Free Fowler event examines African influences on American jazz

On Thursday, August 9 at 7 p.m. the Fowler Museum will host a Fowler OutSpoken Conversation between Robin D.G. Kelley and Tom Schnabel. Kelley is UCLA’s Gary B. Nash Professor of United States History, and he’ll be speaking with KCRW DJ Schnabel about the cross-pollination of African and American musical styles in 1950s and 1960s jazz. Attendees will get a chance to learn about four lesser-known musicians who looked to Africa to enliven American jazz melodies: Guy Warren, Ghanaian drummer; Randy Weston, American pianist; Ahmed Abdul-Malik, American bassist and oud player; and Sathima Bea Benjamin, a South African vocalist. Kelley will remain after the talk to sign copies of his new book, “Africa Speaks, America Answers: Modern Jazz in Revolutionary Times.” Admission to the Fowler Museum is free.