In honor of the centenary of author Albert Murray, the National Jazz Museum in Harlem will present a series titled “Albert Murray: 20th Century American Genius” throughout the month of May.
Murray was an acclaimed literary and jazz critic, as well as a novelist, essayist and biographer. In 1987, he co-founded with Wynton Marsalis the program and institution Jazz at Lincoln Center. He died in Harlem in 2013, at the age of 97.
The series will be composed by three events curated and moderated by cultural writer Greg Thomas. On May 10, there will be a panel discussion titled “Murray at 100,” in which experts will discuss Murray’s historical and cultural milieu, his life as father and husband, his relationship with masters of 20th century music and more. On May 25, “A Murray Jam Session” will see the Museum screening rare film clips, some seen for the first time, from interviews, panels, TV programs and documentaries. On May 25, “Murray Talks Music: A Book Party and Discussion” will feature a discussion with editor and Murray scholar Paul Devlin, who collected rare and previously unpublished works, interviews, essays, liner notes and prefaces, as well as the author’s in depth conversations with artists such as Dizzy Gillespie and Wynton Marsalis for the book Murray Talks Music: Albert Murray on Jazz and Blues.
For more information, go to http://jazzmuseuminharlem.org/