In art, as in life, collaboration is powerful.  The whole can be so much more than the sum of its parts.  JusticeAid exists to collaborate with social justice organizations and individuals to create a community that can do more than any of us can do alone.  In this special edition of Justice+Art we spotlight two artistic powerhouses—Matthew Whitaker, a musician whose genius has graced many JusticeAid events, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, founded by visionary dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey.  We celebrate the success of both their separate accomplishments and their unique collaboration Finding Free that premieres this month.

Music

Listen to Whitaker’s interpretation of “The Organ Grinder’s Swing” by Jimmy Smith.
On Their Shoulders: An Organ Tribute by Matthew Whitaker

Three-time JusticeAid performing artist and jazz composer-pianist-organist Matthew Whitaker’s new album, On Their Shoulders: An Organ Tribute (June 2024, MOCAT Records), is a tribute to the Hammond B-3 organists who popularized the instrument in jazz music, including Jimmy Smith, Charles Earland, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Joey DeFrancesco, and Elbernita “Twinkie” Clark. Whitaker also includes his own compositions on the album.

Whitaker’’s musical journey began at age 3 with a keyboard gift from his grandfather. A musical prodigy, by age 10 Whitaker was the opening performer for Stevie Wonder’s induction into the Apollo Theater’s Hall of Fame. Whitaker has performed at venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and the Lincoln Center, and began performing internationally when he was only 11.

Whitaker is a three-time ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award winner, with three studio albums as a leader; Outta The Box, Now Hear This, and Connections, and recently released his fourth recording, On Their Shoulders: An Organ Tribute. He has collaborated with industry greats like pianist, multiple Grammy-award winning composer, vocalist, and band leader Jon Batiste; Grammy-winning bassist Christian McBride; NEA Jazz Master, violinist Regina Carter; pianist, composer, and musical director Ray Chew, bassist, composer, producer Derrick Hodge, and Anderson Paak during the Paralympics 2024 closing ceremony.

Dance

Finding Free with Matthew Whitaker

Finding Free is a new work the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is premiering which was choreographed by former company member Hope Boykin and features an original score by Matthew Whitaker. This insightful work examines the challenges and restrictions throughout life’s peaks and valleys that propel the journey forward. The NYC performances are December 13-January 5th. A few will feature Matthew Whitaker performing live! See video preview.

Alvin Ailey founded The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1958 during a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement. Through his choreography, Ailey dedicated his art and life to uplifting the African American experience while transcending boundaries of race, faith, and nationality. He was awarded a Kennedy Center Honors in 1988 in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to American culture. In 2014, he posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor in recognition of his contributions and commitment to civil rights and dance in America. He died of an AIDS-related illness on December 1, 1989.

Art

Edges of Ailey

Edges of Ailey is the first large-scale museum exhibition to reflect on the life, work, and legacy of visionary founder, dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey. The dynamic showcase features a multiscreen video installation, live performances, and works by more than eighty artists who touched Ailey’s life, including  Jean-Michel Basquiat, Romare Bearden, Faith Ringgold, Alma Thomas, Jacob Lawrence, Kara Walker, and Micakalene Thomas. On view at the Whitney Museum of American Art, September 25, 2024–February 9, 2025. Read more.

Film

Alvin Ailey created Revelations, widely referred to as his masterpiece, in 1960 when he was just 29 years old. This 2021 documentary film and Sundance selection presents the dancer’s remarkable journey as told through his own words and a new dance inspired by his life, while posing the question, “How can an artist grow after such early success? Who was Ailey the man?” Directed by Jamila Wignot and starring Alvin Ailey, Cicely Tyson, and Rennie Harris. See NYT review.

Featured Writing

Dancing Spirit  by Judith Jamison

Tall, graceful, and expressive, Judith Jamison was an international star with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Often described as a muse to Ailey, she was able to bring his feelings and ideas to life, first as a majestic dancer and then as the troupe’s director. Jamison passed away in November 2024, leaving an indelible mark on the world of dance.

In this candid self-portrait, the author traces the highs and lows of a brilliant career, including her struggle being “the antithesis of the small-boned, demure dancer with a classically feminine shape.” She discusses her 1972 breakout solo in Ailey’s “Cry,” her work on the Broadway hit, Sophisticated Ladies, the formation of her own company, and her sometimes stormy relationship with Ailey. Remembering Jamison

“I haven’t had a family,
but I don’t think of that as a sacrifice:
my dancers are my family.”

—Judith Jamison

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