In taoist practice, the so of itself refers to the ultimate state of oneness, or being complete from conception. This completeness exists in both people and all that surrounds them: nature. In music, it exists in both professionals and amateurs, born of the practice through which we strip away artifice and all that we confuse with substance, and preserve and respect vulnerability as inherent strength. Not something we can discover, the so is present yet gives no notice.

Through lecture and performance, drummer Jeremy Dutton will demonstrate how the so of itself is present, musically, within all of us. Dutton will give concrete examples regarding specific melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic movements that reflect the so’s simplicity, and share personal stories that suggest an early and natural awareness of the so of itself in many of us. To close, he will share activities that help us engage greater awareness of the so, thereby guiding us toward self-acceptance and down our individual artistic paths.

Dutton will be joined by Harish Raghavan on bass and Ben Wendel on saxophone.

 

About the Jazz Is: Now Curatorial Fellowships

Since its founding, the National Jazz Museum in Harlem has provided young artists with opportunities to perform as well as curate concerts and events. NJMH Artistic Director Christian McBride started curating performances and presentations at the Museum in 2006, and Artistic Director Jon Batiste began in 2010 while a student at Juilliard.  The excitement and energy those events brought to our community inform our current programming and creative vision. 

As Christian and Jon became globally recognized jazz ambassadors, the Museum continued to provide emerging artists with career-enhancing opportunities to curate events at the Museum.  In 2022, we formalized this initiative as the Jazz Is: Now Curatorial Fellowships, with generous funding from the New York Community Trust’s Edward and Sally Van Lier Fellowship Program.  

Our inaugural cohort of Jazz Is: Now Curatorial Fellows includes vibraphonist Joel Ross and bassist Endea Owens. These innovative artists have already made a splash on the international jazz scene with Joel releasing three albums on the legendary Blue Note record label, and Endea locking in the bass chair in Jon Batiste’s Stay Human band on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Endea and Joel will be performing and curating a variety of events at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem throughout fall 2022.