By Gregory Burrus | Posted Friday, June 18, 2021
I want to thank everyone for their participation and support of the 4th Annual 24 Hours of Music Jamboree. While I still wished we could have performed, in person outside as usual, the Coronavirus Pandemic changed all that. As the pandemic went into full effect for us during the last week of March and lockdown started in April 2020, we pivoted and started thinking about what else we could do to keep the music alive.
We couldn't go outside so we adapted and continued our commitment to the live music community and launched a new virtual approach that addressed our new social distancing world. We asked folks to submit live performances specifically for this event, a truly sweet past performance, or we scheduled them into a live performance slot on the day of the 24 Hours of Music Jamboree event. The musicians responded overwhelmingly positively and it was great to see folks volunteer their time/energy along with their dynamic and amazing musical talents in making this first time move to a Virtual 24 Hours of Music Jamboree a big success. The following is a recap of what happened throughout the Jamboree.
Official 24 Hours of Music Jamboree Chairperson Welcomes All
Out of this pivot to online, we discovered the wonderful and very energetic Lynette Sheard. In person she was also dynamic and her turn to the virtual world was no less stellar. We ended up selecting Lynette Sheard of Lynette Sheard Entertainment as our official welcome spokesperson because even through the very negative environment we were in, Lynette was a bright beam of enthusiasm and hope. Thank you, Lynette.
Tributes
We opened the 24 Hours of Music Jamboree at 11:30 AM with a tribute to our recently departed long-term South Orange resident and live music advocate Lee Boz May, may she RIP. We also said goodbye to another wonderful local performer, Holi Ross who also sang with The Royal Bopsters.
As we usually have our South Orange Gazebo dressed up physically in balloons, this year we adapted and developed a virtual balloon backdrop. We then listened to the song “Candy” converted to "I need my 24 Hours of Music" by vocalist Jacqueline Harmon Johnson, a.k.a. The Balloon Lady.
Official Kick Off by the Institute of Jazz Studies
We then were officially kicked off by the Rutgers University Clements Place Institute of Jazz Studies Executive Director Wayne Winborne. His now very "prophetic message" was to enjoy the wide range of music that was being presented and that “while science and medicine will get us out of this pandemic […] it’s art, especially music, that will get us through it.”
Fundraising for the Jazz Exchange Relief Fund
We then moved to a message from the Jazz Exchange Relief Fund Founders Candice Reyes and Abel Mireles, who are supporting local North Jersey and NYC full-time and part-time jazz artists with The Jazz Exchange Relief Fund! This was especially important because artists were immediately affected by this pandemic, as all of their performances, tours, teaching gigs, lessons and more were cancelled overnight. The Jazz Exchange came on to help us raise funds to provide emergency and preventative resources to those at financial risk
Lineup: 4th Annual 24 Hours of Music Jamboree
It was a stellar lineup of some truly wonderful musicians who all volunteered their time and efforts to this 4th Annual 24 Hours of Music Jamboree.
2020 event lineup
We kicked off the Virtual 4th Annual 24 Hours Of Music Jamboree at noon Saturay, May 30th with the Pop, R&B, Soul sessions headlined by South Orange-based Alicia Taiping and Dan Pieraccini of the popular local band Forget the Whale. We were then treated to some wonderful performances by Dunia Best Live, Howlin Poets, Positive Note, Rhonda Denet, Flip da Skrip, our official spokesperson Lynette Sheard, Acute Inflections, Tasha R. Williams with budding new star Aaliyah Arroyo, Sounds of A and R, and local favorite Ricky Persaud, Jr.
Our Latin sessions contained some sweet music produced by Carlos Frias and Circulo Social Band and a few wonderful Yardbird Entertainment-produced sessions by the Rudy Vidal Latin Jazz Quartet.
