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Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts

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Coordinates: 39°56′31″N 75°09′59″W / 39.941989°N 75.166263°W / 39.941989; -75.166263
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Not to be confused with the New York based Clef Club.
Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts
Formation1966
Headquarters736 South Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19146-2232
Websitehttps://clefclubofjazz.org

The Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts is a tax-exempt, non-profit educational and cultural organization. The Clef Club offers jazz and musical performances, musical education, and outreach programs to the city of Philadelphia.

History

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The Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts was founded in 1966 by members of the Musicians' Protective Union Local 274, American Federation of Musicians (AFM). Local 274 was chartered in 1935 as a separate black local, due to black musicians being denied membership from the racially segregated Local 77.[1] Local 274 enjoyed its autonomy for more than 36 years. It was the longest surviving independent Black Musicians' Union in the United States, of the more than fifty chartered in major cities.

After the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the NAACP and AFM started to pressure locals to de-segregate.[2] Witnessing the merger of Chicago’s predominantly-black Local 208 into Local 10 and the loss of its assets, Local 274 President Jimmy Adams established the Philadelphia Clef Club in 1966 as a means to preserve the community built around the union. Adams transferred all of Local 274’s assets to the Clef Club for $1,[3] and in 1971 the AFM voided Local 274’s charter.

Local 274 and PCC's social unit are integral parts of the history of jazz in Philadelphia. They evolved out of the struggle of Black musicians for political, economic, and cultural recognition during Philadelphia's overt segregation period. Local 274's membership rolls included jazz greats like John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Shirley Scott, Lee Morgan, "Philly" Joe Jones, Grover Washington Jr., the Heath Brothers, and Nina Simone.

The word "Jazz", was added to the name of PCC in 1994. The Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts, Inc. opened its new facility in October 1995. The facility was the first ever designed and constructed specifically to be a jazz institution.[citation needed] The concept of a Jazz Art Institution is a new one, because jazz has been traditionally presented and developed in the commercial sector through bars, clubs, concert halls, and the recording industry. It is Philadelphia's only major music institution solely devoted to this great American art form. The Clef Club's vision is to have the broad community embrace, and support jazz as a great American Art Form, understand its roots in the African American experience, and recognize jazz as central to our national cultural heritage, and worthy of public and Institutional support.

Programs and Operations

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The Philadelphia Clef Club's mission is to "celebrate and preserve the legacy of jazz through accessible education for the Greater Philadelphia region, and to support the evolving art form through talent development, programming, and public performance".[4] It has stated that it wishes to accomplish this goal through promoting the development of talent and providing opportunities for the growth of the performing artist specifically, with a special emphasis in instrumentalists. Additionally, it seeks to serve the artist and the community through providing a forum for the listening and appreciation of the great American art form of jazz and related disciplines. It also hopes to promote the academic exchange of information related to jazz through educational programs. Finally, The Clef Club will be a depository to collect and preserve the history of jazz music for further research and interpretation by scholars, educators, artists, and the general public.

The programs of the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts. Inc. include: The Philadelphia Clef Club Youth Ensemble, Jazz Master Workshops, Youth Summer Jazz Camps, Student Ensemble Education Programs, Music Workshops in-school programs, Jazz Cultural Voices, and The Preservation Jazz Series concert series.

In the near future,[when?] the implementation of senior citizen outreach programs consisting of instrumental instruction (individual and group), and vocal activities (individual and group). And also the association of the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts, Inc. with all types of community groups including other jazz organizations, churches, schools, and community centers in the Greater Philadelphia/Delaware Valley area.

In 2024, the organization announced a $4.5M renovation of their facility on Philadelphia's Broad Street.[5][6] In 2026, the club will celebrate their 60th anniversary.[7]

References

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  1. ^ Booker, Bobbi I. (2020-09-23). "City Scenes: Ensuring Philly's Next Generation Of Jazz Musicians". NPR. Archived from the original on 2025-06-12. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  2. ^ Hyde, Martha; Riley, Gregory (2023-09-24). "Forced integration in Philadelphia". Local 802 AFM. Archived from the original on 2024-12-27. Retrieved 2025-06-18.
  3. ^ Anderson, Faye (2015-02-22). "Union Local 274". All That Philly Jazz. Archived from the original on 2023-09-27. Retrieved 2025-06-18.
  4. ^ "About Us". Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts. Archived from the original on 2024-11-29. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
  5. ^ "Philadelphia Clef Club planning $4.5M renovation of South Broad Street Facility". www.bizjournals.com. September 30, 2024. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  6. ^ Avilucea, Isaac (2024-10-04). "Philadelphia Clef Club gets major makeover". Axios. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  7. ^ Brady, Shaun (2025-03-31). "The Clef Club gets ready for its 60th anniversary celebration but not without organizational unrest". Inquirer.com. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
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39°56′31″N 75°09′59″W / 39.941989°N 75.166263°W / 39.941989; -75.166263

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