Melanie Charles returns to Skidmore for weeklong residency, 鈥楳ake Jazz Trill Again: Trill 101鈥�
The Arthur Zankel Music Center has commissioned Brooklyn-based singer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Melanie Charles to create 鈥淭rill 101鈥� as part of her ongoing 鈥淢ake Jazz Trill Again鈥� project. The weeklong residency, running Sept. 30 to Oct. 4, will bring together Skidmore and Capital Region community members in a multidisciplinary exploration of jazz, its roots, and its future.
During the residency, Charles and her team 鈥� Yunie Mojica, Jonathan Michel, Zacche鈥檜s Paul, and Darah Golub 鈥� will participate in class visits, podcast and video recordings, and jam sessions, building on the success of a spring 2024 collaboration that invited students and community members to an open jam session onstage at the Zankel Music Center.
The fall residency will interrogate the evolution of jazz within institutional frameworks and contextualize the art form within its cultural roots. It will explore themes of access, equity, education, technology, and artistic practice across a variety of disciplines.
鈥淚 felt completely welcomed,鈥� recent Skidmore alum El谩n Velasquez Stadelmann 鈥�24 said about the spring jam session. Lydia Watkins 鈥�24, another spring participant, described it as 鈥渁 very moving and powerful experience.鈥�
The residency will also create new content for 鈥淭rill 101,鈥� an educational video that will encapsulate the ethos behind 鈥淢ake Jazz Trill Again,鈥� which Charles invented in the mid-2010s to revive the independent jazz scene for the digital age. Since then, 鈥淢ake Jazz Trill Again鈥� has evolved from a simple hashtag to a dynamic network producing performances, podcasts, and events that merge the two. Footage will also be incorporated in an upcoming multimedia performance featuring Charles, her collaborators, and Skidmore students in February. Collectiveffort, a Troy-based creative agency, will assist in capturing content throughout the residency.
Public events:
Wednesday, Oct. 2, 5-6:30 p.m. 鈥�,鈥� Arthur Zankel Music Center
Join Melanie Charles and co-host Yunie Mojica for a live taping of the 鈥淢ake Jazz Trill Again鈥� podcast, featuring Grammy Award-winning drummer, composer, and educator Terri Lyne Carrington. This town hall will explore gender justice in jazz and is free to attend.
Thursday, Oct. 3, 7-9 p.m.: 鈥�Make Jazz Trill Again Mega Jam at the Frederick Allen Elks Lodge,鈥� Frederick Allen Elks Lodge
Join an open jam session and fundraiser featuring musicians, rappers, and singers of all ages and experience levels. Melanie Charles, Yunie Mojica, Zacche鈥檜s Paul, and the house band will lead the evening, which also serves to support Saratoga鈥檚 only Black lodge, celebrating over 100 years of community history.
The residency is presented in partnership with Skidmore鈥檚 Music Department and the Office of Special Programs and co-sponsored by Black Studies, Gender Studies, Intergroup Relations, Arts Administration, Management and Business, the Schupf Family IdeaLab, and other academic departments. Additional support for the project is provided by the Pia Scala-Zankel 鈥�92 and Jimmy Zankel 鈥�92 Residency in the Performing Arts, the Zankel Music Fund, the McCormack Artist-Scholar Residency Fund, and the Office of the President.
Find information about the residency and upcoming events on the Trill 101 webpage.
番茄直播 Melanie Charles:
Melanie Charles is a Brooklyn-based composer, singer, flutist, and multi-instrumentalist known for her innovative fusion of jazz, soul, and Haitian roots music. Her work reimagines jazz for contemporary audiences while uplifting marginalized voices. A graduate of LaGuardia High School and The New School for Jazz, she has worked with artists such as Wynton Marsalis and SZA and made a standout appearance on NPR鈥檚 Tiny Desk Concert. Her 2021 album 鈥淵鈥檃ll Don鈥檛 (Really) Care 番茄直播 Black Women鈥� reflects her dedication to community and musical innovation. Charles is also a mentor for the Brooklyn Youth Chorus and a board member for The House Foundation for the Arts.
