On Thursday, March 6th, I had the genuine pleasure of watching Gregory Moore and his quartet perform in Collingswood, NJ, as part of Jazz Bridge Project’s Concert Series. Founded in 2004 by Suzanne Cloud and Wendy Simon, Jazz Bridge Project focuses on presenting neighborhood concerts hosted and curated by notable musicians, effectively bridging the gap between artists and the community. In a world where the challenges musicians face can often feel overwhelming, the organization stands as a testament to the power of community, solidarity, and the enduring spirit of jazz.
The intimate ballroom atop Collingswood’s City Hall provided the perfect setting for a performance that showcased the quartet’s remarkable virtuosity and moved the audience. The concert featured a mix of jazz standards and original compositions, but it was the inclusion of Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson’s song “I Can’t Help It” that resonated with me most deeply. In that blissful musical moment, I became acutely aware of the unique atmosphere created by this instrumental performance.
Not only was this my first jazz concert since becoming the Presser Fellow, but it stood out because it included a combination of canonical selections, new compositions, and popular music. This was the first time in my tenure that an instrumental performance group allowed the audience to witness the sense of intragroup communication among the musicians—a dynamic exchange of gestures, musical cues, and improvisation that was both palpable and appreciated by the audience. The musicians engaged in a conversation with each other, sharing improvisational ideas freely and allowing for musical responses. Observing the joy and adoration each musician had for each other was emotionally transformative experience that built a bridge between our minds, souls, and bodies; liberating the audience from the rigid expectations of traditional concert etiquette.
“We build too many walls and not enough bridges.” This quote, often attributed to Isaac Newton, reflects the way we engage with and create music as a society. As observers and audience members, we may find it challenging to appreciate some performances in a multi-modal way. Western culture has created divisions that separate the cognitive aspects of music from its emotional and physical qualities. It often labels Eurocentric classical music as “high art” due to its perceived intellectual value, while undervaluing genres that emphasize the interaction between physical, cognitive, and emotional engagement. This desire to establish a scientific hierarchy for music is evident in classical music and traditional Euro-American worship music within the Christian Church. The ideal etiquette asks us to internalize the affective and psychomotor aspects of our nature in favor of maximizing the cognitive domain. In doing so, Western culture has weaponized the scientific method as an objective tool to assert its idealized superiority over other societies.
Jazz music freely engages the cognitive, affective and physical aspects of musicking, making it an extremely important art form in our society. Cognitively speaking, I (and MANY others) marveled at the virtuosity of the musical conversations and harmonic journeys occurring within Gregory Moore Quartet; the democratic nature of their sound: Unique expressions, coming together in unity. The audience freely expressed themselves through singing and dance to celebrate the musical offering. The environment was filled with joy and liberation (Affective and Psychomotor). The Gregory Moore Quartet and Jazz Bridge Project tore down the walls of etiquette and scientific order, building bridges that connected us all.
