American Corner Innsbruck
Jazz: The Classical Music of Globalization
July 23, 6pm, at the Kaiser-Leopold-Saal, Karl-Rahner-Platz 3, Room 203
Prof. Dr. Reinhold Wagnleitner and Günter Wagnleitner invited to an "informance" which consists of a lecture combined with a musical performance on the evolution of jazz and it's importance to history.
Jazz has been celebrated as the classical music of America - and yet jazz is much more than this narrowing corset of "nationalism". Prof. Wagnleitner took us through the beginnings of jazz and it's evolution throughout time. It is the classical music of globalization and the soundtrack of the 20th century, according to the scientist. One thing he is not sure about is its role in the 21st century, which remains to be seen. In their historically innovative and musically inspired lecture, Reinhold and Günter Wagnleitner analyzed the musical and cultural background of this phenomenon of globalization in an imaginative and entertaining manner.
Günter Wagnleitner has been part of the Austrian music scene since the late 1960s, performing widely and offering a musical concept hat connects classical music and jazz; church music and blues; light opera and Rock'n'Roll. The audience enjoyed his piano playing and singing a lot. It was a very unique experience to first hear about the history and the connections from Reinhold Wagnleitner, to then hearing actual examples of what had been illustrated.
Prof. Dr. Wagenleitner is Associate Professor of Modern History at the University of Salzburg, History Lecturer at the Salzburg College, and an amateur musician. His project Satchmo Meets Amadeus presented internationally in musical format and as part of photo exhibitions, was awarded the Tolerance and Diversity Prize by the U.S. Embassy in Vienna.
The audience was a mixed group of members of faculty of the University of Innsbruck, the UNO-Innsbruck International Summer school, students form both and people with and interest in jazz, who had gotten the information from the American Corner Innsbruck homepage, through the University, or through the International Summer school.
We hope to welcome the Wagnleitners back with another "informance" soon.