Towson University: Black Lives That Influences Us

Music is a type of art that is universal. Music is a form of art that touches individuals differently. Music also tells a story. It's something that can be inspirational and inspiring for for people. Music can be filled with emotions and shares a message all at the same time.The event that I attended was conducted by Towson University's Jazz Faculty. The event was called “Black Lives that Influenced us.” The program was filled with selections from the African american jazz genre that were influential to Towson University's Jazz Faculty musicians.

According to Jazz in America, Jazz originates from New Orleans about 100 years ago in the early 20th century, however, the roots of jazz can be found in musical traditions of both Africa and Europe (Jazz in america, n.d.). African Americans play a huge contribution to the art of jazz music. Jazz was created and was evolved from African Americans experiences in the United States. Thus, if someone is a true jazz fan they have to appreciate its African roots. Therefore, the production of “Black Lives That Influences Us” was created to acknowledge the many African Americans who contributed to Towson’s Jazz Faculty personal love of jazz.

a professor in Jazz/Commercial Studies, open intermission establishing that his idols in the jazz genre are from the black community and this program is to recognize the individuals that were influential. In this performance, Dave Ballou played the trumpet; Jim McFalls played the trombone; Tim Murphy played the piano; Jeff Reed played the bass; Jason Rigby played the tenor saxophone; and Frank Russo played the drums. The performances included artist like Charles Mingus, Mary Lou Williams, John Coltrane and many more. Due to the high racial tension in the early 19th century, music of this era created from by African Americans were filled with messages and experiences. Each selection performed revealed a message or a response of its