The Berry Gordy Music Industry Speaker Series celebrates the 30th anniversary of Stones Throw Records with founder, DJ, producer, and label visionary Peanut Butter Wolf (Chris Manak). Founded in 1996, Stones Throw has built an influential independent music community by championing distinctive voices and music that crosses the boundaries of hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, electronic music, and beyond. The conversation will explore three decades of independent music-making, artist development, creative risk-taking, and building a record label guided by curiosity and a commitment to the art of music making as well as the label’s upcoming three-day, 30th Anniversary, music festival in Highland Park where the label’s past, present, and future will come together for an all-ages outdoor extravaganza of over 30 artists.

On the 100th anniversary of John Coltrane’s birth year, The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music’s global jazz studies program will celebrate this giant of the saxophone, this jazz innovator and spiritual/artistic icon of the Black Arts Movement, this patron saint of avant garde. This symposium will honor Coltrane in words. The keynote address will be delivered by  Archbishop Franzo King, co-founder of the Saint John Coltrane African Orthodox Church. The keynote address in addition to remarks by the archbishop will feature music from members of the church. Symposium Schedule Opening remarks Salim Washington   Panel 1 (2:10 pm) Moderator Steve Loza Andy Beta, “Infinity as Autobiography”: Alice Coltrane’s Reimagining of John Coltrane’s Late Recordings” Beta examines the critical reception of Alice Coltrane’s Infinity recording, and the ways in which the recording reflected upon her development as an artist. Nadia Milad Issa, “Saint Coltrane, the Dance Eulogy, and the Spirit Veil, ‘A Love Supreme’ as Ancestral Mediation”. This paper positions Coltrane’s canonization b the St. John Coltrane church not as an isolated action of Bay Area devotion but as a template for choreographic and religious practice alike: testimony converted into ritual, grief converted into repeated form. Martin Hundley, “Alice Coltrane, Sound of Free Universe: Performance Practice, Technology, and Feminist Epistemology” This paper explores the ways in which Alice Coltrane’s musical sound and instrumental performance practice expresses the complexity of her identity, world view, spirituality, and travels, both geographically and temporally. Hundley employs and ethnographic and musicological approach to Coltrane’s recording Translinear Light.   Special Guest Speaker (3:40 pm)     Panel 2 (3:50 p.m.) Moderator Regina Carter-Garnett Scott B. Spencer, “Meme and Variations: How Video Mashups of John Coltrane’s ‘Giant Steps’ Became a Thing” The intent of this study is to explore John Coltrane’s online legacy, use it to expand our field’s toolset to better deal with digital texts, and to tease out their various cultural contexts. Aaron J. Johnson, “Africa/Brass and the Communal Experience of Engaging the Music of John Coltrane” With the vision of Reggie Workman and Charles Tolliver Africa/Brass has afforded the uncommon opportunity for musicians to communally share the experience of performing Coltrane’s music and invoking his spirit. John-Carlos Perea, “Versions as Relations: Naima, John Coltrane, and Jim Pepper” This paper considers the original 1959 recording of “Naima” and the subsequent versioning of it by Jim Pepper as a sonification through which to amplify Pepper’s relationship to Coltrane via Pepper’s experiences through Southern Plains Intertribal powwow musical practices.   Keynote Address (5:20 pm) Archbishop Franzo King and members of the African Orthodox Church of John Coltrane “The Continued Relevance of John Coltrane” Theodore A. Harris, Coltrane’s Thunderclap, 1998, paper collage. 11X17in   ABOUT THE ART WORK Theodore A. Harris, Coltrane’s Thunderclap. 1998, paper collage, 11×17 in. Theodore A. Harris (1966-) is a Philadelphia-based visual artist and poet. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is in private and public collections such as Libraries and Museum University of Delaware, Fort Garland Museum and Cultural Center, University of New Mexico Art Museum, Saint Louis University Museum of Art, La Salle University Art Museum, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, McGill University Visual Arts Collection, Center for Africana Studies; University of Pennsylvania, Kislak Center Rare Books and Manuscript Library; University of Pennsylvania, and the Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art, and the Winston and Carolyn Lowe Collection. Harris is the co-founder of the Anti-Graffiti Network/Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. Harris has also co-authored and authored books including Our Flesh of Flames (2019), Malcolm X as Ideology (2008) with Amiri Baraka, TRIPTYCH with Amiri Baraka and Jack Hirschman (2011), i ran from it and was still in it with Fred Moten (2007), and Thesentür: Conscientious Objector to Formalism (2017). He is the Founding Artistic Director of the Institute for Advanced Study in Black Aesthetics. LEARN MORE: THEODORE A. HARRIS – Home

Eclectic jazz musicians come together to honor John Coltrane: jazz innovator, spiritual icon of the Black Arts Movement and patron saint of the avant-garde. Regina Carter-Garnett. Frank Lacy. One extraordinary night of jazz. Meditations/Infinity comes to UCLA’s historic Schoenberg Hall. Featuring Camille Thurman-Greene Quartet String Quintet (Juliette Jones) Frank Lacy Quintet   Featuring: Frank Lacy, trombone, trumpet, French horn; Salim Washington, flute, tenor sax, oboe; Johnathan Blake, drums; Yayoi Ikawa, piano with special guests: Hitomi Oba, tenor saxophone; Jacques Lesure, guitar; Steve Loza, trumpet; Cheryl Keyes, flute; Regina Carter, violin   Theodore A. Harris, Coltrane’s Thunderclap, 1998, paper collage. 11X17in   ABOUT THE ART WORK Theodore A. Harris, Coltrane’s Thunderclap. 1998, paper collage, 11×17 in. Theodore A. Harris (1966-) is a Philadelphia-based visual artist and poet. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is in private and public collections such as Libraries and Museum University of Delaware, Fort Garland Museum and Cultural Center, University of New Mexico Art Museum, Saint Louis University Museum of Art, La Salle University Art Museum, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, McGill University Visual Arts Collection, Center for Africana Studies; University of Pennsylvania, Kislak Center Rare Books and Manuscript Library; University of Pennsylvania, and the Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art, and the Winston and Carolyn Lowe Collection. Harris is the co-founder of the Anti-Graffiti Network/Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. Harris has also co-authored and authored books including Our Flesh of Flames (2019), Malcolm X as Ideology (2008) with Amiri Baraka, TRIPTYCH with Amiri Baraka and Jack Hirschman (2011), i ran from it and was still in it with Fred Moten (2007), and Thesentür: Conscientious Objector to Formalism (2017). He is the Founding Artistic Director of the Institute for Advanced Study in Black Aesthetics. LEARN MORE: THEODORE A. HARRIS – Home

