WBTT Voices Community Forum to focus on Duke Ellington

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe is celebrating the return of its WBTT Voices Community Forum, a free program launched in 2014 that examines issues impacting society, explored through an African American lens. On Thursday, November 5 at 3 p.m., "WBTT Voices: The Duke" will take a look at the rich legacy of jazz legend Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington. This event takes place in The Donelly Theatre at WBTT (1012 N. Orange Ave., Sarasota).

Imagine walking into a crowded Harlem nightclub in the late 1920s. The room is buzzing. People are talking, dancing, and waiting for the band to start. Then the music begins.

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What they hear isn't just a collection of instruments playing together. It's a sound with sophisticated personality: colorful, sometimes elegant, sometimes playful, and completely different from anything they'd heard before. At the center of it all is Ellington, a "swaggering" fellow who was often introduced as the "most honored musician" of his time.

From Washington, D.C. to New York and around the world, Duke Ellington and his Orchestra didn't simply play jazz – they expanded the possibilities of what jazz could be. For his many contributions to music and culture, Ellington was recognized with numerous prestigious awards: a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960; a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1966; the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969; the Legion of Honour by France in 1973; and, in 1999, he was awarded a posthumous Pulitzer Prize Special Award for music.

WBTT Assistant Artistic Director/Director of Education Jim Weaver – who is also directing and has a featured role in WBTT's current production that pays tribute to Ellington, "Sophisticated Ladies" – has designed a program that examines Ellington's life and legacy, and the enduring popularity of his music. Weaver will serve on a panel that includes Ed Linehan, the President of the Jazz Club of Sarasota, Jim Heskett, jazz musician and educator; and Pablo Gil, a musician performing in WBTT's live band for "Sophisticated Ladies." The panel will be moderated by WBTT's Education & Outreach Associate Peterly Jean Baptiste.

"The WBTT Voices program provides the perfect platform for a discussion focused on influential artists such as Duke Ellington," said Weaver. "Over the course of Ellington's career, he wrote or collaborated on more than 1,000 compositions and created one of the largest existing recorded personal jazz legacies. We encourage all music fans to consider attending our WBTT Voices program to learn about this incredible man!"

This event is free but advance registration is necessary; visit westcoastblacktheatre.org.

About Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe
The mission of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe (WBTT) is to produce professional theater that promotes and celebrates African American history and experience; engages a broad base of patrons and audiences; supports the development of a dynamic group of aspiring artists; and builds confidence in youth of color. Visit westcoastblacktheatre.org for more information.