We'll meet in person before the Martha Graham Dance Company performance on November 22, and virtually in the new year to discuss Wynton Marsalis' insights and wisdom about the vital and essential art form he loves.

Book Clubs are part presentation/overview of the book, and part open discussion among participants. A host will run the presentation and ask curated questions.

Please note that the artists/companies will not attend or participate in these events.

Tickets to attend performances are sold separately: signing up for a Book Club event does not reserve you a seat for the live performances. 

In-person gathering: November 22

Friday, November 22
6:00-7:00pm
Celebrity Series Offices at 20 Park Plaza

“Deborah Jowitt chronicles a life passionately, artfully lived. An essential read about a true legend.”
―Mikhail Baryshnikov

Before the opening performance by Martha Graham Dance Company on Friday, November 22, let's get together to discuss Deborah Jowitt's 2024 biography of one of the most fascinating and game-changing figures in American cultural history: Errand into the Maze: The Life and Works of Martha Graham.

No dancers or other personnel from the company will be in attendance, but we'll head over to the performance with a new appreciation of Graham's ideas and her place in history.

Deborah Jowitt's well-researched and fascinating biography weighs in at 480 pages, but don't be daunted by the length. There are many pages of notes and bibliography, and there's no test on this material: read as much as you can!

Performance tickets are strongly encouraged but not required.

We'll meet up at Celebrity Series' new office space in the Park Plaza Office Building, just around the corner from the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre. Celebrity Series will provide light refreshments and book club hosts to get the conversation going. The distance is approximately 0.3 miles from the office building to the theatre, over flat concrete sidewalks. You'll have approximately one hour between the end of Book Club and the start of the performance. 

Errand Into the Maze is available in hardcover and ebook formats. Buy the book below, or check your local library!

Online meet-up: January 7

Monday, January 7, 2025
6:00-7:00pm
Online (Zoom): meeting information to be shared shortly before the event

“Wynton Marsalis has been a beacon for music since his early twenties. In Moving to Higher Ground, he continues to exhort, elevate, and educate us.”
—Yo-Yo Ma

To get ready for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis performance on January 22, and right on time to help you make and commit to those New Year's resolutions, join an online conversation about Wynton Marsalis' Moving to Higher Ground: How Jazz Can Change Your Life

In this 2009 book that blends self-improvement and music appreciation, Wynton Marsalis draws upon lessons and wisdom from a life in jazz to help us answer some big questions about, among other things, the balance of individual expression and sacrifice for the good of the group. 

Maya Angelou wrote of the book: “Wynton Marsalis is absolutely the person who should write this book... He is not only a seer and an exemplary musician, but a poet as well. He informs us that jazz was created, among other things, to expose the hypocrisy and absurdity of racism and other ignorances in our country. Poetry was given to human beings for the same reason."

The book is a brisk 208 pages, loaded with stories, advice, and thoughtful consideration of jazz history and its current place in all of our lives.

We'll meet on Zoom, with meeting information to be shared on the day of the event. There is no in-person option for this event, and neither Mr. Marsalis nor anyone else from Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will be involved.

Performance tickets are not required.

The book is readily available new in paperback and ebook formats, and is available used in paperback and hardcover. Check your local library for printed books or ebooks to borrow!

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