April 23, 2013
Jazz for Curious Listeners
International Jazz @ NJMH Featuring Scholar Aryeh Tepper on The Problematic Power of Music
7:00 – 8:30pm
Location: Metropolitan Community United Methodist Church
(NE Corner of 126th Street and Madison Avenue, enter on 126th)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
Leading up to our April 30th International Jazz Day concert at MIST, Jazz For Curious Listeners is focusing on the global influence of music. The title of this talk, “The Problematic Power of Music,” might sound strange. What exactly is the problem? With an MP3 file in hand there’s no limit to when and where you can commune with the muse. And when the headphones come off, music is the background sound that soothes you while you’re put on hold and the beat that moves you while you shop. You like what you like, and I like what I like, so what’s the problem?
But a little reflection should help us remember that music is a mysterious thing. Play the right song and you can stimulate a man to make love, or war – and sometimes the love is adulterous while the war is just. Music holds out the promise of marrying the rational and passionate parts of our soul and fashioning a harmonious personality, but it can also damn the voice of reason and, in a romantic swirl of emotion, supply the soundtrack for murder. Music is, in other words, a power, and a very ambiguous power at that.
In this talk we’ll begin by taking a look at the political-philosophical tradition stretching from Plato to Nietzsche that is aware of music’s ambiguous power and that takes seriously the power of music for public purposes. We’ll then examine the Hebrew Bible’s two-fold teaching regarding music’s ambiguous power. The Biblical view will be deepened through philosophical, theological, and literary variations on, and illustrations of, the original Biblical principles, from Thomas Mann’s Doctor Faustus to Al-Ghazali’s Sufi teaching. We’ll conclude by exploring the limits of the Biblical teaching.
April 25, 2013
Harlem Speaks
Awa Sangho, Malian Blues Singer
6:30 – 8:30pm
Location: National Jazz Musuem in Harlem
(104 E. 126th Street, Suite 2D)
FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
As the museum programming for this month focuses on the global roots of jazz, we take a closer look at the other home of the blues, Mali. The current political unrest in northern Mali is having a particularly devastating effect on the country’s musicians. Music is being banned in the country known best for the sounds it produces. Cheich Tidiane Seck, a renowned Malian musician and producer says, “Music regulates the life of every Malian…from the cradle to the grave. From ancient times right up to today. A Mali without music? No … give me another one!”
In this edition of Harlem Speaks we will have the incredible Malian blues singer Awa Sangho discussing and demonstrating the blues tradition in Mali. She will also chronicle the effect the conflict is wreaking there. Awa was born in Dire, a town in Northern Mali that has been home to some of the greatest names in African music. The interview will be conducted by Dr. Cheryl Sterling, NYU Professor of Africana studies, post-colonial theory, and gender and identity studies.
This discussion will be extremely stimulating and informative, peppered with the gorgeous blues music of Mali and we hope to see you there!
***NJMH comes to Scandinavia***
The U.S. State Department has invited NJMH Artistic Director Loren Schoenberg to present a series of lectures and concerts based on the museum’s Savory Collection this week. Most of the events are at the U.S. Embassies (in Olso and The Hague), but there will be a public lectures at The Royal Conservatory in The Hague and at the National Archives in Oslo. In addition, a jazz society in Copenhagen will be hosting Mr. Schoenberg as well on April 28th. Please take a look at our website and our Facebook page for specific details. We continue to bolster the NJMH presence around the US and around the world!
Be sure to check our website for regular updates – new audio/video from many of events are available for those of you who can’t attend in person or for those who have but want to savor the moment!
http://www.jmih.org
We are in the process of expanding our programming and our membership. Don’t miss this opportunity to join an organization that is making great strides.
We want and need your input and support.
The National Jazz Museum in Harlem
104 East 126th Street
New York, NY 10035
212 348-8300
www.jmih.org
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April 23, 2013 Jazz for Curious Listeners International Jazz @ NJMH Featuring Scholar Aryeh Tepper on The Problematic Power of Music 7:00 – 8:30pm Location: Metropolitan Community United Methodist Church (NE Corner of 126th Street and Madison Avenue, enter on 126th) FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
Leading up to our April 30th International Jazz Day concert at MIST, Jazz For Curious Listeners is focusing on the global influence of music. The title of this talk, “The Problematic Power of Music,” might sound strange. What exactly is the problem? With an MP3 file in hand there’s no limit to when and where you can commune with the muse. And when the headphones come off, music is the background sound that soothes you while you’re put on hold and the beat that moves you while you shop. You like what you like, and I like what I like, so what’s the problem?
But a little reflection should help us remember that music is a mysterious thing. Play the right song and you can stimulate a man to make love, or war – and sometimes the love is adulterous while the war is just. Music holds out the promise of marrying the rational and passionate parts of our soul and fashioning a harmonious personality, but it can also damn the voice of reason and, in a romantic swirl of emotion, supply the soundtrack for murder. Music is, in other words, a power, and a very ambiguous power at that.
In this talk we’ll begin by taking a look at the political-philosophical tradition stretching from Plato to Nietzsche that is aware of music’s ambiguous power and that takes seriously the power of music for public purposes. We’ll then examine the Hebrew Bible’s two-fold teaching regarding music’s ambiguous power. The Biblical view will be deepened through philosophical, theological, and literary variations on, and illustrations of, the original Biblical principles, from Thomas Mann’s Doctor Faustus to Al-Ghazali’s Sufi teaching. We’ll conclude by exploring the limits of the Biblical teaching.
April 25, 2013 Harlem Speaks Awa Sangho, Malian Blues Singer 6:30 – 8:30pm Location: National Jazz Musuem in Harlem (104 E. 126th Street, Suite 2D) FREE | For more information: 212-348-8300
As the museum programming for this month focuses on the global roots of jazz, we take a closer look at the other home of the blues, Mali. The current political unrest in northern Mali is having a particularly devastating effect on the country’s musicians. Music is being banned in the country known best for the sounds it produces. Cheich Tidiane Seck, a renowned Malian musician and producer says, “Music regulates the life of every Malian…from the cradle to the grave. From ancient times right up to today. A Mali without music? No … give me another one!”
In this edition of Harlem Speaks we will have the incredible Malian blues singer Awa Sangho discussing and demonstrating the blues tradition in Mali. She will also chronicle the effect the conflict is wreaking there. Awa was born in Dire, a town in Northern Mali that has been home to some of the greatest names in African music. The interview will be conducted by Dr. Cheryl Sterling, NYU Professor of Africana studies, post-colonial theory, and gender and identity studies.
This discussion will be extremely stimulating and informative, peppered with the gorgeous blues music of Mali and we hope to see you there!
***NJMH comes to Scandinavia***
The U.S. State Department has invited NJMH Artistic Director Loren Schoenberg to present a series of lectures and concerts based on the museum’s Savory Collection this week. Most of the events are at the U.S. Embassies (in Olso and The Hague), but there will be a public lectures at The Royal Conservatory in The Hague and at the National Archives in Oslo. In addition, a jazz society in Copenhagen will be hosting Mr. Schoenberg as well on April 28th. Please take a look at our website and our Facebook page for specific details. We continue to bolster the NJMH presence around the US and around the world! |
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|
|
Be sure to check our website for regular updates – new audio/video from many of events are available for those of you who can’t attend in person or for those who have but want to savor the moment! We are in the process of expanding our programming and our membership. Don’t miss this opportunity to join an organization that is making great strides. We want and need your input and support. |
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The National Jazz Museum in Harlem |
