JAZZ IN THE KEY OF ELLISON celebrates the musical world of Ralph Ellison. It is a concert production inspired by the musical life of America’s iconic writer Ralph Ellison, presented in music, words, and images. Ralph Ellison, acclaimed author of the National Book Award-winning novel Invisible Man, was an accomplished trumpeter who was close to many of the great jazz innovators of his lifetime – from Armstrong and Ellington to Bird and Monk. The concert celebration premiered in November 2016 at New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
The star-led evening of music and narration includes iconic Labelle singer/recording artist Nona Hendryx, 2017 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition winner Quiana Lynell, Lizz Wright, Randy Brecker, the Andy Farber Jazz Orchestra from the Broadway show After Midnight, and narration by Carl Hancock Rux, special guest André De Shields, and leading Ellison scholar Robert O’Meally.
Still images and video of Ellison, legendary performers including Louis Armstrong and Count Basie, and paintings by Ellison’s close friend Romare Bearden provide a visual backdrop.