First of all Jon, thanks for taking the time and joining us today.
I really appreciate it. Yes, indeed.
Mr. Dennis, John Dennis.
[singing] Joh, ja, ja, ja, joh, ja, ja, ja, de, de, de, de.. [laughs]
What do you feel is your personal connection to jazz
as you look back over your experiences so far in your life?
Oh wow. Jazz is something that’s called me since I was a boy.
I started playing drums and then moved to piano and saxophone and bass.
You know, I started dancing and singing and just all of the ways
that I express myself really shine in a special way
when I play jazz.
What are some of the origins of Jazz
you know, as an art form
you know, that's been originated by the African-American community?
So if you think about jazz
and you think about the history of America, and the history of black people
and the history of all people, what is jazz about?
It’s the same thing, it’s very democratic it’s very open to co-creation.
It's open to all heritage, coexisting, intermingling,
creating new forms of jazz through that intermingling.
So I could go on and on about how profound that is,
but I'm sure it gives you a sense of how I view jazz.
It's really about the cultural influences, just like America, you know.
Can you talk specifically to the cultural influences
that came to America to create jazz?
The cultural influence of the African six eight rhythm
in the way that that rhythm is really two rhythms happening at once.
Just the whole idea of the two beats happening at once is what led to swing.
i It’s what led to the shuffle, it’s what led to the basic rhythms of jazz music.
And it was led by black musicians. And not just black musicians,
but all people coming together aside from racial categorizations.
And that's why jazz was really the first thing to integrate America.
And you look across time, jazz was always ahead of the curve in terms of that.
Why do you think the preservation of jazz and jazz history is important?
If we don't know who we are, we won't know where we’re going.
If we don't know the past, we won't really know how to construct the future.
This goes for all Americans.
If we don't know the depth of our culture,
then how will we know what's worth fighting for?
How will we really know on a deep level, philosophically, spiritually?
How will we know was worth fighting for?
How do you feel African-American communities have been
affected by jazz music in the context of social change?
Music has always been a vital part
of those types of protest. Moments of breaking into song
where people started to see we need to have music as a part of this.
Music has to be at the table.
Arts have to be in the conversation
because there's something very, very important about that.
And it's also something that's really healing.
You're a bit of a music legend in your hometown in New Orleans.
How did growing up in Louisiana affect your musical style?
So, I could go on and on about people
and places, and songs, and the connection between all of these things,
and families and the connection between families in the history that
I was just fortunate enough to have the
the talent and be manifested in the time where it was to my benefit.
And now I can share with everyone.
And that's why it's such a gift
to be able to be here with you, John, and just to be able to share
through this exhibit
and to share with so many people who I come across in the world.
It's a blessing.
So I want to I want to talk
a little bit about, you know, New York, this musical metropolis.
What are something you'd like people to understand about
Harlem and its influences on the musical form on jazz?
So that's, that's a beautiful thing that Harlem represents
in the lineage of black progression, in the lineage of black communities
coming together and in a lineage of people coming together and creating art
that is about reaffirmation of humanity, is about
healing, is about forward motion and upward trajectory.
This is incredible.
You know, so it's an honor for me to be involved
in any way in forwarding that culture.
You know, Kansas City is is considered one of those cradles of jazz.
How did Kansas City influence jazz?
Kansas City is, is... think about Basie.
And we call Basie the all-American rhythm section.
Because they taught us how to swing you think about Charlie Parker, OK?
The great genius of bebop. If it was just those two.
The rhythm section. Count Basie.
And if it was Charlie Parker, the history of the world
and the history of art would be forever changed from progeny of Kansas City.
I'm going to relate it back now to the journey of soul.
You know, the exhibit we have at the American Adventure,
it talks a lot about that because we show the cross-cultural expression.
We talk about the different cities.
Of course, you're in a Disney theme park or you're going to be in the New Orleans
Museum or you're going to be at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem.
What do you hope people take away from that experience?
I love it. I want people to sing, I want people to dance.
I want people to feel the joy and transcendence of jazz.
I am excited about
this exhibit and
I'm just excited about the possibility of expanding
on music and jazz throughout the park and giving it this feeling
through the jazz culture, through the idiom, through all of what
we've been talking about and what it carries with it.
Because I think, again, it's parallel to our history.
It is our history is where we're going.
And I encourage everyone to come on out and see the soul of jazz,
an American adventure exhibit.