Atlanta — May 28, 2025 — South Arts is pleased to announce the Spring 2025 Jazz Road Artists, a group awarded grants of up to $15,000 each to support their touring efforts across the country. This recipient class is made up of 10 artists and ensembles, funded through the Jazz Road Tours initiative to promote and develop their national touring.
Organized by South Arts with support from the Doris Duke Foundation and the Mellon Foundation, Jazz Road Tours annually awards approximately 50 jazz artists with grants ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 to cover a portion of tour expenses and tighten the pay gap between artists and presenters. Some of these expenses may include venue and travel fees, equitable pay for the artists, or costs of management, coordination, childcare, and promotion.
These recipients were selected based on their contributions across a vibrant spectrum of artistic excellence, with musical practices ranging from saxophone, clarinet, composition, and with inspirations of Southern Indian classical music, Portuguese vocalists, and folklore.
The Spring 2025 Jazz Road Artists are:
| Kelly Green Quartet New York | Noah Garabedian Quartet New York |
| Jason Mingledorff Quintet Louisiana | Avery Sharpe Double Quartet Massachusetts |
| Lori Williams Georgia | Shorter Stories Iowa |
| The Alaya Project California | Todd Marcus Quintet with Virginia MacDonald Maryland |
| Roland Barber and Friends Tennessee | Sara Serpa & Matt Mitchell New York |
| Ches Smith Clone Row New York | |
A selection of individual tours officially kicked off earlier this month and the remainder will continue through December 2025, spanning cities across the country, such as Atlanta, GA; Birmingham, AL; Knoxville, TN; Lincoln, NE; New York, NY; and San Francisco, CA,
As a core component of South Arts’ national Jazz Road initiative, Jazz Road Tours is coordinated in partnership with five fellow regional arts organizations: Arts Midwest, Mid America Arts, Mid-Atlantic Arts Alliance, New England Foundation for the Arts, and the Western States Arts Federation. Since launching in 2018, the program has supported nearly 200 artists with funding to expand their footprint and elevate their artistry on a national scale.
Artists are welcome to submit a written application and work samples, which are reviewed and selected by a panel of experts across the field. Based on the artistic excellence and merit of the proposed tour, recipients are chosen for support. Applications for Jazz Road Tours are open on a seasonal cycle through 2026.
To learn more about Jazz Road, awarded artists and their tours, or to apply for support, please visit southarts.org.
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About South Arts
South Arts advances Southern vitality through the arts. The nonprofit regional arts organization was founded in 1975 to build on the South’s unique heritage and enhance the public value of the arts. South Arts’ work responds to the arts environment and cultural trends with a regional perspective. South Arts offers an annual portfolio of activities designed to support the success of artists and arts providers in the South, address the needs of Southern communities through impactful arts-based programs, and celebrate the excellence, innovation, value and power of the arts of the South. For more information, visit www.southarts.org.
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