South Brunswick Public Library to Host Concert in Celebration of Black History Month

The South Brunswick Public Library invites members of the community to its Ellen Gambatese Room on Sunday, Feb. 7 at 2 p.m. for a concert of African-American music in celebration of Black History Month. Audience members will experience the the influence of African-American musical forms while being treated to the voices and music of Follow the Drinking Gourd.

Pianist Diane Goldsmith and singers Ivan Woods and Shannon Hunt perform spirituals in a variety of arrangements, from jazz and tango settings to adaptation as anthems of the civil rights marches of the 1960s. The group will show attendees blues-inspired composers like Harold Arlen (”The Wizard of Oz”) and George Gershwin and share updates on ragtime and bebop jazz. This program is performed with commentary in order to enrich the experience.

The event will be hosted by the Friends of the South Brunswick Public Library and is sponsored by the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission as well as the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.