Jazz Aspen launches new online series

Jazz Aspen Snowmass is launching a new online series of twice-monthly interactive interviews with a diverse slate of jazz artists. It opens on Tuesday, Feb. 9 with the trumpeter and frequent Aspen performer Bria Skonberg.

The series highlights JAS Café and June Experience artists of recent years, many of whom are slated for this year’s June festival. Each evening will begin with an artist interview led by JAS president and founder Jim Horowitz or longtime KAJX jazz DJ Scott Harper.

The interviews aim to give fans a chance to learn more about the artists personal journeys, as well as the origins of the music they play during these free virtual interviews hosted on Jazz Aspen’s Facebook and YouTube pages on the dates listed below.

The nonprofit will also host guests for a special Happy Hour, limited to 12 screens, giving fans an opportunity to ask their own questions and interact with the Artist directly. Happy Hour tickets are $50, available at jasstore.org.

“JAS is proud to present this new series with some of the finest young artists to grace our Café and June stages in recent years,” Horowitz said in the announcement. “Collectively regarded as emerging top tier talent likely to enjoy long and durable careers in music, they all combine world-class performance skills as either instrumentalists and/or vocalists, sophisticated stage personalities and an ability to deeply connect to their audience.”

The full lineup: Bria Skonberg (Feb. 9); Dave Watts of The Motet (Feb. 16); Jose James (March 16); Veronica Swift & Emmet Cohen (April 6); Anat Cohen (April 13). More artists are expected to be announced soon. All events start at 6 p.m. except for James, who is slated to begin at 3 p.m.