Abstract Luke Stewart talks about being born in the Mississippi Gulf Coast and moving to Washington, D.C. in pursuit of music and historical connections to the legacy of radical music and culture in the capital. His approach to performance is that of recognizing musical legacies of the cities, where he is based, and using radical music and culture as tools of resistance and call for social justice. He meets a community of improvising musicians and elders while working at WPFW. Luke continues to meet...

Abstract Sarah Hughes reflects on growing up in Maryland and starting to play the saxophone at the age 9, inspired by a musical family and early exposure to live jazz performances. She Remembers her development as a jazz musician and interest in improvisation. When she starts to attend the New England Conservatory, she builds new skills in the music and meets many inspiring and challenging peers and mentors. After returning to Baltimore, she starts to play music with DMV improvising musicians,...

Scope and Contents

The D.C. Jazz Festival Oral History Project contains four audio interviews conducted by Rusty Hassan and Willard Jenkins in 2017. Indexes and transcripts are included for all interviews.