Jun 3, 2025 11:25 AM
In Memoriam: Al Foster, 1943–2025
Al Foster, a drummer regarded for his fluency across the bebop, post-bop and funk/fusion lineages of jazz, died May 28…
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
(Photo: Courtesy Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra)Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will perform All Rise (Symphony No. 1) with the Tulsa (Oklahoma) Symphony and Festival Orchestra to mark the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
“When I was writing All Rise, Kurt Masur, conductor of the New York Philharmonic, told me, ‘The line between civilization and barbarism is much thinner than you think,’” Marsalis said. “That’s why with everything that you do, you have to decry barbarism and the reduction of people.”
The performance will take place at 3 p.m. CDT on June 6 as part of a centennial remembrance of one of Tulsa’s darkest moments.
On May 30, 1921, a 19-year-old Black man named Dick Rowland rode on an elevator with a 17-year-old white woman named Sarah Page. He was accused of assaulting her. Tulsa police arrested Rowland and rumors spread that he was to be lynched. A mob of hundreds of white men went to the jail, meeting a smaller group of Black men there to ensure justice would be served properly. Shots were fired, setting off burning and looting by white mobs of the city’s Greenwood District, known as the Black Wall Street, an economic and cultural mecca for Blacks in America at that time.
When it was over, businesses, homes, schools, churches, a hospital and more were burned to the ground. As many as 300 died, and up to 10,000 were left homeless. And Black Wall Street, all 35 blocks of the neighborhood, was gone.
The June 6 All Rise performance will be part of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission’s programming. David Robertson will conduct, and the chorus will be under the leadership of Damien L. Sneed. The event will take place at Tulsa’s BOK Center.
“We are so grateful to have Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in Tulsa for the centennial,” said Phil Armstrong, 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission project director. “Processing tragedy and trauma is complex. For me, music has always been an emotional outlet, and I hope this experience provides just that to Tulsans during this important week of remembrance, resilience and hope.”
“We are glad to bring this moving work and these internationally recognized artists to the Tulsa community to commemorate the tragic events of 1921,” said Keith C. Elder, executive director of the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra. “It will be an evening where the power of music will be used to unite and heal our community.”
For more information, go to tulsa2021.org. DB
Foster was truly a drummer to the stars, including Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson.
Jun 3, 2025 11:25 AM
Al Foster, a drummer regarded for his fluency across the bebop, post-bop and funk/fusion lineages of jazz, died May 28…
Roscoe Mitchell will receive a Lifetime Achievement award at this year’s Vision Festival.
May 27, 2025 6:21 PM
Arts for Art has announced the full lineup for the 2025 Vision Festival, which will run June 2–7 at Roulette…
Benny Benack III and his quartet took the Midwest Jazz Collective’s route for a test run this spring.
Jun 3, 2025 10:31 AM
The time and labor required to tour is, for many musicians, daunting at best and prohibitive at worst. It’s hardly…
To record Dream Manifest (Dom Recs), Croker convened artists from his current and recent past ensembles, plus special guests.
Jun 10, 2025 4:13 PM
Partway through his early set at Smoke Jazz Club, Theo Croker blinks the room back into focus. He leans over the piano.…
“There’s nothing quite like it,” Springs says of working with an orchestra. “It’s 60 people working in harmony in the moment. Singing with them is kind of empowering but also humbling at the same time.”
Jun 17, 2025 11:12 AM
When it came time to pose for the cover of her new album, Lady In Satin — a tribute to Billie Holiday’s 1958…