Video Recap: 4th Annual 24 Hours Of Music Jamboree
The evening and overnight Jazz Sessions were kicked off live by the wonderful and engaging Mike Lee Jazz Family, which all members were very talented while socially distancing together. Overnight performers included Kristina Koller, Abel & Candice, Reyes, Arcoiris Sandoval Live, DC Fusion Darry Clark, Peter Lin, Mamiko Watanabe, Richard Reiter, Sue Maskaleris, Winard Harper – Jeli Posse, Kemp and Reyvolation from Buffalo NY, James Austin, Jr. and Friends, Mauricio de Sousa, Joel Cotton with Matt Niedbalski, Jarrett Walser and Campblicated, Marshall McDonald from Fukuoka, Japan, Seyeon Chang from South Korea, Kumiko Tanaka from Tokyo, our normally 3 AM to 6 AM crew, the Alex De Lazzari Duo with Caelan Cardello, then Flip Peters and Friends ending overnight with Candice Reyes.
Rounding out the early morning hours, we had songs from the American Songbook by vocalist Patricia Walton and Barbara Hassenfeld, then Blues Rocker Debra Devi, Hal Keshner from the beautiful hills and desert of Arizona with some truly gorgeous sun scenes, and finally closing us out by sitting on the dock of the San Francisco Bay was Blues Man Mr. Coo Mo Gee.
Volunteers , Operations and Productions
2020 24 Hours of Music Volunteers with Teresa Ware and Donna Siedman
The major difference this year was we literally broadcast the entire 24 Hour of Music Jamboree event. We broadcasted on 5 virtual venues simultaneously. Listeners had a choice of watching and listening on Facebook pages, or my Gregory Burrus profile, Youtube, Twitch, or Periscope.tv channels. Thanks to our Audience Development Director, Chelsea B., who conducted selected Instagram broadcasts throughout the 24 hours. We also broadcasted to non-social media channels at 24hoursofmusicjamboree.tv.
Our regular volunteers Jon McGriff, Teresa Ware, Donna Siedman, Chelsea Burrus, Greg2B, and Roxanne Burrus, all supported us for 24 hours while we missed out steadfast volunteer Lee Boz May. We also give thanks to our official photographer Albert Clarke. Please visit his Instagram, as he captured some beautiful shots for us virtually, and our other giveaway supporter Designs by Aron.
2020 4th Annual 24 Hours of Music Jamboree Broadcast Studio Operations
Needless to say, we had some interesting challenges broadcasting nonstop for the full 24 Hours of Music Jamboree, especially when Facebook says you can only do 8 hours at a time and it stops, and we have to start again. Other networks did not have this problem but had other internet-related situations that had to be dealt with, and lets’s not forget being up more than 24 hours.
Overall initial numbers are over 604 YouTube views, 100+ Facebook views, unknown Instagram/Twitch views and over 100 Periscope views which, interestingly, are mostly from Australia and Great Britain. Comments from many local and other worldwide attendees were that “the music was a much-needed respite from the challenges plaguing our society today.”
And another thanks to our g2bpro motion graphics video engineer — we have a new logo:
Again, I thank all that participated. We will showcase your work.
2017-2020: Recaps of Past Events
The 24 Hours of Music Jamboree is normally an outdoor festival held in the town of South Orange, NJ at multiple venues with live music bands voluntarily performing for 24-hours non stop. Due to the 2020 COVID Pandemic, we went online. You can review past events at the following links:
2020 4th Annual 24 Hours of Music Jamboree May 30 -31, 2020
2019 3rd Annual 24 Hours Of Music Jamboree Sep 7 - 8, 2019
2018 2nd Annual 24 Hours Of Music Jamboree May 5 - 6, 2018
2017 1st Annual 24 Hours Of Music Jamboree May 6 -7, 2017
Open Call: Experience This Year’s 24 Hours of Music Jamboree
Now, a year has passed and hopefully COVID KEEPS DECLINING. For 2021, the idea is to get back outside with live bands and live audiences, meanwhile adding an online virtual performance component.
Anyone can participate, so open call is on.
Contact us to join us with your band, solo, duo, trio or whatever configuration you have. Let us know what you do and how you want to do it. We will find a spot for you in and around South Orange, NJ or online.
Volunteer here for the 5th Annual 24 Hours of Music Jamboree at this link https://bit.ly/3vXJJja .
About Gregory Burrus Productions
Gregory Burrus books bands, produces, promotes, captures and records live music events along with various community and private activities.
My mission is to help my customers, which are community groups, live music bands and local nonprofits reach their goals and accomplish their missions while enjoying the day-to-day process of life.
Learn more https://24hoursofmusicjamboree.com