The Ghana Jazz Foundation (GJF) is a non-profit organization that has been established in Accra with the goal of promoting live jazz music and other regional art forms. Particularly through partnerships, educational initiatives, and assistance for musicians and live music venues.
The launch took place on January 6, 2024, as a part of the events held at the +233 Jazz Bar & Grill for the inaugural Jazz In January Festival. The event took place between January 4 and January 7.
Dr. Adrian Oddoye, the President of the Foundation, states that it was established in 2023 as a partnership between jazz musicians and enthusiasts.
According to Oddoye, It’s with the goal of providing a novel perspective on how resources may be pooled to improve the live music landscape in Accra and throughout Ghana.
According to him, the GJF is dedicated to utilizing creative and calculated approaches to link local talent with the African Diaspora and international sister institutions. Furthermore, it would benefit local musicians’ welfare, insurance, and inventiveness in addition to enhancing their performances.
Founding member of the GJF and saxophonist Bernard Ayisa of the GHJazz Collective expressed gratitude to Dr. Oddoye for his tireless efforts in launching the organization. He noted that encouraging music literacy in Ghana was one of the Foundation’s main goals.
“What we lack in this country is musicians who can read music. So we want to help promote music literacy and establish in the long term, a centre where people could come and study Jazz and other forms of popular music,” Ayisa pointed out.
Victor Dey Jr., the pianist for the GHJazz Collective and another founding member, supported Ayisa’s claims. He disclosed that he had been providing some bright young people who couldn’t afford to pay him with free lessons. But he believed that a select few individuals who knew him personally did not necessarily need to be in that kind of circumstance.
“I felt it would be a shame to let those talents go to waste. That’s why I teach them for free. I’m working on adapting existing theories and structures in music for the Ghanaian market so that musicians can readily understand how it is that music works and make themselves and us all much better.”
The Musician’s Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) President, Bessa Simons, praised the initiatives at the opening, indicating that the Foundation’s goals align with their organization. He believes that the goals set forth by the GJF will enhance the caliber of music performed here. And in addition, facilitate greater networking opportunities for Ghanaian musicians.
The other founding member of the GJF is Dutch diplomat Katja Lasseur. Esther Nyamekye Kisseh, a music student at the University of Education at Winneba, was given an alto saxophone by the organization, courtesy of Remy Veerman of Remy Saxophone Repair Shop in the Netherlands.
The GHJazz Collective, Myrna Clayton, Native Vibe, Kevin Flournoy with Lamont Dozier, and Jeff Kashiwa were the headliners of the Jazz In January Festival.