A Love Supreme
Traditions evolving to Jazz Music
Ongoing Exhibit
A Love Supreme, named after saxophonist John Coltrane’s classic devotional suite, offers a sweeping overview of jazz history through the lens of African American musical heritage.
Roots in Africa
This gallery begins in West and Central Africa, where horns and drums played a vital role in musical traditions. It traces the influence of African and Afro-Caribbean music performed in Congo Square in New Orleans during the 18th century.
New Orleans and the Creoles of Color
The exhibit highlights the contributions of the New Orleans Creoles of Color to the development of early jazz, showcasing how cultural fusion shaped the genre’s foundation.
Interactive Experience
Anyone can improvise! Visitors can engage with interactive stations that allow them to improvise instrumentals along to a jazz track.
Jazz’s Golden Era
Spanning the 1920s through World War II, this section explores jazz’s rise as America’s popular music. It also addresses the challenges African American musicians faced while touring in a segregated United States.
Evolution of Jazz Styles
The gallery further examines the fragmentation and innovation of jazz in the second half of the 20th century, including:
- Jazz Fusion
- Bebop
- Cool Jazz
- Hard Bop
Jazz in the 21st Century
The narrative concludes with a spotlight on contemporary artists like Esperanza Spalding, who continue to expand and redefine the jazz tradition.
Interactive Experience: Anyone Can Improvise
Anyone Can Improvise is an interactive touchpoint that transforms a touchscreen into a musical instrument. Visitors are invited to play along with a jazz band, encouraging improvisation without fear or intimidation.
This experience helps visitors gain a deeper appreciation for jazz as a form of communication and interaction.
A Love Supreme is more than a gallery—it’s a celebration of jazz’s rich legacy and its ongoing evolution through generations of African American artists.
“Jazz was not only built in the minds of the great ones, but on the backs of the ordinary ones.”
– Cab Calloway
Deeper Dive
Timeline
The 1900’s – Present
Trace jazz from its roots in African traditions and Congo Square gatherings to its emergence in New Orleans in the early 1900s.
Explore the various styles such as Dixieland, Ragtime, Swing/Big Band, Bebop, Cool Jazz and Hard Bop, and Free Jazz and Fusion.
Learn
The History
Learn how jazz emerged as a hybrid of spirituals, ragtime, blues, and minstrelsy, becoming a national phenomenon and migrating to urban centers in the North.
Explore jazz’s role in reflecting the African American experience and its significant contribution to American music history.
Listen
Gallery Playlist
Celebrate the artistry, innovation, and emotional depth of jazz. From John Coltrane’s spiritual exploration, to the bold protest of Billie Holiday, and the brilliance of pioneers like Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and Ella Fitzgerald.
