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OutBeat: America's First Queer Jazz Festival

Additional headliners and further details will be announced throughout the spring. "Philadelphia has enjoyed a legacy of being a great music city.

The William Way LGBT Community Center, with generous support from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, is proud to announce OutBeat: America’s First Queer Jazz Festival, set to take place on the final days of summer – Thursday, September 18 to Sunday, September 21. Sure to be a groundbreaking event in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection, Philadelphia will play host to a number of crit

ically acclaimed jazz artists across a broad musical spectrum including: Andy Bey, Grammy® Award-winning pianist Fred Hersch, Patricia Barber Quartet and drummer Bill Stewart. OutBeat, the first LGBT jazz festival ever produced in the United States, will include events ranging from public discussions hosted by JazzTimes to intimate performances, special receptions with the artists, and historic concerts in a variety of spaces. Festival sites will include lead venue partner, the William Way LGBT Community Center, The Painted Bride Art Center, and Chris’ Jazz Café as well as participation in the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s popular “Art After 5” series. We're also a city that affirms the lives of LGBT people,” says Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. “Hosting the first LGBT jazz festival in North America provides an opportunity to showcase the rich and vibrant culture of our city. We'll be celebrating all of this for 4 days in September with OutBeat. I hope to see you there!"

Additionally, Union Transfer – which Rolling Stone cited as one of the “Top 20 Venues in America” – will be the culminating site for the celebratory daylong closing event featuring numerous headliners. The popular Northern Liberties venue will be transformed into a festival setting with Spring Garden Street blocked off to host Philly’s finest food carts, crafters, local musicians, and other merchants. Vendors, surprises and special guests performing in multiple spaces will make this closing day especially memorable. The festival will serve as the finale for the William Way LGBT Community Center’s annual music series and highlight the intersection between sexual orientation and gender identity within the jazz community. OutBeat will feature a vibrant and eclectic mix of world-renowned jazz musicians brought together for a series of once-in-a-lifetime performances and panel discussions. States William Way LGBT Community Center Executive Director, Chris Bartlett, “We are thankful that the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage embraced this visionary initiative that we can now share with the world. It is an honor to serve as host for this historic occasion in Philadelphia.”

The William Way LGBT Community Center provides life-saving and life-affirming services to more than 50,000 LGBTQ individuals and allies every year. With a diverse array of over seventy monthly programs and activities that serve Greater Philadelphia’s vibrant and unique LGBTQ population, the Center is proud to be called the region’s hub of LGBTQ community culture. Programs offered by the Center include free peer counseling, senior programs, an art gallery, one of the largest LGBT archives in the western hemisphere, a public cyber center, hiking and tour groups, and other recreational, health, educational, arts, and cultural opportunities.

“Philadelphia was founded more than 300 years ago by Englishman William Penn on principles of equality and freedom of expression. Today, the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection is a welcoming place for people from around the world, and a great destination for gay and lesbian travelers,” states Tami Sortman, Vice President of the Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus. “While many other cities--New York, Chicago, New Orleans--may consider themselves 'jazz capitols', it's an incredible coup for the city of Philadelphia to be the home base of this landmark event." Philadelphia has been at the forefront of supporting the LGBT community as the site of some of the nation’s first gay rights pickets, and in 1982 it was one of the first cities in the country to pass anti-gay discrimination laws. With the launch of the groundbreaking Philadelphia – Get Your History Straight and Your Nightlife Gay® campaign in 2003, Philadelphia has since been ranked in the top 10 among destinations visited by LGBT travelers for the first time in 2010 as well as a top 10 leisure market for LGBT travelers aged 18-35. For more insight on how queer jazz musicians have dealt with their identity through music, click here read the story from JazzTimes.

12/30/2023

Dear friends,

I serve on the Board of Directors of Centerlink, the community of LGBT Centers.

I'm conducting an end-of-year fundraiser to support Centerlink's lifesaving work in coordinating and supporting the efforts of hundreds of LGBTQ community centers. At a time when our communities are under attack, the work of Centerlink and our Centers is needed more than ever.

Please consider making a gift of any amount to support Centerlink. You can click here to make a gift:

https://secure.givelively.org/donate/centerlink-inc/strengthening-our-network-of-lgbtq-community-centers/chris-bartlett

Many thanks, and Happy New Year!

12/26/2020

Tonight (Saturday) at 6PM is the Annual Kwanzaa Collaborative hosted by Philadelphia Black Pride. This cultural celebration is one of my favorite gatherings of the year. This year, the event will be virtual on both Philadelphia Black Pride 's page and Youtube. I hope you'll be able to join us. This is a moment in our communities where gathering is important. And it's also a great time for a deeper exploration of Umoja, Unity.

