One of the music industry's most respected and influential members is hosting a virtual jazz show this Monday to raise money for Morningside Community School in Pittsfield.

Questlove, music director and founding member of legendary band The Roots, is hosting a live, hour-long Jazz music set highlighting the history, musicians, and music of the 1930s as well as current popular artists who have been influenced by the music of the era.

The idea for the fundraiser or "rent party" was inspired by the 4th-grade team's work with the children's book Rent Party Jazz, by William Miller. Morningside students learned about jazz music parties hosted in the 1930s by neighbors and friends as fundraisers when times were tough someone couldn't afford to pay rent.

The "rent party" for the Morningside neighborhood's elementary school will serve as a fundraiser for the school's PTO. The show will be live-streamed here on The Roots YouTube channel this Monday, Dec. 21 starting at 6:30 p.m. Throughout the stream, which will be accessible to anyone including the almost 400,000 subscribers of the band's channel, Morningside PTO's Venmo link will be displayed for anyone to donate.

"We welcome you all to be part of sharing in this once in a lifetime experience, further proving the theme of the story to be true: with perseverance, creativity, kindness, and collaboration, there's nothing we can't do!" Mornignside PTO 

Ahmir Khalib Thompson, known as Questlove is a musician, music historian, journalist, and DJ who also serves as the drummer and joint frontman for the hip hop band The Roots. The Grammy award-winning Roots band has been an iconic and influential force in the music industry since their formation in 1987. In addition, they have served as the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon since 2014. Questlove is also one of the producers of the cast album of the Broadway musical Hamilton as well as an adjunct professor at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University. He has produced and made music with countless artists including Jay-Z, Elvis Costello, Common, D'Angelo, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Al Green, and Amy Winehouse.

The is not the first time Queslove has played host to a virtual fundraiser. In June of this year, he hosted a virtual festival to support Michelle Obama's When We All Vote registration initiative, in which the former first lady also made an appearance.

Check out the Jazz Party Flyer!

 

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