Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Robert Montgomery, the youngest son of iconic guitarist Wes Montgomery, is aware that his path to appreciating jazz music was unusual.
“I was born in it,” he said. “Jazz was my first music love, and everything else came behind that. One of our problems is that even our older generations are not passing that down.”
Montgomery, who attended a March 6 dedication ceremony for an Indiana Historical Bureau marker to commemorate the life and career of his father, will participate in a Monday, March 25 panel discussion on the past, present and future of jazz.
Titled “Salon Noire,” the conversation at 10 East Arts Hub, 3137 E. 10th St., will be presented by IUPUI’s Center for Africana Studies & Culture and feature Rob Dixon—standout saxophone player and the center’s artist in residence.
“You just don’t come to jazz,” Robert Montgomery said. “Somebody has to introduce you to it.”
Another “Salon Noire” panelist is Oliver Nelson Jr., son of a four-time Grammy-nominated saxophone player who was a contemporary of Wes Montgomery. Nelson teaches a course titled Jazz for Listeners at Indiana University.
Nelson said he would like to see more Black students in the class.
“I might have one or two a semester,” he said. “I have people from Asia. I have people from South America. I have people from all over.”
Meanwhile, Nelson said he’s encouraged by young musicians such as Peyton Womock, a 2020 IU graduate who will perform April 21 as part of the Monster Meeting series at OrthoIndy Foundation YMCA, 5315 Lafayette Road.
Dixon perpetuates the legacy of Indiana Avenue greats such as Wes Montgomery, Freddie Hubbard and J.J. Johnson in his role as artistic director of Indy Jazz Fest.
The 2024 edition of Indy Jazz Fest will celebrate the centennial of trombone player Johnson (1924-2001) and culminate with a multi-artist bill Sept. 28 at Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park. The artist lineup has yet to be announced.
Dixon said he routinely interacts with young musicians who aren’t familiar with music made before the 1960s.
“I say, ‘You have to go back. You have to go back past the 1920s and into the 19th century to have a better understanding of your genre. It just makes you a better artist,’ ” Dixon said.
Les Etienne, founding executive director of the Center for Africana Studies and Culture, said he believes music history can be a gateway to the future.
“I look at jazz as Black cultural heritage,” Etienne said. “It’s something that expands to the broader context of a society. When you look at that history and follow it all the way up until now, you’re able to utilize not just this contemporary moment or historical moment but look at the future, as well.
“You’re able to say, ‘OK, what is the next step with this? Let’s see where we started. Where did we get to now? How was the music shaping things? What was happening in the world at the time? What is the sound going to be in the future?’ And that’s an exciting place to be.”
“Salon Noire”
- Featuring: Rob Dixon, Robert Montgomery and Oliver Nelson Jr.
- When: 6 p.m. March 25
- Where: 10 East Arts Hub, 3137 E. 10th St.
- Admission: Free
- Info: Visit indyartsguide.org.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.