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Dr. Shirley Kennedy

One-day symposium during visit from Regent's Lecturer Fan Shengqi

During this two-week series of events, there will be exhibits of jazz graphics and portraits of jazz artists, by Suzanne Cerny, displayed in the College of Creative Studies Art Gallery, the Center for Black Studies, and the Department of Black Studies. Guests will have an opportunity to ask questions during a two-hour panel discussion, “Jazz in the World Diaspora,” which will be followed by an open jam session and reception in the courtyard of the MultiCultural Center. Some UCSB students will have the great fortune of a classroom visit from the distinguished educator. Of course, there will be several different musical sessions scheduled throughout this two-week period.

The one-day symposium will be a remarkable opportunity for students and researchers to present their questions to scholars and practitioners who have lived, worked, studied, and traveled extensively in China. Many disciplines intersect in what promises to be a lively discussion, encompassing societal values, conventions and traditions, social mores, and even political and economic goals. The panel will provide contextual background, and a window on important episodes in history as a setting to examine these and other questions:

What are some challenges to teaching/performing jazz in a society in which individual expression is not always encouraged, and what happens to improvisation – the sine qua non of jazz?
What is the extent of government involvement in the arts and what difference does it make?
Why is rap and rock tolerated, while there is coolness toward jazz?
What factors account for the fact that jazz is enthusiastically embraced in Japan and other Asian countries, but not China?
What are the prospects that interaction with China will impact jazz as it has in other societies, e.g. Brazil and Cuba?