Another collaboration between Hartt's Javon Jackson and Nikki Giovanni has produced a new album, "Javon and Nikki Go to the Movies." The album will debut on Aug. 23.
Jackson and Giovanni have forged an artistic partnership that all started at UHart. Since bonding together over their connection to jazz during the University of Hartford's annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Observance in 2020, the pair came full circle releasing their first two years later during Black History Month 2022, entitled "The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni."
Their relationship over the years have only deepened, as well as their shared interests. One of them is American Cinema, as directly referenced in latest album's title. The album selects some of Giovanni's favorites - standards from the Great American Songbook, many of them originally composed for Hollywood classics—as well as some of Jackson's own compositions.
On "Javon and Nikki Go to the Movies," Jackson is once again joined by longtime musicians he’s worked with for more than a decade. They include pianist Jeremy Manasia, bassist David Williams and drummer McClenty Hunter. These musicians have appeared on Jackson’s 2018 album "For You" and its 2020 follow-up, "Déjà Vu," then after "The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni," they reconvened for a portion of Jackson’s soundtrack to the documentary With Peter Bradley in 2023. On their latest album, they’re also joined by Grammy-winning vocalist Nicole Zuraitis.
Jackson is professor of Jazz Saxophone and Director of the Jackie McLean Jazz Studies Division, and Giovanni is a renowned poet, activist, and educator.