MUSE/IQUE 2022 LA Composed Brings a Festival Of Los Angeles Music Next Month

MUSE/IQUE continues its adventurous yearlong concert series, L.A. Composed: A Festival of Los Angeles Music, Each concert of L.A.Composed will focus on a different street and the music that is associated with it. Central Avenue, a musical journey into the center of L.A.'s soul will be performed Sunday, September 11 at 4:00pm at Jefferson High School, 1319 East 41st Street, Los Angeles CA 90011, one of the most important touchstones of Los Angeles Jazz. The program will also be performed for Jefferson High School students on Friday, September 9.

For admissions and information please visit muse-ique.com.

From the 1920's-1950's Central Avenue was the heart of African American cultural life: LA's answer to the Harlem Renaissance, and the epicenter of the West Coast jazz scene. Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Duke Ellington, and Billie Holiday were regulars in the local clubs. Quincy Jones has famously said, when he moved to LA as a young man he didn't know about the music on the Sunset Strip, but he sure knew Central Ave. In this performance, MUSE/IQUE honors and celebrates the legacy of Central Avenue and its impact on our city and beyond.

The program has tributes to some of the many brilliant artists and visionaries who made an impact on Central, such as Alvin Ailey in dance and choreography; Merry Clayton in Gospel; and Duke Ellington, Dexter Gordon and Count Basie in jazz, and more.

Artists featured include Sy Smith, LaVance Colley, and DC6 Singers. Myron McKinley of Earth, Wind and Fire is the music director and pianist.

As part of the Central Ave. event, MUSE/IQUE has commissioned the Lula Washington to create a piece in honor of Alvin Ailey, which will be performed by members of the Lula Washington Dance Theatre.

One of the most compelling aspects of this period on Central Ave. was the relationship between the art and cultural life happening on the street, and the extraordinary arts programs at the local public high school, Jefferson High. During this period Jefferson educated an incredible list of important American artists including Alvin Ailey, Carmen de Lavallade, Dexter Gordon and Etta James.

Curated and led by Founder and Artistic Director Rachael Worby, L.A. Composed features renowned musicians and dancers from stage and screen performing at cornerstone cultural institutions throughout the city, including Avalon Hollywood, Caltech, The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, Skirball Cultural Center, and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. L.A. Composed runs until November, 2022; admissions are on sale now at muse-ique.com.

MUSE/IQUE Artistic Director Rachel Warby said, "We are thrilled that we will be performing our Central Ave. concerts in the Jefferson High School auditorium, with a special concert for the student body. And we intend to invite Jefferson's student musicians to be part of a pre-show event."

"I am ecstatic about our partnership with MUSE/IQUE." said principal of Thomas Jefferson High School Dr. Tamai Johnson. "With this jazz renaissance concert, I hope to rekindle our performing arts flame at Jefferson High School. I want to expose our students to experiences that encourage a lifelong love for the arts. Hosting this special performance for our students will plant a seed and significantly enrich their lives."

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