Spoleto Festival USA and Charleston Jazz are proud to announce the second year of Jazz Is Community, a collaborative initiative that celebrates the power of jazz to connect people, honor cultural traditions, and inspire the next generation of artists.
Building on the success of its inaugural year, Jazz Is Community brings together performances, educational programs, and public conversations that highlight the deep musical ties between Charleston and the broader American jazz tradition. This year’s programming centers on acclaimed New Orleans drummer Herlin Riley, whose dynamic artistry reflects the rhythmic legacy of the Crescent City while connecting to jazz’s roots across the American South.
Through concerts, a masterclass, student engagement, and a public panel discussion, Jazz Is Community invites audiences, musicians, and students to explore jazz not only as music, but as a living cultural tradition shaped by community, heritage, and storytelling.
Herlin Riley Quartet + Gullah Collective
Sunday, April 19 at Charleston Music Hall – Get Tickets
The initiative’s centerpiece performance will take place Sunday, April 19 at 5:00 PM at the Charleston Music Hall, featuring the Herlin Riley Quartet alongside Charleston’s own Gullah Collective, led by CL Baxter.
The Gullah Collective honors the musical traditions of the Gullah Geechee people of the Sea Islands, bringing ancestral rhythms, spirituals, and storytelling to the stage. Following this powerful opening, the Herlin Riley Quartet—featuring Oscar Rossignoli on piano, Max Moran on bass, and Julian Lee on tenor and soprano saxophone—will perform a program that captures the vibrant improvisation and rhythmic energy of New Orleans jazz.
Together, these performances illuminate the shared heritage and musical dialogue between two iconic American cultural landscapes. For tickets, visit charlestonjazz.com.
Masterclass with Herlin Riley
Monday, April 20 at Charleston Jazz Academy
A core goal of Jazz Is Community is connecting artists directly with students and aspiring musicians. In addition to the public events, the initiative includes an in-school performance and a masterclass at the Charleston Jazz Academy.
Taking place Monday, April 20 at 6:00 PM at the Charleston Jazz Academy, the masterclass offers a rare opportunity to hear Riley share stories from his career and demonstrate the rhythmic vocabulary that has made him one of jazz’s most respected percussionists. Musicians, students, and jazz lovers alike are invited to attend this dynamic and interactive session.
Riley came of age in a deeply musical New Orleans family and emerged during the creative surge of the late 1970s and early 1980s, performing with influential improvisers including pianist Ahmad Jamal and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. His authoritative, melodic approach to percussion embodies the full sweep of America’s musical journey.
Rhythm and Flow Panel Discussion Moderated by Larry Blumenfeld
Tuesday, April 21 at Fox Music House
Jazz Is Community also includes Rhythm and Flow: America’s Story at 250, a panel discussion and performance exploring jazz as a reflection of the American experience. As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, this conversation will examine how jazz has mirrored the nation’s ideals, tensions, and spirit of innovation. Panelists will discuss the role Charleston and the broader American South have played in shaping jazz’s evolution—from sacred and social roots to a global art form built on improvisation and creative freedom.
Participants include Herlin Riley, Charleston Jazz Academy Director Demetrius Doctor, Karen Chandler, co-founder of the Charleston Jazz Initiative, and Al Fraser, co-author of To Be, or Not . . . to Bop: Memoirs, the autobiography of legendary trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. The discussion will be moderated by Larry Blumenfeld, Spoleto Festival USA’s Jazz Curator and a contributor to The Wall Street Journal. The event will conclude with a performance by the Herlin Riley Quartet.
Through these performances and conversations, Jazz Is Community highlights the enduring role of jazz as a shared cultural language—one that continues to bring people together through rhythm, history, and creative expression. Jazz Is Community is presented in partnership with Charleston Jazz and generously supported by the Donaldson Charitable Trust and Hilton C. Smith Jr., and in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the South Carolina Arts Commission.