The thigh-thumping, toe-tapping rhythms of jazz will come together with the hand-raising "hallelujahs" of southern gospel 8 p.m. tonight at the Allen Theatre.
Brad Leali, director of jazz studies, has brought together Texas Tech's Jazz Ensemble I and a gospel choir comprised of area singers for a "Black History Spectacle."
In observance of Black History Month, Leali has prepared a concert including the tunes of Miles Davis, John Coltrane and a few originals by Leali and former Texas Tech graduate Arlington Jones.
"Jazz came from Afro-American spiritual music," Leali said. "What better way to bring it back than for Black History Month?"
Leali said he is a proponent of spirituality in music and making spiritual and emotional connections with people through music. He said this concert is an opportunity for the performers to praise the name of God.
"The message of the lyrics and most of the tunes are just giving thanks," Leali said. "I think that's a big part of Afro-American history - not just now, but for all time."
Jones and fellow Tech graduate Quamon Fowler will perform as guest artists, soloing on the piano and saxophone, respectively. Leali said he picked the performers based on both their talent and the message they try to express.
"They're the type of musicians that are able to convey a feeling to an audience," Leali said, "…and this is what I'm trying to teach my students."
Leali said he is happy to have a mix of races performing in both the choir and the band. He said he tries to convey the fact that Black History Month is not only about the accomplishments of black Americans or black people but of everyone.
"We can't separate," Leali said. "We have to acknowledge the accomplishments of people coming together because everything that was achieved throughout our history we could never do alone. It was a mixture of races having one vision."
Fowler, who is also a teaching assistant with the School of Music, said he thinks gospel music is at the heart of what African-American culture is about. He said African Americans coming out of slavery would embrace church as a place to come together and gain strength to overcome obstacles like segregation.
"They would have services that were just powerful, powerful worship services: singing, people being slain in the spirit, people getting healed and people catching the holy ghost," said Fowler.
He said the Black History Spectacle is a chance to showcase something the majority of Lubbock does not see often.
"African Americans experience what we'll be doing every week at their church services," Fowler said. "This is the opportunity to expose what goes on in the Africa- American church to the Lubbock community."
Fowler said he feels like the mixed-race group is coming together well in the hopes of creating that experience.
"Brad's really trying to pull something out of them that they didn't know was there," Fowler said. "That's the whole thing about just playing with feeling."
Darius Luckey, Lubbock resident and Leali's fellow-church member, will perform vocal solos throughout the concert, including the Leali-original "Soul Interlude." In this song, Luckey, to the soft tune of a lone piano, belts out the lyrics "Will you understand me while I take this interlude/guided by my thoughts while striving for my dreams/will you understand my need to take this interlude/Lord you know, things aren't as they may seem."
"I feel that it's speaking of one's inner being - what we do on a day-to-day basis," Luckey said. "You look like this on the outside but feel like this on the inside. Things aren't really as they seem."
Luckey said he enjoys working with the students at Tech to make the Black History Spectacle a success. They are energetic, eager to learn and very respectful, he said. As for Leali and his influence at Tech and in Lubbock, Luckey only has praise.
"Brad is an exceptional professor here, and he's willing to go all out to include everyone," Luckey said. "He really wants to incorporate music into the lives of this city."
Admission to the performance will be $7. All proceeds will help fund the group's Feb. 15 trip to San Antonio to be the featured jazz ensemble at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention.
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