Jack

Brooklyn musicians discuss the gentrification of jazz education

The music, born out of the heart and soul of Louisiana before it migrated north in the early 20th century, has been dubbed “America’s one true artform.”
But when glancing at many of the nation’s most acclaimed musical institutions of higher learning, such as the Berklee College of Music, the makeup of the faculty does not reflect the origins of this popular and praised form of expression.

Sinners and Saints celebrates our musical roots in Brooklyn

The spiritual and the secular are more connected than we sometimes realize. That’s the history that was shared this week at the Sinners and Saints Festival in Brooklyn. Curated by vocalist, composer and cultural worker Imani Uzuri, the four day festival took place at the Jack in Clinton Hill from February 26th through March 1st and celebrating Black American vernacular culture (everything from spirituals, blues, early gospel through line singing, praise houses and jazz) and their contemporary counterparts.