Back
in 2011, we were introduced to a new concept in jazz, called “Jazz and
Democracy”. It is an idea that tries to link the jazz idiom to the
understanding of democracy. At first glance, the concept seems a little
far-fetched and somewhat ambitious, but upon closer review, one could see the
correlation between the two. Jazz and democracy is a music integration
curriculum linking the arts, (i.e. music) and the humanities (history).
The
concept was developed in the United States by Wesley J. Watkins IV, PhD, also
known as Dr. Wes and is based on a hypothesis that Dr. Wes was investigating
since he was an undergraduate student. The goal is to inspire students to
become active and offer positive contribution to their communities.
It is a music centered curriculum with genuine
links to other subject areas that can increase student identification with
school, impact academic engagement and have a subsequent effect on overall
academic success among those with an affinity for music. A good example of this
is when students create a rap to memorize their history lesson. This process
becomes engaging and effective while offering students a new approach to
learning.
The
jazz and democracy project uses jazz as a symbol or metaphor to teach and
cultivate a good understanding of American democracy. When done properly, it
brings democracy to life, enriches the study of history and encourages youths
to become active and positive contributors to their communities. It uses
literary, aural and visual content in addition to kinetic activity to teach
children about critical thinking, cooperation and peaceful negotiation. It also
enriches the core curriculum while providing arts education and fosters jazz
appreciation.
The study of jazz and democracy provides
students with the means to see hear and experience concepts that are
fundamental to democracy. It was spearheaded by Dr. Wes during the 2007-2008
academic years at the Thornhill Elementary School in Oakland, California. Dr.
Wes is arts education activist who is also an avid music lover, especially
Latin jazz and jazz itself. He studied at Stanford University and at The
International Center for Research in Music Education, University of Reading,
England. He visited the Gambia a few years back with a group of jazz musicians
and gave lectures at select schools to introduce the Jazz and Democracy concept
and share his knowledge on jazz and promote jazz appreciation. This was made
possible at the time, by the American Embassy in the Gambia.
Jazz
appreciation is done in many ways, but one of the most popular activities
associated with jazz appreciation is the staging of concerts and jazz
festivals. The Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and the Newport Jazz
Festival in Rhode Island are well known for their history and attraction to
jazz lovers worldwide. Another festival that has become very popular and is
indeed the most important jazz festival in Africa is the Saint Louis Jazz
Festival in Senegal.
It
became very popular since the 1930’s and continues to draw huge audiences and
participation from notable personalities in the jazz world. It is held every
year and has become an important contributor to the tourism industry in
Senegal. Our feature this week is on someone who was the main attraction at
this festival in 2011. He is also a jazz educator and a practicing musician.
His
birth name is Kenneth Barron and he was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on
June 9th 1943. He first came to wider recognition when he joined the Dizzy
Gillespie quartet in the 1960’s as a piano player. He studied and graduated in
Arts from Empire State College in New York City in 1978, but started playing
the piano at the age of twelve, and by the time he was fifteen years old, he
was playing with Mel Melvin’s rhythm and blues band. As time went on, he gained
more experience while playing with drummer Philly Joe Jones and saxophonist
Jimmy Heath as well as multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef.
He
has a distinguished career as a soloist and leader, and has also served as one
of the most dependable sidemen in all of post-bop mainstream jazz. Though he
was born in Philadelphia, his recording debut as an improvising artist took
place shortly after he moved to New York in 1961 and made the first of many
albums with his brother, saxophonist Bill Barron.
In
1962, Kenny would join trumpeter Dave Birons who was a member of James Moody’s
bop orchestra. It was through Birons that he met Moody who would later play an
important role in Barron’s career, hiring him to perform at the Village
Vanguard and taking him to join Dizzy Gillespie’s band. Kenny stayed with Moody
and Gillespie until 1966 during which time they performed at clubs and concerts
throughout France and England. In 1967, Kenny played with trumpeters Jimmy
Owensand, Freddie Hubbard and saxophonists Joe Henderson and Stanley
Turrentine.
In
the 1970’s, he made a lot of records with flute men James Moody and Yusef
Lateef and bassist Ron Carter and Buster Williams. While playing with all these
musicians, Kenny would maintain a combination of freedom and discipline and
developed a stylistic range that continued to widen as he went on to play with
violinists Michal Urbaniak and John Blake, drummer Elvin Jones and trombonist
Ray Henderson.
In
the 1980’s, Kenny composed and played the sound track to Spike Lee’s movie “Do
the Right Thing”. He became a founding member of the band “Sphere” with Charlie
Ross, Buster Williams and Ben Riley all of them former associates of Thelonius
Monk. Barron’s history of collaborations and accomplishments span a period of
fifty years and paints a panoramic picture of his lifelong devotion to music.
He is a respected educator who has taught at Rutgers University, Julliard and
Manhattan School of Music.
He continues to create music of exceptional
quality and substantial depth using that fundamental jazz instrument, the
piano.
We
hope you enjoyed reading this piece and that you find the correlation between
jazz and democracy fascinating.
We
also hope to be able to host a Jazz Festival in the Gambia in the near future
and will appreciate assistance from all quarters. Please contact the management
of this paper for any contributions or contact me at mahtarrenjai@yahoo.com
