Musicman Magazine

Sax & Artistic Director, Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts

LOVETT HINES

by Joan Cartwright

“The first time I heard music was at my home with my parents in North Philadelphia, blocks from the famed Golden Strip on Columbia Avenue. I was influenced by the United House of Prayer for All People shout band and the R& B shows at the Uptown Theatre,” said Lovett Hines. “I am not a composer, but I receive royalties from recordings I performed on, since the 1960s.”

Hines is aware of the challenges women face in Jazz. “My responsibility to emerging female artists is to equip them with the tools to find their creative voices in the male-dominated music industry. At PCC, we presented Connie Han and Helen Sung as part of PNC Arts Alive, Jazz Cultural Voices concert season 2022-2023,” Hines reported.

“The path to success in jazz as an artist is based on practice, practice, practice. Listen to all types of music from various eras, styles and cultures. Integrate patience, consistency, and imagination into your development process,” Hines advised.

A musician, founder, leader, and music teacher for youth, Lovett Hines is the Artistic Director and founder of the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts Music Education Program. Since 1985, students in the program participated in a broad range of activities, including private instruction, master classes, ensembles, summer jazz camp, and live performances in the U.S.

Hines holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration from the University of the Arts. He studied music at Combs College of Music, Grambling State University, and the University of Maryland. Throughout his career, he launched the careers of many young, accomplished musicians and artists.

Lovett has managed the Philadelphia Clef Club for two decades. Prior to that, he worked

at Settlement Music School. He mentored high-profile jazz artists, who emerged in Philadelphia, including the notable bassist Christian McBride, organist Joey DeFrancesco, saxophonist Jaleel Shaw, and drummer Justin Faulkner.

Hines was the program director at the Trane Stop Resource Institute and the Change of the Century Orchestra that performed at the Berlin Jazz Festival. Also, he was the music director for the Jerry McCleary Revue at Club Harlem in Atlantic City, New Jersey. A highlight of his music career was a commission to direct the Heavenly Horns, who performed with the Grammy-Nominated Dixie Hummingbirds at the Music in the Air 70th Anniversary Celebration that included Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, and Isaac Hayes.