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Celebrating Milestones, Keeping the Music Alive

THE AFRO — Twenty years ago Jason Moran’s jazz trio, The Bandwagon wowed audiences with their unique sound and artistic mash-ups, and for eight years the Kennedy Center’s jazz programming has been under his tutelage. With such a seasoned career in jazz, Moran, 44, took a moment to reflect on his music, role at the Kennedy Center and overall duty as an artist to contribute to the growth of jazz in the District and beyond.

Published

5 years ago

October 22, 2019

Oakland Post

Musician and the Kennedy Center’s Artistic Director for Jazz, Jason Moran (of Jason Moran & The Bandwagon (pictured above) sat down with the AFRO for an exclusive interview about his career and what’s to come. (Courtesy Photo)

By Micha Green

Twenty years ago Jason Moran’s jazz trio, The Bandwagon wowed audiences with their unique sound and artistic mash-ups, and for eight years the Kennedy Center’s jazz programming has been under his tutelage. With such a seasoned career in jazz, Moran, 44, took a moment to reflect on his music, role at the Kennedy Center and overall duty as an artist to contribute to the growth of jazz in the District and beyond.

“Every season at the Kennedy Center we have a real duty to recognize how the music has been developed and also a keen responsibility to mark how it is changing, because jazz is a rare American gem- meaning born on the shores here- and it takes a different documentation,” Moran told the AFRO.

In his eighth season as the Kennedy Center’s Artistic Director for Jazz, Moran is continuing to uphold the institution’s jazz legacy, while also bringing a newness of sound and artistry to the beloved artistic gathering place for locals, tourists and international audiences alike. Moran explained that part of the jazz program’s growth is remembering its roots.

“My predecessor Dr. Billy Taylor, was from D.C. and also a serious historian, a serious activist and also a serious educator. So that was the kind of programming he set up even before I got there. And once he passed, I felt like it had to continue to be the duty to make sure the jazz programming had a breadth of understanding of how it got to where it is. And we can’t isolate traditions- from Ragtime to Avant Garde and Free Jazz, but that is also an aspect of America that America has to confront too,” Moran said.

The 44-year-old musican said that jazz has the ability to serve as the thermostat for the status of America’s health. “The music always someway forecasts and gives a temperature reading of where the country is. How sick or how well it is,” Moran explained.

Through his artistic curation of performances for The Kennedy Center, Moran hopes to expand the breadth of jazz music to which audiences are exposed.

“This year we’re bringing the art ensemble of Chicago- a pioneering group [celebrating] their 50th anniversary. Here’s an ensemble that’s been around for 50 years and have never played the Kennedy Center,” Moran said with both surprise and a hint of disappointment. “So there’s still these gaps of programming that I try to make sure we acknowledge as an institution.”

The musician, artistic director and entrepreneur, who co-owns YES RECORDS with his wife, mezzo-soprano Alicia Hall Moran, hopes that through the artistry coming to the Kennedy Center, ‘that [people] kind of wake up to what [Americans] have not been dealing with.”

As Moran enters his eighth season with the Kennedy Center, he also celebrates the milestone of 20 years of his jazz trio, The Bandwagon. Two decades ago, Moran, who has seamlessly meshed Hip-Hop, rap and jazz, had no idea he’d be part of an-award winning jazz trio. The group was actually part of the rhythm section of another band, yet “we had the best chemistry,’ said Moran. After 20 years of creating with The Bandwagon, Moran also has seen the changes in jazz and its role in feeding the souls of music lovers throughout the world.

“[Twenty years ago], much of [the music] sounded like dinner jazz- like you hear at a restaurant, meant to help you digest food,” Moran said only mildly jokingly. He explained that he and The Bandwagon wanted to get as far away from that kind of jazz music as possible.

“So we started building on the language…but also worked with repertoire that dealt with where Black music is- and for many decades, not just the recent ones,” he said. “And then I think overtime it started to form and change where we would position ourselves– whether it was with an art museum or a dance company, or whether it was with a poet. You might hear the band anywhere, in any kind of setting that was more provocative,” Moran added.

“As we grew, after 20 years we know a lot about each other. We’re also aging so we’re continuing to figure out what the chapters are to hold. I think a lot of our future continues to revolve around collaboration because that’s what, I think, helps to propel the band.”

With Moran as the institution’s artistic director for jazz, the trio will be showcasing 20 years of making music and will continue to collaborate with other artists in this season’s programming at the Kennedy Center.

“In a few months we have Ingrid Laubrock, and we’re going to dedicate it to a record we made with a saxophone master called Sam Rivers. But Ingrid will play his part now that he’s passed on. Then finally we’re bringing in Cassandra Wilson… They’re work is groundbreaking and sometimes subtle, and sometimes forceful. And they are forces to be reckoned with that I think The Bandwagon can learn from, and we look forward to learning their music.”

With the addition of The Reach, a new multipurpose arts space part of The Kennedy Center, Moran is excited about the potential of expanding artistic programming and introducing new audiences to the world of jazz.

“The possibilities of the way I consider the institution can breathe now, is like a gill on a fish. It has a new way to get oxygen, Moran said. “I’m excited about really curating films for jazz, that covers jazz history, that I think we should be able to see more frequently. I’m loving that we have a space that audiences can stand up and dance, and it’s dedicated to that– with Studio K– and that we can continue to build a more chorus way for the institution to work.”

He hopes that through intersectional and educational jazz programming at The Reach, fresh ears can learn the beauty of jazz music.

“I think it’s around intersection. Would you just jump on the jazz highway, and get in the third lane and go fast? There has to be an on ramp,” Moran explained. One form of intergenerational programming offered at The Reach will be a Jazz Doodle Jam with Jason Moran & The Bandwagon and host Mo Willems in mid-March.

“Parents and children can come and draw for an hour as we lead them through exercises with art and sound. And I think those entry points are really important for us to magnify,” he told the AFRO.

The 2019-2020 jazz season kicked off on Oct. 4 with Joe Chambers’ M’boom, and continues until June 6, with programming featuring local, national and international musicians within spaces at The Kennedy Center and The Reach. Jason Moran & The Bandwagon’s next performance at The Kennedy Center is scheduled for Nov. 9 with Ingrid Laubrock in the Family Theater.

For more information on jazz programming at The Kennedy Center visit https://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/genre/JAZ and to keep up with all things Jason Moran check out his website, http://www.jasonmoran.com.

This article originally appeared in The Afro.

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IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.

Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.

Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.

Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”

Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.

“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”

The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.

Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.

Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.

Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.

The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.

Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.

Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.

Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.

Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.

The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.

The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.

In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.

The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.

The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy

May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.