An Inspired Riff on 'The Jazz Century'

[mjzee]

PARIS – If you've ever stared at a Jackson Pollock thinking, "This is what a Charlie Parker solo looks like," or been moved enough by Thelonious Monk to announce, "He is the Picasso of the piano," here is a show for you.

"The Jazz Century" is being staged in an ethnological museum, the Musée du Quai Branly, but don't expect a collection of native curiosities from a strange, lost world. "This is not a music history exhibition," says curator Daniel Soutif. "You won't see Louis Armstrong's trumpet."

Rather, Mr. Soutif has turned the museum's cavernous exhibition space into a multimedia exploration of jazz music's influence on Western culture and art -- as well as its roots in African and American traditions. It's an ambitious goal, but there's no denying the premise: Jazz may not be as popular as it was in its heydays in the 1920s and 1950s, but as even the contemporary artworks on display show, the music's vibrant spirit is still very much alive.

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WSJ