Farmington Library Hosts 'Sweet Music in Harlem'

Ann Arbor author Debbie A. Taylor's children's book, "Sweet Music in Harlem," will come to life at the Farmington Community Main Library on Monday, Feb. 22.

Young participants in the free event starting at 7 p.m. will discover a peer in C.J., the story's main character. He's 8 years old, maybe 9, and he faces a big challenge. His beloved Uncle Click is a well-known jazz musician who is preparing for a photo shoot with Highnote magazine, but Uncle Click's signature hat is missing. C.J.'s search takes him on a whirlwind tour through Harlem, through which life lessons are learned.

Taylor says children who take part in the interactive program, including interludes with the Schoolcraft Community College Jazz Band, will learn about more than just music.

"C.J. is encouraged to work hard, and his friends express confidence in him," she explains. "The support of family and friends is important to any artist. I'm fortunate that my family has always supported my aspirations, whether it was learning to write cursive letters in elementary school or pursuing a sport or completing a story."

The Harlem setting is as important as the story, Taylor adds.

"I identify closely with the spirit of camaraderie and community." she notes. "For me, this book captures the spirit of our large family reunions and frequent smaller gatherings with my sisters, brothers, and their families."

Grant Supports Special Event

Farmington Hills Community Library is receiving financial support from the "Picturing America Bookshelf" project, sponsored through the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association.

"I'm really excited about this event because the appeal is so wide, both for children and for adults," says Laura Scott, a children's librarian who arranged for Taylor's visit and paired the author with the Schoolcraft band.

"The content of the book may be abstract for children who may not know what jazz is, or where Harlem is," Scott explains. "We have copies of the book on our shelves, and now we can bring in the author and bring in the music, and really make it come alive."

The Story Behind the Story

Taylor notes that her husband of 20 years, Charles Taylor, is a longtime jazz enthusiast. For his birthday back in the early 1990s, she bought him a T-shirt that displays a 1958 print by the noted African American photographer, Art Kane. Entitled "A Great Day in Harlem," the photo assembles 57 noted musicians on the steep front steps of a Harlem walk-up apartment building. The luminaries range from Count Basie to Dizzy Gillespie, from Mary Lou Williams to Thelonius Monk.

Charles Taylor could tell story upon story about the musicians, but on one occasion, his spouse asked about the row of children who are seated in front along the curb. Charles Taylor explained that Kane simply had gathered some neighborhood kids for added effect. In response, the children's author within Debbie Taylor clicked, in the same manner that a musical inspiration would cause a click within her fictitious Uncle Click.

"Instantly, I knew this could be transformed into a book," says Debbie Taylor, who already had experience writing short pieces for children's magazines such as Spider, Cricket, Pocket and New Moon Magazine.

Her imagination was unleashed. Once she came up with the story line of C.J. searching for Uncle Click's hat, she had all sorts of choices for the Harlem places that C.J. would visit. She eventually settled upon a barbershop, a diner and a night club.

"At times, I imagined myself actually in Harlem on that particular day, smelling the food from the restaurants, listening to the conversations of the people, hearing the music in the clubs," she says. "I enjoyed finding the right dialogue and unearthing the unique expressions of each character."

Inspiration for Young Minds

When relating jazz to her young audiences, Taylor realizes that "improvisation" is a big word for first- and second-graders to wrap their minds around. She sticks to basics.

"Improvisation means that every time a jazz artist plays a song, it can sound different," she explains, with enthusiasm.

At the same time, Taylor notes that jazz music does not go beyond children's minds. One example is the use of the jazz genre in cartoons.

"The Charlie Brown Christmas Album, for instance -- that contains some beautiful, beautiful jazz," she says.

Children often ask Taylor whether she plays a musical instrument herself. She explains that her family in Columbus, Ohio, did not have enough money to pay for an instrument and lessons, but that youngsters today have more opportunities. She adds that she is "trying to learn to play the clarinet" and that her adult daughters, Erika and Elaina, play the clarinet and the violin.

For her day job, Taylor is director of the University of Michigan's Women's Engineering Office, where she helps to connect female graduate students with careers in science and engineering. She has earned degrees from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State University and Ohio Dominican College. Her website is http://sweetmusicinharlem.weebly.com.

Farmington Community Main Library is located at 32737 W. 12 Mile Road in Farmington Hills. For information on the Feb. 22 event, call 248-553-0300.

SOURCES

Debbie Taylor

Laura Scott

http://sweetmusicinharlem.weebly.com

http://www.sweetmusicinharlem.com

http://firstgradejazz.com/Debbie_Taylor_Interview.htm