Uploaded October 2022 | Updated September 2026, 20 minutes ago
The Houston Jazz Collective (HJC) presents a specially curated pan-Africanist jazz fusion concert inspired by the exhibition, Amoako Boafo: Soul of Black Folks.
The HJC explores the origins of African art and music in a special presentation featuring the artwork of Ghanaian artist Amoako Boafo. Jazz was born of the African diaspora blending ancient rhythms of West Africa with harmonies of the New World. This tradition will inform the program, featuring Afrocentric works by Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Mongo Santamaria’s iconic Afro Blue, the Jazz Crusaders, and original compositions by the HJC that will take you on a Pan-African cultural voyage.
During trombonist Andre Hayward’s fifteen-year tenure at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Wynton Marsalis gave him the moniker, “Big Butter” to describe his tone and “buttery” technique. A Grammy nominated musician and winner of the Thelonious Monk Competition, Hayward will be joined by percussionist Milton Comeaux, four-time Grammy winner bassist Tim Ruiz, and the NOLA Resistance jazz pianist Darrell Lavigne.
Musicians
Andre Hayward, Trombone
Darrell Lavigne, Keys
Tim Ruiz, Bass
Sam Knight, Drums
Milton Comeaux, Percussion
Ilya Janos Kolozs, Percussion
Song Selections
"Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" - Harry Burleigh
Afro Blue - Mongo Santamaria
"AB Free Beat (Amoako’s Beat)" - Eutimio Ruiz
"In a Sentimental Mood" - Duke Ellington
"Caravan" - Duke Ellington/Juan Tizol
About the Houston Jazz Collective
The Houston Jazz Collective is the brainchild of Shelley Carrol and Andre Hayward. Its mission is to enrich and expand the jazz community through performance, education, and advocacy. The Collective takes on many forms but strives to always feature a luminary artist in the jazz world.
For more information on the exhibition, Amoako Boafo: Soul of Black Folks, please visit our website.
camh.org/event/soul-of-black-folks
© Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, 2022.
The Houston Jazz Collective (HJC) presents a specially curated pan-Africanist jazz fusion concert inspired by the exhibition, Amoako Boafo: Soul of Black Folks.
The HJC explores the origins of African art and music in a special presentation featuring the artwork of Ghanaian artist Amoako Boafo. Jazz was born of the African diaspora blending ancient rhythms of West Africa with harmonies of the New World. This tradition will inform the program, featuring Afrocentric works by Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Mongo Santamaria’s iconic Afro Blue, the Jazz Crusaders, and original compositions by the HJC that will take you on a Pan-African cultural voyage.
During trombonist Andre Hayward’s fifteen-year tenure at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Wynton Marsalis gave him the moniker, “Big Butter” to describe his tone and “buttery” technique. A Grammy nominated musician and winner of the Thelonious Monk Competition, Hayward will be joined by percussionist Milton Comeaux, four-time Grammy winner bassist Tim Ruiz, and the NOLA Resistance jazz pianist Darrell Lavigne.
Musicians
Andre Hayward, Trombone
Darrell Lavigne, Keys
Tim Ruiz, Bass
Sam Knight, Drums
Milton Comeaux, Percussion
Ilya Janos Kolozs, Percussion
Song Selections
"Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" - Harry Burleigh
Afro Blue - Mongo Santamaria
"AB Free Beat (Amoako’s Beat)" - Eutimio Ruiz
"In a Sentimental Mood" - Duke Ellington
"Caravan" - Duke Ellington/Juan Tizol
About the Houston Jazz Collective
The Houston Jazz Collective is the brainchild of Shelley Carrol and Andre Hayward. Its mission is to enrich and expand the jazz community through performance, education, and advocacy. The Collective takes on many forms but strives to always feature a luminary artist in the jazz world.
For more information on the exhibition, Amoako Boafo: Soul of Black Folks, please visit our website.
camh.org/event/soul-of-black-folks
© Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, 2022.
