Côte à Côte—Coast to Coast: Art and Jazz in France and California (conference, film screening, and concert)

In conjunction with Birth of the Cool, a new exhibition at the Orange County Museum of Art, the Getty Research Institute presents three days of events exploring the intersection of jazz music with postwar art and culture. Moving beyond the investigation of traditional jazz histories, the events focus on the development of West Coast jazz and France's unique jazz culture.

The series includes scholarly presentations as well as film screenings, conversations with artists and musicians, poetry readings, and performances, and culminates in a concert with West Coast and French musicians playing well-known jazz favorites and new interpretations of jazz classics.

		November 13 and 14: Conference
		November 14: Film Screening
		November 15: Concert
		Related Events at Other Venues

Conference
Côte à Côte—Coast to Coast: Art and Jazz in France and California

Date: Tuesday and Wednesday, November 13 and 14, 2007
Time: 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m. on both days, followed by a reception and music on Wednesday evening from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
Location: Getty Center, Harold M. Williams Auditorium
Admission: Free; separate reservations are required for each day of the conference.

Day 1: Call and Response: The Development of Jazz Cultures

The first day of the conference explores the innovations and constraints that characterized the development of jazz cultures. West Coast musicians invented sounds and styles unique to California, while French musicians created their own brand of jazz, giving it new political and social functions. Female jazz musicians faced the challenges of performing in a male-dominated world, and many African American jazz players left the United States for France in search of greater creative freedom and a respite from oppressive social conditions. In both California and France, jazz music inspired writers, performers, and visual artists, who in turn applied jazz innovations to their own media.

Schedule

10:00–10:15 a.m.		Welcome and Opening Remarks, Thomas W. Gaehtgens Introduction, Andrew Perchuk
10:15–10:45 a.m.		"Different Grooves: USA-France Postwar Cultural Relations," Serge Guilbaut
10:45–11:30 a.m.		"Now's the Time," a conversation with photographer Marcel Fleiss moderated by Serge Guilbaut
11:30–11:45 a.m.		Break
11:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m.		"The Birth (and Death) of the Cool," Ted Gioia
12:15–12:45 p.m.		"Gazing on Jazz: A Franco-American Perspective on Vian's Nostalgic Saint-Germain-des-Prés," Rashida K. Braggs
12:45–2:00 p.m.		Lunch
2:00–2:30 p.m.		"West Coast Jazzwomen," Sherrie Tucker
2:30–3:00 p.m.		Panel discussion moderated by Thomas Crow
3:00–3:45 p.m.		"In and Out of Control at Once: A Poetry and Jazz Dialogue," David Meltzer accompanied by Theo Sanders
3:45–4:15 p.m.		Break
4:15–5:30 p.m.		"The Musician's Voice," conversation and performances by Ernie Andrews, Clora Bryant, and Buddy Collette, accompanied by Llew Matthews, Harold Mason, and Richard Simon and moderated by Sherrie Tucker

Day 2: Making the Scene: The Spaces and Places of Jazz
Wednesday, November 14

The second day of the conference looks at where jazz was created and how these spaces were affected by changing social environments. In Los Angeles, Central Avenue and Hollywood became important cultural and musical centers for advancing and showcasing local talent. Similarly, the Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris became cultural crossroads where music brought diverse populations together. Meanwhile, in both California and in France, aesthetics and politics as well as recording companies, music venues, and the film industry determined who could experience the new sounds of jazz and how widely the music would be distributed.

A reception follows from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

Schedule

10:00–10:15 a.m.		Welcome and opening remarks, Rani Singh
10:15–10:45 a.m.		"Disk-Jockeying for Position in the 1950s," Serge Guilbaut
10:45–11:30 a.m.		"Jazz in Los Angeles," a conversation with William Claxton moderated by Rani Singh; special guests Dennis Hopper and Bud Shank
11:30–11:45 a.m.		Break
11:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m.		"Jazz and the African American Experience in Postwar Paris," Tyler Stovall
12:15–12:45 p.m.		"Local Avant-gardes: Wallace Berman, Jazz, and Semina in Postwar Los Angeles," Ken Allan
12:45–2:00 p.m.		Lunch
2:00–2:30 p.m.		"Jazz and the Artistic Landscape in France, 1920–1960," Ludovic Tournès
2:30–3:00 p.m.		Panel discussion moderated by Serge Guilbaut
3:00–3:15 p.m.		Break
3:15–4:30 p.m.		"Visual Artists on Jazz," a conversation with Ed Bereal, George Herms, and John Outterbridge moderated by Ulysses Jenkins
4:30–5:00 p.m.		Break
5:00–5:30 p.m.		Fifty Years of Sitting in the Front Row at a Jazz Club, or The Artist's Life: A Salute to West Coast Jazz, selections from George Herms' free jazz opera; accompanied by Ramon Banda, David Dahlsten, Azar Lawrence, Roberto Miranda, and Theo Saunders
5:30–7:00 p.m.		Reception

Film Screening
Crazy and Cool: Jazz Folies on Film

Date: Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Getty Center, Harold M. Williams Auditorium
Admission: Free; reservations required.

Rare film shorts from French and American archives capture the energy and intensity of jazz. Screenings will include live musical accompaniment, with a special performance by French jazz pianist René Urtreger.

Concert
Le Jazz Cool, Le Jazz Hot: A Celebration of Modern Jazz in Los Angeles and France

Date: Thursday, November 15, 2007
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Location: Getty Center, Harold M. Williams Auditorium
Admission: Tickets $15.

Côte à Côte concludes with a jazz concert featuring musicians from the West Coast and France playing new arrangements of well-known favorites and fresh interpretations of jazz classics.

Concert performers include Ernie Andrews, Bobby Bradford, Vinny Golia, Les McCann, Bud Shank, Jack Sheldon, René Urtreger, and Mocean Worker a.k.a. Adam Dorn.

Related Events at Other Venues

Opening of William Claxton—Abstractions
Date: Thursday, November 8, 2007
Time: 7:00–9:00 p.m.
Location: Fahey/Klein Gallery, 148 North La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles
This exhibition of William Claxton's photographs is on view at the Fahey/Klein Gallery from November 8 to December 8, 2007.

French Jazz Documentaries
Date: Sunday, November 18, 2007
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Filmforum Los Angeles at the Egyptian Theater, 6712 Hollywood Boulevard at Las Palmas, Los Angeles

How to Get Here
The Getty Center is located at 1200 Getty Center Drive in Los Angeles, California, approximately 12 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. See Hours, Directions, Parking for maps and driving directions.