Anyone passionate about the avant-garde jazz that emanated from Chicago and New York City in the final decades of the last century will be gobsmacked by the Jazz Is Energy exhibit at the American Jazz Museum.
The showing of works by the late artist Frederick J. Brown is small, but the magnitude of several pieces is substantial. Brown grew up with future titans including Anthony Braxton in Chicago. His lifelong affiliations with the AACM inform every aspect of Jazz Is Energy.
Brown’s portrait of Braxton captures the genius’ essence. Similarly, a rendering of Dewey Redman is a visual encapsulation of the saxophonist’s sound. The highlight of Jazz Is Energy, however, is a page of ornately decorated music given to Brown and his wife by Ornette Coleman.
Mainstream music lovers won’t feel left out. Enormous paintings of stars including Ray Charles, Etta James and Joe Turner physically dominate the free exhibit. Jazz Is Energy will be displayed at the American Jazz Museum through May 4.