JALC partnered with the extraordinary University of Michigan Marching band in a spectacular half-time performance before a packed stadium known in the powerhouse Big Ten conference as “The Big House.”
This musical collaboration in Ann Harbor, Michigan was indeed outstanding and historic. A performance of America’s original music, esteemed worldwide and born in New Orleans: Jazz.
The program comprised four songs fittingly showcased by two of the greatest music franchises in the nation. It was a rare cultural moment demonstrating the power of music to unite, even if temporarily, a polarized nation. A joyful yet solemn reminder of our shared racial and ethnic musical heritage steeped in the African American creation of Jazz, and richly influenced by European musical modalities. As I watched, I could imagine at that moment Louis “Pops” Armstrong and marching band innovator John Philip Sousa smiling through the blue autumn sky as Marsalis and both bands culminated in a rousing rendition of “When the Saints Go Marching In” before the 100,000 football fans and millions viewing around the world.
