TRANSCRIPT:
I’m Mark Rapp, and this is Rapp on Jazz.
Behind every legendary performance, groundbreaking recording, and thriving jazz scene, there’s often an unsung hero: the jazz impresario. These visionaries champion artists, build audiences, and create the spaces where jazz flourishes.
They battled segregation while producing historic concerts and founding influential festivals, setting global standards. Their impact on the musical landscape is as profound as that of the musicians themselves.
Jazz impresarios take risks on new talent, nurture creative partnerships, and preserve jazz’s legacy by reaching wider communities. Their work ensures that jazz not only survives but also evolves. They remind us that behind every moment of improvisational brilliance stands someone who believed in the music—and brought it to the world.
This has been Rapp on Jazz—a co-production of ColaJazz and SC Public Radio, made possible by the ETV Endowment of South Carolina.