By Mark J. Cadigan
A
large, framed poster of jazz saxophonist John Coltrane
hangs on the wall beside Assistant Professor Bertram D.
Ashe's
desk in his Fenwick office. It's a strong visual symbol of the musical passion
that compelled Ashe to create the Jazz and American Culture lecture/performance
series.
"There's something
in this music that has the ability to go into my body and
massage my
heart," he says. "And I don't know why. But I can hear
it and it just keeps me coming back." Ashe,
who particularly loves blues-based and swing-style jazz,
designed the Jazz and
American Culture series to reach out to Holy Cross students
and members of the community at large.
Acting director
of the African-American Studies Program, which exists under
the umbrella of the
Center for Interdisciplinary and Special Studies, Ashe
also teaches Early African-American Literature, 20th Century
African-American Literature, and Contemporary African-American
Literature and Culture. He thinks the Jazz and American
Culture series, which began last Fall and concludes this
Spring, can provide some cultural context for the works
his students have been reading. "I think it's important
to expose them to as much as we can," he explains.
He also feels the
area's jazz
climate is suitable for the series. "I've never lived in
a place that had such an investment in jazz as Massachusetts
does," he says.
"I saw jazz as a way for
the African-American Studies Program here to begin to make
a connection with
Worcester because I could see that jazz was something that
means something to this place," he continues. "And it means
something to me personally and if I can help it mean something
to the students here, then I will feel like I've done something."
Speakers in the
well-attended series have included: a Brown University's
Michael S. Harper, Harvard University's Salim Washington
(who is also teaching a seminar at Holy Cross this semester
entitled, "The Cultural
Practices of African-American Music Makers"), University
of Pennsylvania's Farah Jasmine Griffin, Vibe magazine
and the Village Voice's Greg Tate, and Ashe himself. Helen
Whall, director of the Holy Cross First Year Program, organized
a musical and spoken-word tribute to Worcester jazzman
Reggie Walley (see sidebar story), and Holy Cross Music
Dept. Assistant Professor Geoffrey Burleson delivered a
lecture/piano performance focusing on post-bop jazz.
The series also
linked up with the Mass. Jazz Festival, which sponsored
concerts by Gary
Burton & Chick Corea, the Cyrus Chestnut Trio ("one
of the most mind-blowing, fantastic jazz performances I've
seen in years," Ashe declares), and the Preservation Hall
Jazz Band.
That's helped a
lot, because you need the performance side, particularly
in terms of
jazz," says Ashe, who began teaching at Holy Cross in the
Fall of 1996. "Having some scholars come in and talk about
jazz is nice, but having students being able to see jazz
being performed is just a critical component."
Others who have
contributed to the success of the series include: Professor
Eugene McCarthy,
director of the African-American Studies Program; Mary
Boliver, C.I.S.S. administrative assistant; Worcester's
public radio station, WICN (90.5 FM); the Hewlett-Mellon
Fund; the Women's Studies program; and the Black Student
Union.
"It grew from what I envisioned,
but the way it grew was organic and natural," Ashe says. "I
think probably the most satisfying thing is the way that
the program has been embraced by the community that's interested
and by the college at large. It has exceeded my wildest
dreams."
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