DACAMERA presents Jason Moran: James Reese Europe and the Harlem Hellfighters
On New Year’s Day 1918, James Reese Europe, an iconic figure in the evolution of African-American music, landed in France with the Harlem Hellfighters. This crack military music ensemble popularized the new spirit of jazz to a war-torn French nation fascinated with black culture.
A century later, Houston native composer, pianist and visual artist Jason Moran celebrates this hero of black music. Guests can experience Moran’s highly personal reflection on the impact of the African-American presence in Europe in the closing years of World War I, and its resonance abroad and in the U.S.
The performance features Moran’s celebrated Bandwagon trio complemented by a seven-piece horn section, contributions from artist/director/screenwriter John Akomfrah, and visual materials from acclaimed cinematographer Bradford Young.