Join us for a WORKSHOP by Masanga Marimba! In this workshop you will learn parts for 2-3 musical selections on Zimbabwean-style marimba. This ensemble consists of multiple soprano, tenor, baritone, and bass marimbas, along with percussion. You will learn several marimba parts, singing, historical background on the development of the Zimbabwean marimba ensemble, and cultural background of the music selected. Masanga Marimba performs traditional and popular music from Africa and Latin America. The instruments used in this ensemble consist of 7 Zimbabwean marimbas of various sizes along with vocals, drums, and percussion. The word “Masanga” comes from a Shona word that means the coming together of rivers or roads representing the meeting of African and Latin musical traditions in this group. Masanga Marimba formed in the year 2000 and has performed at the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles County Music Center, Grand Performances, Getty Center, Skirball Cultural Center, Ford Amphitheatre, California Worldfest, Millpond Music Festival, Strawberry Festival, and many other high profile music venues. The ensemble has opened for Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Beck, Lana Del Rey, John Mayer, Nora Jones, Father John Misty, Los Lobos, Ziggy Marley, Pink Martini, and many others. The group is led by Dr. Ric Alviso (UCLA Ethnomusicology PhD 2002), Professor of World Music at California State University Northridge. Professor Alviso studied traditional African music in Senegal, Zimbabwe, and Ghana. The members of Masanga have degrees in percussion performance, music composition, jazz performance, and music therapy. Masanga is one of the only marimba ensembles in the U.S. that combines Latin and African traditions. For more information go to: www.masanga.com This workshop is presented in conjunction with the symposium “Music Alive in the Archive: Legacy and Promise–65 Years of the UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive,” a two-day event in celebration of the 65th anniversary of the UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive. The event is FREE and open to the public. Sponsored by the UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive, the UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology, and the Dean’s Office, Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA.

Masanga Marimba will perform a selection of pieces from Zimbabwe, South Africa, Cameroon, Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico on Zimbabwean-style marimbas, mbira, drums, and percussion. Participation is appreciated! Masanga Marimba performs traditional and popular music from Africa and Latin America. The instruments used in this ensemble consist of seven Zimbabwean marimbas of various sizes along with vocals, drums, and percussion. The word “Masanga” comes from a Shona word that means the coming together of rivers or roads representing the meeting of African and Latin musical traditions in this group. Masanga Marimba formed in the year 2000 and has performed at the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles County Music Center, Grand Performances, Getty Center, Skirball Cultural Center, Ford Amphitheatre, California Worldfest, Millpond Music Festival, Strawberry Festival, and many other high profile music venues. The ensemble has opened for Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Beck, Lana Del Rey, John Mayer, Nora Jones, Father John Misty, Los Lobos, Ziggy Marley, Pink Martini, and many others. The group is led by Dr. Ric Alviso (UCLA Ethnomusicology PhD 2002), Professor of World Music at California State University Northridge. Professor Alviso studied traditional African music in Senegal, Zimbabwe, and Ghana. The members of Masanga have degrees in percussion performance, music composition, jazz performance, and music therapy. Masanga is one of the only marimba ensembles in the U.S. that combines Latin and African traditions. For more information go to: www.masanga.com This concert is presented in conjunction with the symposium “Music Alive in the Archive: Legacy and Promise–65 Years of the UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive,” a two-day event in celebration of the 65th anniversary of the UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive. Sponsored by the UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive, the UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology, and the Dean’s Office, UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.

UCLA Nazir Ali Jairazhboy Colloquium Dawn Norfleet: Beyond Being Alice Coltrane and Betty Davis As the centennial celebrations of John Coltrane and Miles Davis reach sunset, we will shine light on the unique artistry of two exceptional musicians, Alice McLeod Coltrane and Betty Gray Mabry Davis.  These women played significant roles in the lives and music of jazz luminaries John and Miles during their brief marriages; even more importantly, they were impactful music and culture creators whose full recognition may have been overshadowed by their iconic husbands until recent years.  Beyond being John’s collaborator, Alice Coltrane was a music visionary fusing improvisation, jazz, gospel, and Indian traditions in her compositions and recordings. Her Hindu devotees honored her as and Hindu spiritual leader, Swamini A.C. Turiyasangitananda.  Beyond being “Miles’ muse”, Betty Gray Mabry was a trailblazing Black female rocker, songwriter, and bandleader at the height of the Soul Era. Her raspy voice and raunchy lyrics expressed an overt sexuality and aggressive performativity that was presumed the domain of white male rock artists, while also being considered too provocative for many Black listeners influenced by aesthetics of gospel and Motown.  We will not only discuss the strong impact Alice and Betty had on the musical direction of John and Miles, but also, how these women were cultural catalysts on the merits of their own artistry.