“Bruce is definitely one of the best artists in education out there today.”
--Randy Jennings, Director of Compas Arts Education
Earlier this year jazz singer Bruce Henry brought his vocal and performance talent to the Carlton Room for a weekend of Cookin' at the O. Next week he will be returning to not only perform, but to offer his talent as an educator. That is, during his November trip to the Northland he will, in addition to performing, because conducting workshops at UMD and high schools in Hermantown, Duluth (Denfeld) and Barnum.
When Bruce was here in June it was quite apparent that he was a polished performer. I didn't know of his 25 years of performance experience, including jazz vocalist, composer, bandleader, live event production. And I was even less aware of his 30 years of teaching experience -- including K-12, college, adults and seniors -- teaching vocal performance as well as workshops on the Evolution of African American Music.
Bruce Henry's curriculum provides insights into the impact of African music on contemporary music.
Growing up in Chicago he began to study the music he was singing and hearing in the churches, both the manner in which it was sung as well as the improvisations. As he studied this music in greater detail he learned that "the music of my ancestors has roots in the musical practices of Africans."
He goes on to say, "Over the last 400 years, the music of these proud people has evolved into many forms like jazz, soul, hip-hop, gospel and military music just to name a few. When you listen to Aretha Franklin, John Coltrane, Mahalia Jackson, Celine Dion, John Legend, Beyoncé, Kanye West, Common, Ray Charles, T. Pain, Mary J. Blige, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone and Christina Aguilera you experience many elements of African music."
The end result of all this research, a by-product of his passion, is a course which he has titled The Evolution of African American Music (A Comprehensive Journey through Time and Culture).
The Evolution of African American Music from Africa to Hip Hop deepens our understanding of music in relation to history and culture as well as broadening our understanding of the relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
* * * *
Next week Bruce Henry will be at the Oldenburg House in Carlton for Magnolia Salon on Thursday, Nov. 8 and the following two evenings of Cookin' @ the O in the Carlton Room.
Reservations can be found at the Oldenburg House website: https://oacc.us/calendar/
--Randy Jennings, Director of Compas Arts Education
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| Bruce Henry, Cookin' @ the O. Matt Mobley on bass. |
When Bruce was here in June it was quite apparent that he was a polished performer. I didn't know of his 25 years of performance experience, including jazz vocalist, composer, bandleader, live event production. And I was even less aware of his 30 years of teaching experience -- including K-12, college, adults and seniors -- teaching vocal performance as well as workshops on the Evolution of African American Music.
Bruce Henry's curriculum provides insights into the impact of African music on contemporary music.
Growing up in Chicago he began to study the music he was singing and hearing in the churches, both the manner in which it was sung as well as the improvisations. As he studied this music in greater detail he learned that "the music of my ancestors has roots in the musical practices of Africans."
He goes on to say, "Over the last 400 years, the music of these proud people has evolved into many forms like jazz, soul, hip-hop, gospel and military music just to name a few. When you listen to Aretha Franklin, John Coltrane, Mahalia Jackson, Celine Dion, John Legend, Beyoncé, Kanye West, Common, Ray Charles, T. Pain, Mary J. Blige, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone and Christina Aguilera you experience many elements of African music."
The end result of all this research, a by-product of his passion, is a course which he has titled The Evolution of African American Music (A Comprehensive Journey through Time and Culture).
The Evolution of African American Music from Africa to Hip Hop deepens our understanding of music in relation to history and culture as well as broadening our understanding of the relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
* * * *
Next week Bruce Henry will be at the Oldenburg House in Carlton for Magnolia Salon on Thursday, Nov. 8 and the following two evenings of Cookin' @ the O in the Carlton Room.
Reservations can be found at the Oldenburg House website: https://oacc.us/calendar/
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