MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2022 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Horhn, Butler (36th), Barnett, Butler (38th), Frazier, Hopson, Jackson (11th), Simmons (12th), Simmons (13th), Thomas
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION EXTENDING THE RECOGNITION OF THE MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE TO THE ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY JAZZ FESTIVAL AS THE RECIPIENT OF THE 2022 GOVERNOR'S ARTS AWARDS FOR ARTS IN THE COMMUNITY.
WHEREAS, the Governor's Arts Awards Program has announced its 2022 recipients, which include the Alcorn State University Jazz Festival; and
WHEREAS, established in 1988, Governor's Arts Awards are given to individuals and organizations to recognize outstanding work in the artistic disciplines, as well as arts-based community development and arts patronage in Mississippi. The awards are presented in partnership with the Governor's Office and signify the important relationship between government and the arts; and
WHEREAS, the Alcorn State University Jazz Festival has been a popular destination for jazz fans and musicians for more than 40 years. Beginning in 1981, this annual event has grown into the longest-running All-Jazz Festival in the region. The Alcorn State University Jazz Festival has brought some of the leading lights of the jazz world to central and southwest Mississippi with the focus on educating and nurturing young local musicians; and
WHEREAS, thirty-five years ago, Dr. David Miller took the helm of the festival and has overseen its exponential growth. With humble beginnings as a single-day festival on the small campus of Lorman, it is now a multiday event that takes place mostly in nearby Vicksburg. Thousands of high school and college musicians, along with band directors, working musicians, and jazz fans from around the country, have made this annual free event a constantly growing success; and
WHEREAS, every year since 1982, the National Endowment for the Arts awards several NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships, which is the highest honor that our nation bestows on jazz artists. Many of the recipients of this prestigious award have performed at the festival venue in Vicksburg. Aspiring young musicians always turn out to watch and learn from some of the biggest names in the business. Some have even shared the stage with these professionals during the main event; and
WHEREAS, jazz giants who have performed and participated at Alcorn State University Jazz Festival include: Branford Marsalis, McCoy Tyner, Esperanza Spalding, Mulgrew Miller, Ramsey Lewis, Freddie Hubbard, Louie Bellson, Roy Hargrove, Arturo Sandoval, Max Roach and Chick Corea. In several instances, this is the first and only time these artists have performed in Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, the annual festival has influenced and inspired generations of aspiring student musicians who have attended and performed there through the years. Many young musicians now bring their own ensembles to the festival. Band directors throughout the region and beyond credit the festival with bettering their craft; and
WHEREAS, after 35 years, Dr. David Miller is approaching the end of his tenure running the festival, but the Alcorn Jazz Fest shows no signs of slowing down, and the plans are for it to become a part of the Mississippi musical landscape for decades to come; and
WHEREAS, it is with great pride that we pay tribute and express appreciation for this wonderful event that has made Mississippi a better place:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby extend the recognition of the Mississippi Legislature to the Alcorn State University Jazz Festival, the recipient of the 2022 Governor's Arts Award for Arts in Community, and extend our congratulations to this wonderful event on this auspicious occasion.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the Alcorn State University Jazz Festival as part of the Governor's Arts Awards presentation and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.