Presidential Inauguration
of
C.Reynold Verret, Ph.D.
Sixth President of
Xavier University of Louisiana
Here Is Where You Turn Back:
Performing New Orleans through literature,
music, and art
Performance Studies Laboratory
Department of Art
Department of Music Jazz Ensemble
Administration Building Auditorium
February 25, 2016
6:30 pm
STORIES IN THE PRESENT TENSE
The best stories construct worlds that allow us to reside within them,
encountering speakers whose voices, both familiar and unknown, stir
us towards contemplative moments. We ponder themes and plots
and character development noting the specificity of language and
the practicality of certain actions. Well-crafted stories point us in the
direction of our origins, commemorate our histories and experiences,
and help in sustaining our respective cultures and beliefs. They also
prod us into relinquishing our hold on established perspectives so
that we are open to grasping new modes of thinking, of being in the
world. Spoken, written, or performed they do not exist in isolation
from other narratives, but rather are situated in an endless network
of references.
Thus, this evening’s performance is nestled within the intersection
of stories inspired by the history and culture of New Orleans, the
relevance of music, art, and literature at Xavier University, and the
evolving presence of Performance Studies on this campus, while also
noting the joyously purposeful occasion for its staging. A moment
of liminality, perhaps, where we honor the past while shifting to
embrace the future. How apropos its title, “Here Is Where You Turn
Back.”
Celebrate this extraordinarily complicated and irresistible city for
its resiliency, its contributions to humanity and culture, and its
unparalleled identity: the most African city in the United States,
the most European, the most northern part of the Caribbean, the
gateway to the Americas—and so much more.
Reflect on the integral roles the visual and performing arts have
sustained within the structure of a liberal arts education and in
preparing scores of Xavierites to assume leadership positions in a
more just and humane society.
View this evening as a thoughtful turn of the page where the next
volume of stories is taking shape with a singular sentence written in
the present tense:
Welcome to Xavier University of Louisiana, Dr. C. Reynold Verret,
family, alumni, and distinguished guests.
Dr. RobinOlivia G. Vander
NEW ORLEANS CULTURE AND MUSIC
Since its founding in 1718, New Orleans has been among the
most culturally rich cities in America. The celebratory spirit of the
early French Catholic citizens led to a perennial obsession with the
enjoyment of life through holidays, food, alcohol, dancing, parading
and a variety of other activities. By the 19th century New Orleans
was among the most musical cities in the nation, having a healthy
dose of opera, classical music, military bands and dance music. An
important factor in establishing the city’s cultural identity has been
the unique black population, which included the blend of distinct
groups of African, Creole, Haitian, American Indian and other
ethnicities.
The retention and subsequent transformation of West African
culinary, linguistic, religious and musical practices (such as the 19th
century Congo Square slave dances), have led to a number of long
standing traditions, such as gumbo, jambalaya, local dialect and
expressions, Mardi Gras Indians, social club (second line) parades
and jazz funerals. Evolving out of the amalgam of African and EuroAmerican musical styles that had been popular throughout the city
during the 19th century, New Orleans styles of ragtime and blues
music developed near the turn of the 20th century. African-derived
work songs and spirituals had brought with them characteristic
syncopated rhythms, falsetto, call and response, growls, bent tones,
and other emotional vocal effects which contributed to a strong
blues presence and influence in local music ranging from early jazz
to gospel, rhythm & blues and beyond. Common blues structures,
vocal effects and everyday life’s themes – like love, hardship, passion,
irony, hope, desire and aspirations were a major foundation for early
jazz vocal and instrumental performances heard in bars, dance halls,
brothels, private homes, parades, backyard parties and society fetes.
These blues-tinged, largely improvised jazz expressions were the
voice of African American identity, cultural diversity and hope that
that allowed musicians and audiences alike moments of catharsis,
reflection and self-expression.
The most significant musical contribution of New Orleans has been
the late 19th century birth of jazz. While initially it was an exciting
new dance music, jazz was also a revolutionary metaphor for freedom,
democracy, incorporation of diversity, and individual and collective
possibilities. Jazz soon spread beyond the black community and New
Orleans to achieve worldwide popularity and influence later musical
developments. In addition to such influential figures as Louis
Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton, the latter whose career spanned
the genres of ragtime, blues, and jazz, the rich musical tapestry of
New Orleans has produced legendary artists in other genres, such as
Mahalia Jackson, Fats Domino and many others in music, ranging
from brass bands and gospel to rhythm & blues, funk, and rap.
