JAZZ: THE JOAN CARTWRIGHT COLLECTION

Joan Cartwright
Aug 31, 2020 - Feb 28, 2021

Dr. Joan Cartwright has toured five continents and 16 countries including the U.S.A., eight European countries, Jamaica, Brazil, Mexico, Ghana, Gambia, South Africa, China and Japan, with her swinging brand of jazz and blues. She is a composer and her book, IN PURSUIT OF A MELODY contains 40 songs and lyrics to standard songs: “A Night in Tunisia” by Dizzy Gillespie, “Blue Bossa” by Kenny Dorham, “Tune Up” by Miles Davis and “Bessie’s Blues” by John Coltrane.  Joan’s book also contains two lectures that she’s given to over 8,000 children and college students, in U.S., Switzerland, Sicily, China and Japan: WOMEN IN JAZZ and SO, YOU WANT TO BE A SINGER? Her workshops are dynamic and educational, highlighting the pitfalls and benefits of the music business. She contends that, “Knowing music theory is a step in the right direction for any singer who truly wants to excel in the world of music!”
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Joan’s website
Blues singers were an element of the subculture created from Africans who, while enslaved, sang European music. Classical listeners considered them crude and loud. However, jazz liberated singers from the precise pitch and calculated rhythms of European music. The melody was more natural and the rhythm was more like that of speech. The first black women singers came out of the spiritual and blues styles, and later, developed the jazz styles. This exhibit displays the contents of Dr. Cartwright’s vault, which includes photos, paintings and artwork by Charles Mills. (See Jun 19, 2020 Mills exhibit at CSMOS) Visit us at 170 NW 5th Avenue, Delray Beach to see the full-sized, full-color images of the Cartwright Collection. Museum hours: Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 11am – 1pm.