Mickey Tucker

Jazz pianist Michael Boyd “Mickey” Tucker wrote a Negro spiritual-inspired symphony in 1978 that was never performed. Nearly 45 years later, the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra will premiere the piece Oct. 23 in Bloomington, Indiana. And the IU Archives of African American Music and Culture helped make it happen. 

When the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra takes the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre stage to perform “Spiritual Collage: A Suite for Saxophone Quartet and Orchestra” on Sunday, Oct. 23, composer Mickey Tucker will see a lifelong dream fulfilled. 

The performance will be part of “Imagine: Collaboration,” the closing event of “Jazzin’ B-Town: Discovery Through Music,” a two-day celebration created to foster a meaningful exchange between the jazz and classical music communities. Doors open for “Imagine” at 5:30 p.m. for the 6 p.m. performance. Tucker and his wife Sheila will watch the live stream from their home in Sunbury, Australia. 

Tucker, now 81, initially received a National Endowment for the Arts grant in 1978 to compose what he calls his magnum opus. Inspired by the Negro spiritual, “I’ve Just Come from the Fountain,” the work was originally written for a 70-piece orchestra that would fuse classical and jazz musical traditions. But the NEA funding only covered composition and printing, so the Durham, North Carolina-bred artist tucked away his great life’s work for more than 40 years. 

When Tucker shared the story behind the piece, AAAMC Director Tyron Cooper began to visualize the symphony’s powerful ability to convey a spectrum of expressions and lived experiences of Black American creators. “This is extremely significant for the legacy of Mickey Tucker, and also for numerous other Black composers who face barriers when attempting to secure symphonic performances of their musical works,” Cooper said.  

Cooper and Alejandro Gómez Guillén, artistic director and conductor of the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, began working together to normalize musical works by Black composers in the symphony’s regular concert seasons. The BSO recently performed the Indiana premiere of works by African American composers Florence Price (“Symphony No. 4”) and Dawn Norfleet (“Seed”). 

Cooper cites “Spiritual Collage” as one of many masterpieces by Black artists that should be conserved and experienced as part of the heritage of Black people all over the world. The work of AAAMC to discover, preserve, and share such rich cultural materials that help fill voids in the narrative of Black music and culture will continue. “It is of vital importance that AAAMC remain innovatively proactive on the preservation front, as there is much more work to do.” 

Jazzin’ B-Town: Discovery Through Music

Joining the Oct. 23 performance is a lineup of internationally acclaimed jazz greats: pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist Avery Sharpe, drummer Ronnie Burrage, and saxophonists Gary Bartz, Greg Osby, Carol Sudhalter, and Rob Dixon. Mickey and Sheila Tucker will join live on Zoom from Australia, and the performance will be recorded for the award-winning documentary series AAAMC Speaks.  

Additional works and performances Sunday at the Buskirk include “Voices Shouting Out,” by composer Okoye Nkeiru, and the BSO 2022 Youth Concerto Competition winner, Elson Koh, performing Jean Sibelius’s Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47.  

The celebration starts with a free event on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the FAR Gallery. Nationally and internationally acclaimed jazz musicians will discuss their backgrounds and careers, provide a brief masterclass, and take part in a community jam session at the event, which will be moderated by AAAMC Director Tyron Cooper. Space is limited. Musicians who would like to participate in the masterclass and/or jam session may sign up at the door, which opens at 5:30 p.m.