Doctoral duet: Ph.D. student channels jazz legend and mentor Wynton Marsalis in his dissertation

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—In the Bible, trumpets symbolize divine communication. They certainly speak to Rev. Millard Southern III, who fell in love with the instrument’s transformative power as a kid.

A third-generation pastor, Southern remembers listening in awe as legendary trumpeter Wynton Marsalis held a concert at historic Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal church on the South Side of Chicago.

“I was just amazed at how he was able to integrate Black church spirituality and jazz music,” he says. “I mean, he made his instruments sound like a Sunday morning service.”

Southern knew then he had to meet Marsalis and learn his craft. He mustered up the courage to go backstage, and to his surprise, the musician took him under his wing. 

Now, decades later, Southern is pursuing a doctoral degree in interdisciplinary studies at Western Michigan University, and Marsalis is sitting on the committee for his dissertation, which examines jazz as a metaphor for democracy—through the lens of Marsalis’ work.

“What an amazing opportunity to work with him and study along with him and see how he writes and thinks in real time,” Southern says. “I have access to him to bounce ideas off him, to challenge him but also to learn from him. It’s intimidating at times, but Mr. Marsalis is very supportive. He lifts you up. He wants you to find your voice.”

Educational ensemble

Southern’s doctoral work examines the intersection of jazz music, spirituality and American cultural studies.

“In our society, we have many different voices based on political affiliation, race, status, and all these ideas and identities collude and collide,” he says. “So, the question is, how can we create a space in which we value these different voices?”

He points to jazz music as the perfect example: “You’ve got a saxophonist, a trumpet player, the bass, the drums. They all have unique sounds and voices, but at the end of the day, they want to sound good together, so they have to listen to each other and give space to be who they are.”

From page to stage

Drawing on the power of music to bring people together, Southern decided to take his studies a step further—lifting his dissertation off the paper to create a rare opportunity for the community. He invited his mentor, Marsalis, to bring his world-renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra to perform in Kalamazoo this past February for the first time.

“This is a living jazz legend who is creating music for our culture; what an amazing opportunity!” Southern says.

In addition to the concert, Marsalis sat down with Southern for a public discussion about music, culture and the importance of arts education. 

“In a political climate where grants for the arts are being dismantled and there’s less access for young people to be creative, I wanted people to see the power of the arts and how the arts can be used to impact our society,” Southern says. “We need our young people to be able to find creative solutions for the things that they’re facing in this world. Art and music allow you to do that.”

Next-gen jazz

Marsalis, a global ambassador for jazz, regularly takes his craft into the classroom through Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Let Freedom Swing educational program. Since 2013, the program has offered workshops to and coordinated performances for hundreds of thousands of students around the world.

During his discussion in Kalamazoo, he shared a text message from his board’s leadership as they were considering the importance of Jazz at Lincoln Center moving forward: “Jazz has long contributed to our nation’s civic health by inspiring communities to amplify ideals of freedom and democratic participation in moments of crisis. The music has played a particularly important role in bringing communities together in defense of these ideas.”

This is the heart of Southern’s intersectional thesis and what he hopes to do as pastor at Allen Chapel AME.

“If there’s anything we need now in this day and age, it’s things that will bring us together,” Southern says. “There are so many connections when we are able to bridge the gap between church, community and academy.

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