"This Music We Call Jazz"

In honor of Black History Month, Oakeside Bloomfield Cultural Center is presenting an art exhibit entitled, "This Music We Call Jazz."

"This Music We Call Jazz" celebrates the artists who love the music and the giants of the art form through the mediums of painting, photography and collage. From its roots in the djimbe orchestra of West Africa to its various incarnations as Dixieland, swing, bebop and fusion, the improvisational spirit of jazz has provided a sound track to the American musical experience for the past 160 years.

The exhibit features the work of five dynamic metropolitan area artists. Stephen B. Ellis' oil paintings of jazz artists are described as bold, daring and provocative. Photographer Cay Fatima's talents are not limited to the visual arts; as a jazz musician/composer she has performed at the Jackie Robinson Foundation 10th Anniversary's "Afternoon in Jazz" and at various tri-state jazz clubs.

Collage artist Eveyln Graves takes various pieces of color and magically molds them into a single surface, reconstructing the images to create a new meaning. Bill Mays' photographs are selected from a broad stock of jazz images taken over the past 37 years. And exhibit organizer Mansa K. Mussa adds photographs and a new collage inspired by the work of Romare Bearden.

An opening reception is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 20 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

On-site parking is available. Admission is free of charge.