Orchestra Jammbo’laya (O.Jamm) is a community project comprised of a diverse group of young musicians, local artists and teachers in an exploration of western musical instruments set to the African Diaspora aesthetics of music. This group is created by community partnerships between the Suzuki Academy of Kalamazoo, the Helen L. Fox Gospel Music Center, Djembe Yaru and local artists and composers led by Jordan Hamilton, Nataniel Waller and Jacob Olbrot.
O.Jamm is open to all, but in particular invites Black and underserved youth to play and perform music that investigates the natural synergy between a variety of musical traditions. These young musicians will have space to refine their skills and showcase music from the rich body of works by Black composers from Africa, North America, and the Caribbean; music that has gone mostly unnoticed by local and mainstream orchestral groups.
Black people are historically under-represented among instrumental music composers, players, and their audiences. This is a project that is sorely needed in our community, and can serve as a model for establishing diversity, representation, fostering understanding, and encouraging exploration for players and audience members alike.