The music heard in tonight’s presentation of stories inspired by New
Orleans history and culture reflects upon the significance of the
blues, authentic New Orleans Jazz and early big band songs from
Duke Ellington, which were greatly influenced by the New Orleans
jazz tradition.
Dr. Michael G. White
Professor, Department of Languages
The Rosa and Charles Keller, Jr. Endowed Chair in the Arts
and Humanities
“Here Is Where You Turn Back: Performing New Orleans
through literature, music, and art” is a scripted adaptation of
“Talk to the Music” and “The Goodness of St. Rocque,” two short
stories written by Louisiana natives Arna Bontemps and Alice
Dunbar Nelson, respectively, and framed by an excerpt from the
Ishmael Reed novel, Mumbo Jumbo. Intertwining the two stories, the
show unfolds as a nonlinear narrative set in turn-of-the-twentieth
century New Orleans neighborhoods. It follows a young college
student who longs to hear the blues as sung in the segregated music
halls of Storyville and accompanies a young Creole woman as she
solicits divine intervention to bring a wayward lover back to her. An
epidemic known to have infected New Orleans in the final decades
of the 19th century and again in the 1920s serves as the frame for
these stories. A city-wide contagion rendering residents full of life,
the epidemic—Jes Grew—is an anti-plague that once again comes
alive this evening.
Traveling back and forth from a lively picnic at Milneburg (a
bustling area on Lake Pontchartrain at the end of Elysian Fields
in the 1800s) to the heady entertainment district of Storyville, the
student cast tells these stories in a physical style, using their bodies
to show how Jes Grew “enlivens its host” and offers all a way to live
in that “moving procession of human energy.”
The original performance premiered in October 2014 for a threenight run on the Xavier University campus with a six-student
ensemble cast and was the first full-length show of the newly formed
Performance Studies Laboratory (PSL). In 2015, it was the featured
showcase performance during the annual Patti Pace Performance
Festival, for which the PSL served as the host university. In celebrating
the investiture of Dr. C. Reynold Verret, sixth President of Xavier
University of Louisiana, the show has been adapted this evening to
include the student Jazz Ensemble, original sculptural pieces inspired
by the short stories and script as created by Art Department faculty
and students, faculty performers, and guest musicians.
THE STORIES
“The Goodness of St. Rocque”
Alice Dunbar Nelson
A young Creole woman solicits divine intervention to bring a
wayward lover back to her as she traverses environs from Milneburg
to St. Rocque.
“Talk to the Music”
Arna Bontemps
A young college student longs to hear the blues as sung in the
segregated music halls of Storyville by its most talented yet unsung
songstress.
Mumo Jumbo
Ishmael Reed
An epidemic grips the beloved city infecting its residents with
Jes Grew— an antiplague that “enlivens its hosts.”
“A Reflection”
Kate Chopin
A celebration of “that moving procession of human energy.”
THE CAST
PERFORMANCE STUDIES LABORATORY
Co-Founders
Dr. Lisa Flanagan, Dr. Ross Louis, Dr. Robin G. Vander
Kennedi Crosby (’17), Simone Graham (’16)
Kamilya Hunter (’17), Jae Waggoner (’19)
FEATURED FACULTY
Dr. Kimberly Chandler
and
Dr. Michael White
DEPARTMENT OF ART
Professor Ron Bechet, Department Head
Ariyanna Carter (’19), Aleshia Coleman (’19), Kara Crowley (’19), Glen
Davis (’17), Jihad Doucette (’19), Jasmine Geathers (’16), Shavondria
Jackson (’16), Christophe Johns (’19), Leland Johnson (’18),
Sydney Pitts (’19), Olivia Vega (’19)
XAVIER UNIVERSITY JAZZ ENSEMBLE
Dr. Tim Turner, Department Head
SAXOPHONES
Kirk McCall (’16)
Asia Baker (‘16)
*Dr. Marcus Ballard
Markell Allen (’19)
Zachary Gaston (’15)
CLARINET
Olivia Browne (’16)
TRUMPETS
Christopher Cotton (’15)
Alijah Jett (’16)
Johnny Fisher (’19)
Alyssa Moore (’19)
David Thomas (Music Graduate)
TROMBONE/TUBA
Sedrick Holmes (’17)
EUPHONIUM
Monica Rocco (’18)
TUBA
Kevin Borne (’19)
STRINGS
(Cello) Dominique Nelson (’18)
RHYTHM SECTION
(Piano) Gloria Parker (’17)
Jordan Anderson (’18)
(Guitar) Ajene Johnson (’17)
(Bass) Ronald Davis (’19)
(Congas) Jonathan Turner (’18)
(Drums) Wayne Matthews (’16)
ART AND MUSIC
The Department of Art has been integral to Xavier since the
department’s formation in 1935 by Dr. Ferdinand Rousseve and his
brother, Numa Rousseve (MFA). Providing instruction in both art
history and the studio arts, the department has one of the school’s
