revisits a historic New York gallery in which music was a core concern.
And, as Mitchell’s regular presence at the New Museum indicates, one way Gates musically activates his art is by staging performances around it. Gates, who grew up as a choir singer and music director in a church on Chicago’s South Side, founded a group called the Black Monks, which includes some of the city’s finest musicians. The Monks play a spontaneous, improvised mix of jazz, gospel, blues and Buddhist chants – no two performances are alike.
“It was transformative,” Cave said. “It allowed me to let go of everything, and not be confined by the surroundings, in how people present themselves. Everybody was there for this sense of liberation, being able to just be expressive.” Bryant says that music was central to JAM – its programming, its spirit, even its survival – from the start. “One of the things that really distinguished JAM from the other galleries on 57th Street was that we were always playing music,” she said, laughing. “Black musicians were coming in all the time … Stevie Wonder. We had a relationship with Roberta Flack. There was a huge recording studio in that building at 50 West 57th St., so Miles Davis would come down.
What's up with N.Y.C. Hip Hop Mayor and the Hip-Hop Museum he opened? Is it open to Public?
What's up with N.Y.C. Hip Hop Mayor and the Hip-Hop Museum he opened? Is it open to Public?