Our Mission
Jazz Bridge’s mission is to ensure that jazz and blues musicians have the support they need to remain safe, stable, and able to continue their artistic work during times of crisis.
What We Do
Financial Assistance
Jazz Bridge provides direct financial assistance to jazz and blues musicians during times of financial hardship. Support may help cover essential needs such as medical and dental expenses, housing-related costs, unpaid bills, instrument repair, and other challenges, so artists can focus on what matters most: making music.
Community Concerts
Through our Community Concerts program, Jazz Bridge creates paid performance opportunities for jazz and blues musicians to share their artistry with the Philadelphia community, strengthening community connection and honoring Philadelphia’s longstanding jazz tradition.
our history
Founded in 2004 by Suzanne Cloud and Wendy Simon, Jazz Bridge was created to address the lack of support for professional jazz and blues musicians in crisis living and working in the Greater Philadelphia Metro Area.
As professional jazz vocalists, Cloud and Simon witnessed their fellow musicians’ struggles and the desperation felt by some when the traditional jam session was the only way to raise money to deal with hardships or times of trouble.
Seeking a more permanent and secure support system, Simon and Cloud assembled like-minded musicians and fans to form Jazz Bridge Project, the organization’s official name.
Jazz Bridge incorporated in Pennsylvania in May 2005 and was awarded tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(3) public charity by the IRS in 2007. In addition to Cloud and Simon, the members of its founding Board of Directors were jazz promoter and producer Sue Ford; jazz radio host and historian Bob Perkins; jazz club owner Pete Souders; bassist Mike Boone; and guitarist Kevin Eubanks.
The founding Board recognized a special opportunity to develop a unique, regional model that could provide help to musicians during hard times, while also increasing public awareness of the tradition, history, and current state of original music in the Philly area by presenting neighborhood concerts hosted and curated by notable musicians from the region. This dual focus still drives Jazz Bridge today.
Our Values
Jazz Bridge is committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive music community where all artists and audiences are respected, valued, and supported. Rooted in the cultural history and creative freedom of jazz, we actively support musicians of all backgrounds and identities, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, and socioeconomic status. We are guided by equity in our work, striving to remove barriers to access, provide fair compensation and resources, and reach musicians who are most in need. Through ongoing listening, learning, and reflection, we work to create welcoming spaces where everyone feels a sense of belonging and where the music, and the people who create it, can thrive.