Hoboken Public Library presents Garden State Jazz Greats – Claude Thornhill Listening Session – November 9th at 6:30pm

Come and join Jazz scholar Ben Young as he explores the majesty, style, and genius of New Jersey’s own jazz greats. Many of these names you may already know and all of them you should know as each of these innovators have left their indelible imprint on world culture through the great African American creation of Jazz.

Ben Young will discuss the lives and contributions of each of these home state heroes along with the musical and historical context to help illustrate what made each of their unique and singular artistic visions have such an impact.

November's featured artist will be pianist, band leader, and composer Claude Thornhill, who lived and died in Caldwell. Launching his big band at the end of the 1930s, Thornhill created an atmospheric, textural style of arrangement and playing that strongly influenced jazz long after the large dance band ruled the land. Certainly the players who passed through his orchestra – Gerry Mulligan, Red Rodney, Barry Galbraith, Lee Konitz and the arranger Gil Evans – all point to future sounds of Jazz. Thornhill's signature instrumentation also prefigured in the Forties the "cool" jazz ensemble sound we're still listening to today.

Please register below.  Registration closes one hour before the event. To protect the Zoom call from outside interference, please register with your name and email.

If you have any questions or have problems logging on, please email andrew.luck@hoboken.bccls.org