Jazz - the Classical Music of Globalization
May 21, 2014
Performance and Lecture at the GHI | Speaker and performer: Reinhold Wagnleitner (University of Salzburg) and Tom McDermott (Piano, New Orleans)
On May 21 the German Historical Institute hosted, in collaboration with the Austrian Cultural Forum Washington DC, an "informance" - a lecture interspersed with live piano music - by historian Reinhold Wagnleitner and jazz musician Tom McDermott. The event, a first of its kind at the GHI, drew a large crowd and enthusiastic listeners. Wagnleitner (University of Salzburg) spoke about "Jazz - The Classical Music of Globalization," placing the history and development of jazz in a global context. He was joined by Tom McDermott (New Orleans), an accomplished jazz pianist. Pieces that McDermott played included "Heavy Henry" by Tom McDermott, "The Crave" by Jelly Roll Morton, "Alligator Crawl" by Fats Waller, "Danza" by Louis Moreau Gottschalk, and "Summertime" by George Gershwin, but inspired by German immigrant Alfred Lion and his Blue Note Records. The event was part of a series of events held by several institutions in Washington DC to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Blue Note Records.