fact that the need exceeds our capacity but that’s also why we’re here fundraising and trying to meet that need as best we can.”
The Jazz4Justice concert also celebrates Legal Aid Works’ sustaining sponsors and gives audience members a chance to hear from the students who are the beneficiaries of funds raised in previous years, Vollten said.
For Gately, the power of jazz music is simple.
“It brings us all together,” he said. “If everyone just played jazz, there would be no strife. We’d all be listening to each other.”
The concert takes places on Saturday, November 2, at 7:30 p.m., in Dodd Auditorium at UMW. Tickets are $10 for adults and $ for students and seniors, and they are available in advance and at the door. More information is available here.
Local Obituaries
To view local obituaries or to send a note to family and loved ones, please visit our website at the link that follows.
Support Award-winning, Locally Focused Journalism
The FXBG Advance cuts through the talking points to deliver both incisive and informative news about the issues, people, and organizations that daily affect your life. And we do it in a multi-partisan format that has no equal in this region. Over the past month, our reporting was:
First to report on a Spotsylvania School teacher arrested for bringing drugs onto campus.
First to report on new facility fees leveled by MWHC on patient bills.
First to detail controversial traffic numbers submitted by Stafford staff on the Buc-ee’s project
Provided extensive coverage of the cellphone bans that are sweeping local school districts.
And so much more, like Clay Jones, Drew Gallagher, Hank Silverberg, and more.
For just $8 a month, you can help support top-flight journalism that puts people over policies.
Your contributions 100% support our journalists.
Help us as we continue to grow!
