Meet Melanie Charles | Jazz Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melanie Charles and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melanie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
As a musician, I am reluctant to call my work a business but as record labels become a thing of the past and more and more work falls on the artist, I find myself having to compartmentalise the art and the “job”. That being said my brand Make Jazz Trill Again was born out of a necessity to amplify artists that are of the Jazz tradition or that are jazz adjacent. Our MJTA podcast one of our many offerings, serves as a place for candid conversation with curators, producers and artists of all mediums.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Readers should know that Make Jazz trill again is a movement that is dedicated to making Black American music accessible to people of all walks of life regardless of their financial standing or environment. It is scientifically proven that music can change the chemistry of a child’s brain and I feel that now more than ever our young people deserve access to transformational music in order to become intelligent, resourceful and present human beings. The work is also committed to sharing resources with musicians who are not quite celebrities but are integral to the fabric that make our cities vibrate. How can artists create and live healthy sustainable lives? Now more than ever we must figure that out and that is what Make Jazz Trill Again is invested in doing. Lasty MJTA consists of a consultation service, where we share information, contacts, and resources gathered from over 17 years of experience in the music business. From gear suggestions to how to tackle curating a festival, to reliable musician recommendation and anything in between.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take my friend to Smalls Jazz Club in the west village, one of the last classic jazz clubs in NY. I would take them to Nublu on a monday for an exciting jam session called Producer Mondays. We would go to Bedvyne in Bedstuy a black owned wine bar that only features the best DJ’s and lastly, I would take them to my favorite late night chinese spot Weis in williamsburg for delicious soup dumplings and even better atmosphere..

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to shout out China Moses, a musician producer and radio host/curator that is also invested in making space for cutting edge musicians. I would also like to shout out Ebar, an incredible brooklyn based photographer that specializes in photographing jazz musicians in an almost “God-like” way helping them to compete in our aesthetic obsessed society.

Website: www.melaniecharles.com , www.makejazztrillagain.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melaniecharlesisdflower/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MelanieCharles