richest histories. Within two decades of its founding, the program
became known for its emphasis on faculty mentoring of students
in the creation of visual art. Today, faculty continue to emphasize
Xavier’s commitment to the local community with such programs
as its Community Arts Initiative. From 2003 through 2012, art
faculty worked with chiefs of the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian
community each summer to teach middle-school youth about
Indian masking traditions. Current Department of Art faculty are
well respected professional artists themselves. The ceramic sculptures
of Professor MaPo Kinnord are highly sought after by collectors
and galleries including the preeminent Stella Jones Gallery. The
paintings and drawings of Professor Ron Bechet (current department
head) are frequently exhibited throughout the country. Within the
greater New Orleans area, his works are held in each of the major
art museums including the New Orleans Museum of Art and the
Ogden Museum of Art from the South.
The Department of Music at Xavier University is as old as the
institution itself, having started as part of the liberal arts core offerings.
As it evolved into a major program in the College of Arts and Sciences,
it became a center of cultural activity here. Since its inception the
program has been pivotal in the great musical culture of Louisiana
and has established a rich history and celebrated reputation as an
integral part of New Orleans’s cultural and educational communities.
It continues to draw acclaim. Current faculty member Dara Rhaming
tours internationally with productions of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.
The number of instrumentalists on faculty is countless, each having
crafted an outstanding reputation in the music field and beyond. Dr.
Wilfred Delphin gained international acclaim as half of the famous
piano duo, Delphin and Romain. In 2016, Delphin was awarded a
Lifetime Achievement Award by the Gambit Weekly newspaper for
his local contributions to the performing arts. Also acknowledged for
his contributions to the arts and larger society is former department
head, Dr. John Ware, and Dr. Tim Turner, two-time Grammy Award
nominee in the Jazz Educators category.
“If it cannot find its Text, then it will be mistaken for entertainment.”
The Xavier University Performance Studies Laboratory, launched in
2013, is an interdisciplinary working group of faculty with training
and backgrounds in Performance Studies. In its inaugural season,
the Lab produced faculty and student performance showcases, and
coordinated performance studies workshops for interested university
students. Co-founders Lisa Flanagan, Ross Louis, and Robin
Vander have previously taught courses, mentored student research,
and collaborated with other faculty on performance-based projects
but “Here Is Where You Turn Back” was the first full show to be
produced through the Lab. Other faculty collaborators include Ron
Bechet, Kimberly Chandler, and Liz Edgecomb.
Since the 1980s, Performance Studies has developed as an
interdisciplinary approach to the humanities. At its core is the
concept of performance, which is defined broadly as an embodied
way of knowing, a creative approach to scholarship that allows us
to make sense of ourselves and others. While performance-based
research and teaching may incorporate staged presentations, we also
use them as objects of study, methods of scholarly inquiry, and tools
for community engagement. The Performance Studies Laboratory
studies performance in contexts such as literature, cultural ritual
and rites of passage, identity construction, civic engagement and
political actions, and visual and material culture, among others.
Xavier University was founded on the principle of providing
its students with a strong, competitive liberal arts education
that prepares them as leaders of a more just and humane society.
Performance Studies is an empathic discipline that fosters an ethics
of care and responsibility. Guided by this understanding, Lab faculty
routinely enlist a performance-based lens for teaching, research, and
mentoring of students that is qualitative, experiential, and invites
exploration of, respect for, and understanding of diverse cultural
practices and community issues. Their efforts often enlist New
Orleans, surrounding parishes, and places throughout the African
Diaspora as sites of engagement and community-based instruction.
“For what good is a liturgy without a text?”