Lisa Mezzacappa transforms the Jazzschool into a community hub
Originally published in the East Bay Times. Written by Andrew Gilbert.
Lisa Mezzacappa leans forward in her chair, her eyes shining with delight as she talks about her first few months running the Jazzschool.
The Berkeley bassist, bandleader, composer and educator has spent the past quarter-century as the quintessential indie artist, producing a steady torrent of gigs, concert series and recording projects that have helped energize and define the Bay Area’s overlapping jazz and improvised music scenes. Sitting in her tidy office just off of Hardymon Hall, the lobby of the Jazzschool’s compact campus in the downtown Berkeley Arts District, she beams as students filter in for afternoon classes.
The summer quarter was just getting underway, “and as the day goes on, there’s an amazing swarm of activity,” she said. But it’s not just students who’ve been filling up the subterranean facility. She’s turned the space into a thrumming jazz community center. Each month seems to bring a new series or offering, and in many cases the programming is free. Late night hangs where faculty spin their favorite records, movie nights, guided listening sessions and lots of concerts are turning the Jazzschool into a destination for anyone who’s looking for a welcoming, jazz-centric oasis.
“We have this really cool flexible space that is a venue, a lecture hall, a lounge, and we’re experimenting with these different experiences,” Mezzacappa noted. “People seem to be enjoying that. I want the Jazzschool to feel like a community center. Not everything should involve an exchange of funds. People coming to free programs have also been giving little donations as a tip, a way of saying, ‘I appreciate this thing in my life.’”
On a recent Wednesday afternoon, I dropped in for one of the weekly Brown Bag Jazz Hangs, a free lunchtime series that features a musician holding forth on a topic they’re passionate about. This hour-long session was led by San Francisco alto saxophonist Beth Schenck, who provided insight into a career-spanning array of tracks by alto sax legend Lee Konitz (1927–2020) for a disparate assembly of about 15 people. The hangs continue through the month, with trumpeter Darren Johnston talking about the tragically short lived Booker Little on Sept. 9 and percussionist Javier Navarrette exploring the legacy of percussionist bandleaders on Sept. 16.
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Learn more about programs offered by the Jazzschool here.
