A century after the first jazz recording, jazz and blues continue to stir up originality, spontaneity, and improvisation. Every rendition of a song is new and different.

From September 25 through October 1, WTJU’s 2017 Jazz Marathon celebrates 100 years of original, spontaneous jazz and blues! The “Jazz at 100” week of special programs will mark several centennial anniversaries – including the 100th anniversary of the first jazz recording.

“WTJU airs jazz and blues programming each and every week to connect our community with these original American art forms,” said Nathan Moore, WTJU General Manager. “It’s great music. It’s fun music. And it’s music that brings a dose of originality and spontaneity to the lives of our listeners.”

WTJU’s “Jazz at 100” marathon also celebrates the 100th birthdays of seminal figures in jazz and blues: Ella Fitzgerald, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, John Lee Hooker, and more – all of whom were born in 1917, the same year as the first jazz recording. WTU’s Jazz Marathon will dive deeply into the work of each of these artists with shows dedicated to their music.

This year’s Jazz Marathon also features a bevy of live performances, including local artists Cool Blue Quartet, Jon Spear Band, The Mike Rosensky & Jeff Decker Quartet, Cherry Red, and more. Several of those performances will broadcast live from Fellini’s in downtown Charlottesville.

“While WTJU celebrates a whole century of jazz, the station also celebrate this music that is very much alive and spontaneous in its continual acts of creativity today,” said Moore.

WTJU’s annual Jazz Marathon is one of the station’s major on-air fundraisers each year. WTJU encourages listeners to donate online at WTJU.net/donate.

The full schedule of Jazz Marathon specials is online at WTJU.net