Jazz Arts Project Partners With T. Thomas Fortune For Lecture Series

RED BANK, NJ — The Jazz Arts Project has partnered with the T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center to host a series of free lectures on Oct. 15, Oct. 29 and Nov. 12.

The series, titled “Talkin’ Jazz,” explores a range of topics on the history, importance, influence and cultural significance of Jazz with expert musicians, educators and community members.

Each lecture will feature different speakers and topics connecting to Jazz and its history.

On Oct. 15, attendees can celebrate Latin Music Week with Professor Zaccai Curtis, a pianist, author and educator. Throughout the lecture, Curtis will delve into the origins and characteristic sounds of Latin Jazz music during Hispanic Heritage Month.

On Oct. 29, Jazz and Blues vocalist and WBGO Jazz Radio Curator Lezlie Harrison will discuss “The Singers’ Art,” which explores emotion, despair, sadness and joy through the natural human voice.

On Nov. 12, Aida Brandes-Hargrove and Jason Marshall of the Roy Hargrove Big Band will explore how late trumpeter Roy Hargrove helped shape the modern musical landscape of Jazz, Afro-Cuban, R&B, and Hip-Hop music.

“Laced within Jazz, Blues and Gospel Music are unique American art forms that have had a profound impact on society and social change,” said Joe Muccioli, the Jazz Arts Project founder and artistic director. “We’re thrilled to join with the T. Thomas Fortune Culture Center. Fortune was a significant stalwart for social justice who also witnessed the very creation and development of early Jazz.”

Since 2006, the mission of the Jazz Arts Project has been to preserve, promote and perpetuate the art form of Jazz by producing performances, creating educational programs about Jazz and its history, and serving as an advocate for jazz.

Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to the Jazz Arts Project, “Talkin’ Jazz” aims to continue education surrounding Jazz and its history.

“The T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center is delighted to be partnering with the Jazz Arts Project, Red Bank's Jazz curator,” Gilda Rogers, the executive director of the T. Thomas Fortune Center, said. “This organization keeps the music and history alive, while teaching a new generation an appreciation for jazz.”

Lecture presentations for the “Talkin’ Jazz” series will be live at the T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center, with limited seating and registration required.

To register or learn more about the series, you can visit the Jazz Arts Project website.

The T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center is located at 94 Drs. James Parker Blvd., Red Bank.