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Jason Moran and the Harlem Hellfighters
James Reese Europe and the Absence of Ruin

more information  Know Before You Go

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Pianist, composer, bandleader, and MacArthur “Genius” recipient Jason Moran grew up in Texas and has become established as one of the most original voices on today’s jazz scene.  Moran is active not only in music, but also in visual arts, film, performance art, theatre and dance – leading Rolling Stone to say that “Jason Moran is shaping up to be the most provocative thinker in current jazz.”  Moran makes his Texas Performing Arts debut with his acclaimed meditation on the life and legacy of early jazz pioneer James Reese Europe.

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.  

More than a century later Jason Moran celebrates this hero of black music through a 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 US. 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.

We already know that Jason Moran is stunningly and profoundly original, even in his treatment of existing material…Knowing it doesn’t prepare one for the stark, sublime beauty of James Reese Europe and the Harlem Hellfighters: The Absence of Ruin.

The Washington Post

Media Sponsor: KUTX-FM 

“Fighting for Respect” Documentary Screening & Panel Discussion
Wednesday, Nov 3, 6-8 pm
Dealey Center for New Media (Auditorium 2.106), 300 W. Dean Keeton Street, Austin, TX 78712
Sponsored by: John L. Warfield Center for African & African American Studies
"Released in October 2021 by filmmaker Joanne Burke, Fighting for Respect is the latest production in an award-winning documentary series on African Americans in France. It captures the plight of African American soldiers who fought in World War I, receiving honors such as the Croix de Guerre military decoration from France while still fighting discrimination and hatred at home in America. After the screening, we'll have a panel discussion with Julia Browne (CEO & Founder of Walking The Spirit Tours), Ya'Ke Smith (Associate Professor, Moody College of Communication), and Jennifer Wilks (Associate Professor and Warfield Center Director)."

Jazz Masterclass and Discussion
Friday, November 5, 1:30-3 pm
Recital Studio (MRH 2.608)
Guest Artist Jason Moran will work with students from the Butler School of Music and then be joined in discussion by Jeff Hellmer, Director of Jazz Studies and Interim Director of the Butler School of Music, and Dr. Charles Carson, Associate Professor of Musicology/Ethnomusicology

Pre-Performance Discussion
Friday, November 5, 7 pm
McCullough Theatre
For Ticket-holders Only
Jason Moran and Dr. Charles Carson, Associate Professor of Musicology/Ethnomusicology

Jason Moran - James Reese Europe and the Harlem Hellfighters: The Absence of Ruin from The Kennedy Center on YouTube.