April is Jazz Appreciation Month.

This year, the National Museum of American History highlights women in jazz:

Jazz Appreciation Month (fondly known as “JAM”) was created right here at the museum in 2001 to recognize and celebrate the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz for the entire month of April.

JAM is intended to stimulate and encourage people of all ages to participate in jazz – to study the music, attend concerts, listen to jazz on radio and recordings, read books about jazz, and more.

This year, JAM celebrates the dynamic impact of the often-overlooked contributions that women have made to jazz, both on and off the stage. As performers and conductors, educators, and producers and directors of jazz festivals, women have made their mark but have continued to struggle for recognition on par with their male counterparts.

In the days of social distancing, gig workers, including women and men in jazz, are struggling. NPR reports:

As panic over the coronavirus sweeps the globe, much of the focus is on the broader economic effects on businesses or venues that have to cancel events. But the coronavirus’ toll on working musicians is immediate and sometimes debilitating.

When people speak of the gig economy, they’re often thinking of Uber drivers or Instacart shoppers. But for freelance musicians, their patchwork of gigs pays the bills. And in the face of shuttered concert halls and a self-quarantining public, that patchwork is falling apart.

NPR Music is curating a list of livestreamed concerts, including the virtual jazz festival, Live From Our Living Rooms which runs from April 1 through April 7.

The Berks Arts Council is presenting Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest Encore Online concert series on Facebook Live, Thursday, April 2 through Monday, April 6.

Also, WBGO created the “Livestream Hub” to help musicians and audiences connect virtually.

For information on resources for musicians in the Philadelphia metro area, visit Jazz Philadelphia.