Middletown Community History: “Life in the Silk City” Lecture & NJ Jazz Musicians Concert

As part of its work begun in NJCH’s Community History Program, Middletown Township Public Library will present a lecture, “Life in the Silk City: Exploring Concepts of Home and Identity Through a Student-Composed Anthem to Paterson,” followed by The Sam Tobias Quartet performing “A Celebration of New Jersey’s Greatest Jazz Musicians.”

Duration: 2 hours (45-minute talk, 10-min Q&A, 1 hour concert)

Lecture: Music educator and Jazz Program Coordinator at Paterson Music Project, Sam Tobias, will give a talk explaining the genesis and composition process of the song “Life in the Silk City,” an anthem to Paterson fully composed by the students of Paterson. The talk will explore the challenges of a collective composition project that involved over a hundred students, meaningful moments in the songwriting and recording process, an analysis of the composition and lyrics through the lens of their relationship to students’ lived experiences in Paterson, and a discussion of how students’ concepts of identity, culture, and home evolved and were expressed through the process of composing the song. The talk will be followed by a 10-minute Q&A with the audience.

Concert: New Jersey was the birthplace and home of many of the most iconic figures in jazz history including Wayne Shorter, Count Basie, Sarah Vaughn, and James Moody. Flutist and saxophonist Sam Tobias and his quartet featuring special guest vocalist Teresa Gotanco will present an exciting array of music that represents the special connection between jazz music and the Garden State. Between songs, Sam will provide historical and biographical context and stories about the musicians/composers and how their time in New Jersey shaped their lives and the course of jazz history.

This event is part of the library’s Community History Project, and was made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.