A Tribute to Oscar Brown Jr. presented by Gift of Jazz

About this experience

Gift of Jazz, a Denver nonprofit preserving jazz heritage since 1995, brings together film, live music, and spoken word for a full afternoon honoring Oscar Brown Jr., the Chicago-born singer-songwriter and civil rights activist whose 1960 debut Sin & Soul fused jazz with unflinching social commentary. The day opens with a screening of Emmy award-winning filmmaker donnie l. betts's documentary "Music Is My Life, Politics My Mistress: The Story of Oscar Brown Jr." followed by a Q&A with the director, whose film aired on PBS stations nationwide and now streams on Kweli TV. That evening, the Bob Schlesinger Quartet plays Brown's music live, with vocalist Erica Brown on vocals and spoken word by Jeff Campbell, the hip hop artist and activist whose work was itself the subject of an Emmy-winning betts film. The event is free and takes place at The Savoy Denver.

What makes it unique

A rare triple-format tribute: documentary screening with the director present for Q&A, live quartet performance of Brown's repertoire, and spoken word, all free to attend.

Where

The Savoy Denver, Denver, CO