Shana Tucker remembers the day the Uptown String Quartet came to Howard University. There had been many jazz musicians who came to play and mentor students while she attended the school, but this was different.
These were women of color with stringed instruments playing classical, jazz, and soul. Tucker called it her “aha moment,” when she realized her cello could be used for more than just Bach and Beethoven. On the cusp of releasing her second solo album, “Playlist,” one of Tucker’s new joys in life is educating the next generation of musicians. She mixes her love for education and music on Tuesday, April 9 at Elizabeth City State University’s annual jazz festival where she will perform with ESCU/Northeastern High School Honor Jazz Band, and The ECSU String Ensemble. The day’s events include a jazz appreciation workshop for children K-12. “An Evening with Shana Tucker,” begins at 7:30 p.m.
I started playing violin when I was nine. I don't really remember telling people how much I hated it.
We are the sum of our parts. Sometimes there's a methodical way to go about it, and sometimes you just stop thinking and play.
When I wrote those words, it was really just a journal entry. It was the first time I had fallen in love for real for real. - Shana Tucker on the lyrics to 'November'
Shana Tucker's next release is called "Playlist" dedicated to her favorites from the 80s.
