Frederick Douglass Jazz Works

This unique and inspirational concert was created in honor of Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), an enslaved African in America who escaped to freedom and became a leading orator, political activist, abolitionist, writer, banker, ambassador, theologian and statesman. In this body of work, Ruth Naomi Floyd and her professional ensemble present jazz comprised of her original compositions paired with the actual words from the speeches and writings of this powerful, timeless luminary. Illustrated through the art form of jazz improvisational music, the “Frederick Douglass Jazz Works” illuminates the themes of tragedy, grief, despair, and injustice of American slavery but through the multi-faceted prism of hope, joy, perseverance, and triumph — all with Frederick Douglass’s own words.

Join us for an inspirational evening in our artistically renovated Calvary Chapel as we observe Black History Month and the legacy of Frederick Douglass.
 

COST AND ADMISSION

This is a paid event.

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On the morning after the concert, a panel discussion on "Inheriting the Legacy and Vision of Frederick Douglass" will be held in Calvary Chapel, 10:30 a.m., Friday, Feb. 21. Professors Diane Vincent, Marc Malandra and Melissa Schubert join Ruth Naomi Floyd, an artist and educator whose new body of compositions, Frederick Douglass Jazz Works, musically considers the speeches and writings of the nineteenth-century abolitionist, orator, writer and statesman. Faculty from the Humanities and Social Sciences will join Ms. Floyd to consider together ways that Douglass's voice continues to guide and challenge both the church and the university in their relationships to the progress of human liberty. Note that this panel discussion is offered as a free breakout session of SCORR. All are welcome.