Ralph Ellison & the Cultural Ambassadors of Jazz

In celebration of UNESCO's International Jazz Day, the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature presents an event that celebrates the intersection of jazz with the work of the writer Ralph Ellison. Horace Porter, F. Wendell Miller Professor of English & American Studies at the University of Iowa, discusses Ellison's work. Throughout the program, a jazz ensemble performs songs composed or made famous by jazz artists who connected with Ellison, including Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker and Louis Armstrong. The ensemble includes University of Iowa professors Damani Phillips (saxophone) and James Dreier (drums), and UI students Blake Shaw (bass) and Grace Leong (piano).

Arts, Music, and Hobbies