How Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement Intertwine

Jazz is the low moan of a saxophone, the growl of a trumpet, or staccato notes on a snare drum. Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) describes the art form as “a mingling of the musical expressions of all the people who came to the United States, by choice or by force; people from Africa, Europe, Latin America, as well as people who were already living in the U.S. Jazz was created by mixing together music from field chants and spirituals, to African rhythms and folk songs.”

Jazz at Lincoln Center produces a year-round schedule of performance, education, and broadcast events for audiences of all ages. Renowned jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis is the artistic director.

For Black History Month, the JALC lesson plans, Jazz and Democracy, Jazz in the Civil Rights Era, and Jazz and the Harlem Renaissance, are examples of materials JALC has made available to NAfME members.