A poet and Virginia Tech professor, Nikki Giovanni became an accepted teacher to all and remained generous enough to share her stories with generations of colleagues and students. Working with saxophonist and educator Javon Jackson most recently resulted in “The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni,” a collaboration where the poet selected songs that the bandleader arranged for a contemporary jazz context.

“I can’t sing, so if you’ve heard the CD, you know it. It’s not my strength. But what I love about spirituals is that you don’t have to know how to sing to sing them,” said Giovanni, who only appears on one track from the new album, via Zoom from his home in Christiansburg. “They create a message, a message that is passed down from generation to generation.”

Using Giovanni’s chosen spirituals as an opportunity to bridge past and present, Jackson set about arranging tunes for his quartet, a group of musicians that includes pianist Jeremy Manasia, bassist David Williams and McClenty Hunter drummer. For some tracks, like “Mary Had a Baby, Yes Lord” and “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel”, Jackson tried to familiarize himself with songs he hadn’t internalized, listening to hundreds of them. of times.

This project, like much of Jackson’s career — which has included fronting his own combos, as well as touring with The Jazz Messengers and keyboardist Les McCann, among others — has focused on transmitting music. information. And it was through his position as director of the Jackie McLean Jazz Studies Division at the Hartt School at the University of Hartford that the conductor met Giovanni.

“To learn is to teach and to teach is to learn,” Jackson said of the album, while spending time with the poet.

He invited Giovanni to speak to his students and receive an honorary degree from the Connecticut school. It was snowing when she arrived in February 2020, recalls Giovanni. And outside a building on campus was what she described as a poster with the largest image of her face she had ever seen.

The two quickly bonded over a shared interest and perspective on American music, one where it not only functions as a history book, dispensing a story of black perseverance, but also of faith and hope. .

“It’s an American story,” the poet said of the selections on “The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni.” “I was so proud that a young man like Javon said to an old woman like me, ‘Let’s do something.’ I was so happy to have [someone from] another generation says, “Let’s keep working together; let’s keep those songs alive for this generation right now that way.'”

On the album, Jackson’s ensemble delivers spirited, blues-tinged renditions of songs that might be familiar to those who’ve spent a lot of time in church, though the bandleader insists that it is not a religious album. Jackson, his band, and Giovanni simply sought to recontextualize history. And as part of that, Giovanni sings on a version of “Night Song,” which she says isn’t traditionally understood as spirituality. It was, however, returned with respect by the late singer and songwriter Nina Simone. The poet’s take here is a tribute to a friend and fits perfectly among the other arrangements.

Some of the selections are no surprise; “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” however, is turned into a crisp tempo number, giving Jackson a platform to extol the melodic possibilities of the well-worn melody. The sad “I’ve Been Buked,” which retains an austere disposition, is an offering according to Giovanni that recounts feelings that any “woman on the face of the earth” can relate to.

“Jazz musicians, we have become a little too complacent. So sometimes we don’t consider our audience,” Jackson said, presumably referring to a strain of music more prone to improvisational flights meant to reflect a player’s inner life. “When Nikki selected these pieces, she said, ‘I think these pieces are going to swing. And she is right.

Throughout Jackson’s career, he has found himself in the company of older artists, creatives who have already made their mark on the world and are looking for future generations to take up the torch. Forging a relationship with Giovanni has given the composer a new perch from which he can better understand the past and help offer knowledge to young players and fans.

He’s also always ready to pick out little gems, surreptitiously thrust into casual conversation by those he worked with and admired.

“If you listen to these stories, someone always dared Nikki. And she rose to the challenge,” Jackson said of his time with Giovanni and his career’s evolution over the decades. which allows me to appreciate it from near and far, because I believe that there are two types of people. We are all the same, but we have two choices. We are all capable, but not everyone will And I find that Nikki is ready to be available…for legions, hundreds of people.