Join us on December 26th as we celebrate the 14th Annual Kwanzaa Collaborative, this is a virtual event streaming from Facebook and YouTube. The cultural celebration starts at 6pm, joins us for this annual community event where we honor or Ancestors, celebrate our Elders all in the name of Umoja (Unity). This celebration of life, love and culture is truly a window into the soul of this community. Now more than ever we need to celebrate one another in LOVE.

OutBeat Jazz Festival: Fred Hersch Interviewed by Nate Chinen

10/08/2014

In case you missed it, here's a great video of the interview with The New York Times' Nate Chinen and Fred Hersch from OutBeat: America's First Q***r Jazz Festival!

OutBeat Jazz Festival: Fred Hersch Interviewed by Nate Chinen http://outbeatjazzfestival.com http://waygay.org On September 18 through 21, 2014 in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvannia, USA - OUTBEAT JAZZ FESTIVAL too...

Outbeat Jazz Festival: Homophobia & Sexism in Jazz Genre

09/29/2014

Celebrating LGBT participation in jazz, as well as confronting homophobia, transphobia and sexism within it, is why OutBeat: America's First Q***r Jazz Festival was a smashing success!

Thank you, Joey Brite, for a video that sheds light on the intersection of jazz and identity politics with The New York Times' Nate Chinen, Dena Underwood, and Jaye Sanders, telling us all why it's okay to be you.

Outbeat Jazz Festival: Homophobia & Sexism in Jazz Genre Outbeat Jazz Festival: Homophobia & Sexism in Jazz Genre with The New York Times' Nate Chinen

09/26/2014

"On the whole, the Outbeat Festival turned out to be a successful experiment linking a sociocultural movement like gay rights with the performance arts. The keys to its success included a focus on the quality of the music, the utilization of a variety of perfectly suitable performance spaces, an atmosphere of "unconditional positive regard" for both musicians and audiences, and a discussion of the issues that provoked thought in a way that was neither aggressive nor contentious."

See why All About Jazz says OutBeat was like, "one of those jazz experiences that swing with so much verve that you walk out of the hall with a quicker step," in this review of OutBeat: America's First Q***r Jazz Festival. http://ow.ly/BYuDV

Outbeat Jazz Festival 2014 Outbeat Jazz Festival 2014 jazz article by Victor L. Schermer, published on September 26, 2014 at All About Jazz. Find more Live Reviews articles

09/25/2014

Here's a little of what you missed at OutBeat: America's First Q***r Jazz Festival. Watch for interviews with Philadelphia Jazz Project's Homer Jackson, performances by Patricia Barber Jazz Musician, Dena Underwood, Lush Life: Philadelphia Celebrates Billy Strayhorn and many more, and a conversation with Jennifer Leitham about gender and music.

OutBeat: America's First Q***r Jazz Festival http://outbeatjazzfestival.com http://waygay.org On September 18 through 21, 2014 in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvannia, USA - OUTBEAT JAZZ FESTIVAL too...

09/25/2014

The Huffington Post says OutBeat: America's First Q***r Jazz Festival was, "nothing but pride." Thanks for the glowing review of Lush Life: Philadelphia Celebrates Billy Strayhorn and the history of jazz and identity politics! http://ow.ly/BUJVA

OutBeat the Nation's 1st GLBT Jazz Fest In Philadelphia this month, OutBeat America's first Q***r jazz festival was "gay as they say it ought to be..." To quote 'Something To Live For' a tune written by gay pianist-composer Billy Strayhorn....

09/24/2014

OutBeat: America's First Q***r Jazz Festival was a smash! Thank you to The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage for this round-up of the best moments at http://goo.gl/KviHtK

OutBeat: America's First Q***r Jazz Festival - September 20 & 21

09/23/2014

OutBeat: America's First Q***r Jazz Festival had memorable musical moments with panel discussions and jazz performances. Check out photos of the legendary line-up Philadelphia will be talking about for years to come.

Pre-Concert Discussion with Bill Stewart, Patricia Barber, and William Way's Chris Bartlett moderated by JazzTimesTimes’ John Murph at Painted Bride Art Center
Bill Stewart Quartet at Painted Bride Art Center
Terri Lyne Carrington’s Money Jungle at Chris’ Jazz Café
September 20, 2014

Mike McGinnis Splang-a-lang Trio +1 performs the music of Drew Paralic, Cole Porter, and Billy Strayhorn
David Coss Jazz Quartet
Ben Flint and the Diesel Puppies
Andrew D’Angelo’s Gay Disco Trio
Dena DeRose Trio
Jennifer Leitham Trio
Andy Bey
Patricia Barber Quartet
Terri Lyne Carrington's Mosaic Project
Weez The Peeples
Monette Sudler Ensemble
TreZure Empire
September 21, 2014

09/22/2014

Thank you for your support of OutBeat: America's First Q***r Jazz Festival and the experience of a lifetime!

Want more ? Follow us on Instagram at for pictures and videos of panel discusssions and performances you just have to see yourself.