“BLUE IN GREEN,” BJA’S SECOND ANNUAL GALA FUNDRAISER, A GREAT SUCCESS
It was a convivial gathering of music, dancing, food, drink and friendship at the second annual Baltimore Jazz Alliance Gala fundraiser on November 16, 2024. The air of excitement grew as attendees in colorful evening dress streamed into the spacious Willow Ballroom at the Marriott Owings Mills and found seats at large round tables covered with black tablecloths.
The crowd of some 100 people included members and friends of the BJA as well as guests of the event sponsors. Prominent attendees included Barbara Harrell Grubbs, co-founder of the Contemporary Arts jazz education organization, along with several other members of that organization; George Reeder, owner of Rovner Products, which sells saxophone accessories and repairs, with his wife Lynn; and Ron Miles, president and CEO of the RJY Chick Webb Council, with his wife Eraina.
The BJA received valuable support from several sponsors, and representatives from these companies attended the gala. They included Harley Flack, CEO of co-sponsor Stella May Contracting, a utility contractor. Other co-sponsors included Quanta Services, which provides infrastructure services for electric power, pipeline, industrial and communications industries, and its related entities, Quanta ISG, and Infrasource, whose Vice President Brian Orzeck was in attendance.
Additional sponsors attending included Brian Sarratt, vice president of D.H. Elliott Company, providing engineering, energy delivery and technical services to utility, government and industrial partners; Earl Smith and Theo Parker, owners of P&E Engineering consultants; Kerry Emm and Mandy McCauley, respectively senior vice president and director of EnTrust Solutions Group. Tre Barr, vice president of the BJA and senior manager at Exelon/BGE, was the key man in bringing these sponsorships, as well as in organizing the entire event.
The event ticket included all hors d’oeuvres, wine, beer, and cocktails, as well as a dynamic concert by the band “Dat Feel Good,” led by trumpeter/saxophonist Clarence Ward III, with Aaron Hill on piano, Mike Graham on Bass, and Devron “Ace” Dennis on drums. Vocalist/trombonist Rufus Roundtree sat in to sing a couple of high-energy songs, and saxophonist Gregory Thompkins also sat in. The music got everyone up and out to boogie on the dance floor.
The event raised substantial funds to support the various programs of the Baltimore Jazz Alliance, including this quarterly newsletter, with informative and entertaining articles about the Baltimore jazz scene; the website and its jazz calendar, listing numerous jazz events in and around Baltimore; the Jazz for Kids program, bringing jazz education to Baltimore-area schools and libraries; the annual Jazz Conference, which brings together jazz musicians, fans, educators and others to share information and ideas about jazz in Baltimore; and the Member Grants program, offering modest grants to members for their projects related to Baltimore jazz (albums, performances, historical projects, etc.)
BJA President Tyrone Crawley and members of the BJA board are grateful to Tre Barr for organizing the event and to all sponsors and guests who attended. The support is vitally important to keep us going for another 20 years! The next fundraiser is scheduled for Fall of 2025.
Additional photos can be found in an article in the entertainment second of the Baltimore Sun, “Baltimore Scene: Blue in Green Gala” (Nov. 16, 2024). https://www.baltimoresun.com/2024/11/26/baltimore-scene-blue-in-green-gala-photos/
–By Liz Fixsen