Healing Through Jazz music.

There appears to be more to jazz music than the obvious aural pleasures afforded its listeners. For instance, American historian, novelist and jazz critic, Nat Hentoff in a jazz.com article revealed that the late jazz musician Louis Armstrong, believed strongly in the healing power of music and sent recordings of jazz and classical music to a hospital in New Orleans to be played for women during childbirth.

In addition, there is a Louis Armstrong Department of Music Therapy at New York's Beth Israel Hospital funded in part by the Louis Armstrong Foundation. It treats patients in pediatrics, oncology and other specialities.

Also in New York City is St. Peter's Church, known as the Jazz Church. Located in Midtown Manhattan, it employs the traditions and forms of the art of jazz to nourish, counsel and befriend thousands of musicians, their families and friends in time of need.

Further out west, there is Jazzheimers, a group founded by guitarist and vocalist Marlina Teich which uses jazz as therapy for patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease in hospitals and other convalescent venues in San Francisco, California. Jazzheimers is a non-profit organization, sponsored by Independent Arts and Media Network. Jazzheimers is located at:

PMB#169, 3739 Balboa Street,
San Francisco, California 94121-2605
Tel: 415.820.1595