The Major Scale: 20th Century African-American Art, Pt. 1

A special three part presentation of the Major Scale with Cornell Fine Arts Museum’s exhibit, African-American Art in the 20th Century, on loan from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. With a bounty of bold and brilliant masterworks from the likes of Romare Bearden, Lois Mailou Jones, Jacob Lawrence, and more, we're going to tie together the exhibit's themes of Jazz, the Blues, social commentary and civil rights with a look into the music of the era with the show’s curator, Virginia Mecklenburg. Episode 1 - African-American Art in the 20th Century - Roots, Harlem Renaissance, and Bebop. The early days of the 20th century were a harsh reality for African-Americans, but change was underfoot–it could be found in the art and music of the day. We'll go from the crossroads of the early blues, to the avenues of the Harlem Renaissance, right down to the starting line of bebop. We spin Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Bird and Diz and more.