On Sunday, February 15, students and faculty in Visual Art, African American Studies, Creative Writing, Dance, and Stage Band brought together their talents in a celebration of Jazz music. 'The Jazz Intersection At 'Iolani' showcased works which were inspired by the music of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, and Miles Davis.

Master of Ceremonies Mr. James Harber, host and producer of 'thejazzintersection.com', introduced student artwork in mediums including painting, ceramics, 3-D, and photography. Encompassing Seto Hall, the artwork captured the mood, color, and vibrancy of Jazz.  The original recorded versions of 'Groovin' High',  'Moanin',  'Yardbird Suite', and 'A Night In Tunisia' were the source of inspiration for this project, and they were faithfully represented in the music portion of the show by the Tam-Young Jazz Combo and Stage Band 3 - with an added surprise of sound and light effects. Jazz poetry composed and recited by students gave the audience a taste of their talented creative writing. Next were the girls of Dance 4, performing with Stage Band 3. Their graceful interpretation to the music of Miles Davis' 'All Blues', dressed in flowing all-blue costumes, was a crowd pleaser. The African American Studies class presented a moving and insightful slide show, which tied in the cultural and social impact of the music to Ralph Waldo Ellison's 'Invisible man'. Closing the event was the incomparable Gabe Baltazar Quintet, which included Deshannon Higa on Trumpet, Bruce Hamada on Bass, Elliot Maker on Piano, and von Baron on Drums.

This interdisciplinary project took much planning and coordination. It started 8 months prior and included numerous lectures and presentations to give the students a thorough look into the world of Jazz. Special thanks goes out to 'Iolani Instructors Dave Roberts, Janis Uehara, Alison Uyehara-Ngo, Holly Chung, Ryan Roberts, Russ Motter, Alison Stewart-Ito, Cyrenne Okimura, guest lectures Mr. James Harber and Mr. Elliot Maker, and the Tam-Young Arts Chair for financial support.