About
Preserving the Heritage of Jazz. Elevating the Future of Jazz.
Over the past six years, I have experienced Seattle’s rich jazz legacy firsthand through performances and conversations with musicians, educators, historians, enthusiasts, and arts leaders. These experiences deepened my appreciation for Seattle’s contributions to jazz while revealing an opportunity to strengthen how its history and cultural heritage are preserved and shared.
Jazz is an African American-created art form whose influence has reached around the world. Yet the people, communities, stories, and experiences that shaped its development are not always fully visible in how jazz is presented, taught, and experienced. Black youth also remain underrepresented in many jazz education and development pathways, creating a disconnect between jazz’s history and its future.
The Seattle Jazz Heritage Institute was founded to help bridge that gap—to preserve and share jazz history, elevate the next generation of artists and leaders, and strengthen the connections among those who sustain Seattle’s jazz community.
Seattle has an extraordinary opportunity to help ensure that jazz’s history, cultural significance, and legacy are understood, experienced, and sustained for generations to come.
Robert N. Warfield
Founder
We envision a Seattle where jazz is preserved, celebrated, and passed on as a living expression of African American history, creativity, resilience, and innovation.
Seattle Jazz Heritage Institute preserves and promotes the cultural heritage of jazz, elevates the next generation of artists and leaders, and centers the voices, experiences, and contributions of the African American community through immersive cultural experiences, education, mentorship, and performance.
Contact
Questions, partnerships, or ideas for preserving and elevating Seattle's jazz heritage — we'd love to hear from you.
info@jazzheritageseattle.org