Red Deer, Alberta · Since 2022
About the RDCJM
The Red Deer Community for Jazz Music is a volunteer-run non-profit, founded in 2022 to create, support and promote live jazz in Red Deer.
Our mission
We run a free monthly jam open to musicians of every level, and the annual Red Deer Jazz Festival, so that live jazz in this city would not depend on any one player being able to hold up a horn.
✓ Incorporated non-profit · Reg. no. 5124381012
We also list the jazz events other people put on in the city, whether we booked them or not.
Everything at the organizational level is done by volunteers, so that the money goes to paying the musicians we hire. The organization was incorporated as a non-profit in 2022 and runs on ticket sales, memberships, the store and sponsors.
2022
Founded
5
Annual festivals
100+
Paying jobs for musicians
1,500+
Volunteer hours
Job and volunteer-hour figures are as reported at the end of 2024, so they are floors, not current totals.
Why we do this
I believe this work is for the good of everyone in our community. When we know what is going on, we can go out and take part, and in taking part together a city becomes one. To share what is happening is to give people the means to find the spaces that resonate with them, and to connect there.
Andrew Ludtke, founder
Ray Oldenburg called the informal gathering places between home and work “third places”; the monthly jam is Red Deer’s jazz third place, and the board tells people where the others are.
What we do
Every last Saturday
The Community Jazz Jam
Formerly the SwingTime AllStar Jam — the longest-running jazz jam in Red Deer, and it has not missed a month since 2022. 2–3 PM on the last Saturday of every month, alternating between Taylor Towers and Michener Extendicare. Musicians of all levels welcome — no audition, no cover.
Annually · Fifth festival, 2026
The Red Deer Jazz Festival
Our annual festival, bringing touring and local artists to Red Deer since 2022. Past features include Canadian saxophonist Kirk MacDonald with pianist Bruce Barth. The fifth ran September 19–25, 2026.
Year-round
Everyone else’s gigs
If there is jazz happening in Red Deer, it belongs on our board, whether we booked it or not. Organizers can send us their dates any time.
The story so far
2022
Founded and incorporated as a non-profit. The first Red Deer Jazz Festival ran that year, and the SwingTime AllStar Jam began the monthly run it has never missed.
2023
The festival returned for its second year, and the monthly jam kept its streak.
2024
The Andrew Ludtke Quartet played the third festival’s feature concert at The Velvet Olive.
2025
Canadian saxophonist Kirk MacDonald played the fourth festival with pianist Bruce Barth.
2026
The fifth festival ran September 19–25: the Community Jazz Jam on September 19 and Half Step Trio at Sunnybrook United Church on Friday, September 25.
Along the way, the scene was filmed for Behind the Scene: Live Jazz in Red Deer, a documentary series produced for TELUS STORYHIVE.
The full record — every festival and the people who played them →
Who runs it
Founder & Executive Director
Andrew Ludtke
Born in Red Deer. A Humber College graduate with over 20 years in the music industry. Andrew plays the Berglund NuEVI, an electronic wind instrument, and works as a soloist, accompanist and bandleader.
His return to playing after a neck injury in 2021 is the subject of the first episode of Behind the Scene: Live Jazz in Red Deer, a documentary series produced for TELUS STORYHIVE.
Funding and sponsors
The RDCJM runs on ticket sales, memberships, the store and sponsors. Membership is $5 a month, and it goes to paying musicians.
We are grateful to the sponsors, donors and partner organizations who make this possible. If you would like to sponsor, donate, or help in another way, get in touch.
Looking for what else is on in town? Red Deer Marquee lists live events across Central Alberta, and Alberta Current covers the province — both free to read, and free for any organizer to list on.
Free · Email and text
Join the Downbeat
Our mailing list. Tickets 48 hours before they go on public sale, and a text the afternoon of a gig.
You must be logged in to post a comment.