Celebrating the Brooklyn Museum’s 200th Birthday!

Editors Note:

Photographer Udo Salters shares some of his images and obervations from the Brooklyn Museum’s 200th Birthday Bash :

The Brooklyn Museum, a cultural cornerstone of New York City, kicked off its 200th anniversary with a grand Birthday Bash this past October . There were planned activities going on all day long inside of the museum. In the main lobby, author of A Strange Celestial Road: My Time in the Sun Ra Arkestra, educator and Trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah and his Diaspora commanded the stage from 2pm to 4pm. This special performance was curated by the Jazz Foundation of America.

The Diaspora, a collective of talented musicians and artists who share Abdullah’s passion for Jazz, consisted of Monique Ngozi Nri on Poetry and Vocals, Rodney “Don” Chapman on Tenor Sax, D.D. Jackson on Keyboard, Warren “Trae” Crudup on Drums, Norbert Marius on Bass and Tap Dancer Melissa Almaguer.

Truly a spectacular concert , pulling from the talent and energy of these great artists. Keyboardist D.D. Jackson  was so engrossed , he played through the collapse of his keyboard stand, not once, but twice.  Abdullah called on the spirit of Sun Ra to further engage the audience with a call and response using the lyrics from the song Enlightenment. Jazz music, singing, spoken word and tap dancing on a Saturday afternoon in Brooklyn for free! Happy Birthday Brooklyn Museum!