Jazz and the Underworld: Musicians and the Mob in America 

Date: September 8, 2022

Time: 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Cost: Free for Members or with Museum Admission

Watch

During the Jazz Age, mobsters and musicians built a mutually beneficial partnership. Al Capone, Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky’s love for jazz music provided Black artists such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday with opportunities that would not have otherwise existed. But racial inequalities remained part of the underworld system. New York Times best-selling author T.J. English will explore how the Mob’s influence helped to set many musicians on a path to stardom.

A book signing of Dangerous Rhythms: Jazz and the Underworld will follow this program.

Special meet-and-greet opportunity for Museum Members and Donors at 6 p.m. in the Courtroom.