Jazz in Nazi Germany: The Music That Wouldn’t Die
The war on jazz in Nazi Germany was never just about music. It was about control—of thought, of identity, of expression. It was a warning then, and it is a warning now.
Music as Survival: Trumpeter Louis Bannet’s Chilling Ultimatum at Auschwitz
Arrested and sent to Auschwitz, Louis Bannet faced a chilling ultimatum: Pass an audition for the camp orchestra or die.
Blacks, Jews, Jazz & Blues with Loren Schoenberg, Eric K. Ward and Nadine Epstein
In the 19th century Black spirituals were inspired by biblical stories in the Old Testament, especially those we remember during Passover. In the early decades of the 20th century, Black and Jewish musicians, often living side by side in the same impoverished neighborhoods, connected through legacies of oppression. With the music industry one of the few fields open to them both, it’s no surprise that blues and jazz became rich, crossover genres. Join Loren Schoenberg, senior scholar at The National Jazz Museum in Harlem, Eric K. Ward, executive director of Western States Center and Nadine Epstein, Moment editor-in-chief, for a conversation about these musical connections, the bonds and tensions, and a taste of the music itself including Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho and Go Down Moses to Bei Mir Bist Du Shein.
A Moment with Comedian Paul Reiser on His NYC Return
Comedian Paul Reiser, best known for the hit 1990s TV sitcom Mad About You, is returning to the New York City stage to perform a stand-up...
Rav Kook Meets Jazz
by Matt Ponak
It was a cold wintry day during Hannukah of 2007 when I first met Rabbi Itzchak Marmorstein. While I was visiting a professor...