On Thursday evening, April 11, 2024, at 6:00 p.m., the Museum of the Albemarle and Elizabeth City State University, will host the Max Roach Centennial Celebration Jazz Festival opening night reception with special guest Elizabeth City native, A. B. Spellman. Spellman has written essays and poetry for Rhythm magazine and taught at Morehouse College, Emory University, Rutgers, and Harvard University.
In 1975, Mr. Spellman became director of Arts in Education Study Projects for the National Endowment for the Arts. Spellman retired from the NEA in 2005. In 2024, Mr. Spellman won a Grammy Award in the category Best Classical Compendium for the project Passion for Bach and Coltrane.
Guests will be able to meet Mr. Spellman in the lobby starting at 6 p.m. At 6:45 p.m., A Conversation with A.B. Spellman hosted by Veronica Downing of ECSU/ WRVS Jazzy 89.9 Radio Show Honey Vibes Weekend Radio Show and the JazzHead Podcast will be held in the auditorium and will be followed by light refreshments.
The Max Roach Centennial Celebration and Jazz Festival 2024 is sponsored by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts
About the Museum of the Albemarle
The Museum of the Albemarle is located at 501 S. Water Street, Elizabeth City, NC. (252) 335-1453. www.museumofthealbemarle.com. Find us on Facebook! Hours are Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Closed Sundays and State Holidays. Serving Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Hyde, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell, and Washington Counties, the museum is the northeast regional history museum of the North Carolina Division of State History Museums within the N.C.
Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina’s social, cultural, and economic future. Information is available 24/7 at www.dncr.nc.gov.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.
The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the N.C. Zoo, the N.C Symphony, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.