2008 Woodie Awards
Avid jazz musician presents extensive performing history
Benjamin Pomerance
Issue date: 11/3/06 Section: Life
Originally published: 11/2/06 at 7:13 PM EST
Last update: 11/2/06 at 8:13 PM EST
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Lights dim, the image of a late-night blues club appears on the screen and the lilting strains of Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag fill the room.
On Oct. 25, students and faculty filled Plattsburgh State University College's Krinowitz Recital Hall to hear H. Lawrence McCrorey lecture on "A History of Black Classical Music (aka Jazz)."
Instead of a traditional speech, McCrorey presented his audience with a slide show and presentation about the only genre of music America can truly call its own. He brought his listeners on a journey through jazz history, from the call-and-response field shouts of black slaves to the improvisational blues stars of today.
"I love jazz," McCrorey said. "It's as simple as that. Jazz has been a part of me since I was very young and it will be part of me until the day I die. When I'm playing or talking about music, I feel like I am the luckiest man alive."
McCrorey grew up in Camden, N.J., where he caught his first break during World War II. When the war claimed many musicians from a local swing band, McCrorey joined the group and never looked back.
Before long, he was testing out his chops with Clifford Brown and John Coltrane.
For McCrorey, jazz has never been just about the music. Fascinated by the cultural ties between jazz history and American history, he soon became an authority on his favorite type of music. Friends convinced McCrorey to take his show on the road, leading to the birth of "A History of Black Classical Music (aka Jazz)," a presentation which combines the story of jazz with the story of the race who created it.
"You can't talk about jazz without talking about African-Americans and their contributions to this incredible form of art," McCrorey said. "Of course, this definitely does not mean that you have to be black to play jazz well or to enjoy jazz performances. I like to think of jazz as a gift from African-Americans to the rest of the world for us all to enjoy together."
On Oct. 25, students and faculty filled Plattsburgh State University College's Krinowitz Recital Hall to hear H. Lawrence McCrorey lecture on "A History of Black Classical Music (aka Jazz)."
Instead of a traditional speech, McCrorey presented his audience with a slide show and presentation about the only genre of music America can truly call its own. He brought his listeners on a journey through jazz history, from the call-and-response field shouts of black slaves to the improvisational blues stars of today.
"I love jazz," McCrorey said. "It's as simple as that. Jazz has been a part of me since I was very young and it will be part of me until the day I die. When I'm playing or talking about music, I feel like I am the luckiest man alive."
McCrorey grew up in Camden, N.J., where he caught his first break during World War II. When the war claimed many musicians from a local swing band, McCrorey joined the group and never looked back.
Before long, he was testing out his chops with Clifford Brown and John Coltrane.
For McCrorey, jazz has never been just about the music. Fascinated by the cultural ties between jazz history and American history, he soon became an authority on his favorite type of music. Friends convinced McCrorey to take his show on the road, leading to the birth of "A History of Black Classical Music (aka Jazz)," a presentation which combines the story of jazz with the story of the race who created it.
"You can't talk about jazz without talking about African-Americans and their contributions to this incredible form of art," McCrorey said. "Of course, this definitely does not mean that you have to be black to play jazz well or to enjoy jazz performances. I like to think of jazz as a gift from African-Americans to the rest of the world for us all to enjoy together."
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