 "Photo: Matt Phillips Echo- A&E editor")
The tap-tap-tap of drums folds against the high walls. A smattering of bass inhabits the void. The soft plink of piano lofts into the air.
On the B.N. Duke Auditorium stage, a pianist, an upright bassist and a drummer hold down a jazz rhythm.
Out front, trumpeter, composer and N.C. Central University graduate student G.A. Kadir Muhammad blows the expressive notes of Dizzy Gillespie's medley "I Can't Get Started / ‘Round Midnight."
On Nov. 13, Muhammad gave his graduate lecture, "On the Sunny Side." He examined critical innovations in four solos originally performed by Gillespie. These compositions contributed to the development of the modern jazz movement.
"Dizzy Gillespie wanted to push the envelope past the swing era," said Muhammad. "Be-bop derived from a group of players that were academic."
Muhammad presented analysis of "King Porter Stomp," the first solo Gillespie ever recorded.
Muhammad also demonstrated other Gillespie innovations, including "A Night in Tunisia." Originally a product of the swing and be-bop era, Gillespie fused jazz with Afro-Cuban music. He developed a signature sound that influenced modern musicians.
The second half of the lecture was a performance piece that featured three of Muhammad's own compositions: "Shake and Blake(y)," "Midnight Lunch Break" and "A New Day."
The social roots of jazz inform Muhammad's playing and compositions.
"Bar none – live music will always trump electronic music," he said.
Muhammad was accompanied on stage by NCCU jazz studies students, faculty and local musicians.
"We have a program that gets at what the essence of jazz is," said Muhammad. "To play right you have to understand the lineage.
"Jazz is a music that is built from expression. It's built from interaction and communication and is relevant because it is based on dialogue, and dialogue is necessary because people are social beings."
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this article! Log in to Comment
You must be logged in to comment on an article. Not already a member? Register now