Please Note: This concert has a rescheduled date (originally June 14, 2025) and an updated location.
Under the artistic direction of maestro Charlie Young, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra (SJMO) has celebrated some of the greatest jazz music throughout its 34-year history as one of the crown jewels of the National Museum of American History.
Today's Concert
Jazz Rides the Rails
Led by A. Philip Randolph, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was organized in 1925 to fight the substandard treatment and working conditions of African Americans in Pullman car service. To celebrate the centennial of this historic railroad labor union—the first of its kind—SJMO presents music highlighting railroads across America. Concert selections include "Last Train from Overbrook" by James Moody; "Blues in the Night" by Harold Arlen; and "9:20 Special" by Earle Warren, Bill Engvick, and Jack Palmer.
Concert will open with special guest speaker, Eric Arnesen, Ph.D., James R. Hoffa Teamsters Professor of Modern American Labor, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, George Washington University presenting a brief lecture on The Carriers and Preservers of Democracy: A Century of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.
This concert will now be held at the Warner Bros. Theater at the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC.
Come early and enjoy a selection of food and drink options available for purchase starting at approximately 6:00 p.m. on Saturday in the LeRoy Neimann Jazz Café. The cafe will also be open during intermission.
Note: This concert's musical program is subject to change.
Additional 2024-2025 Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra Concerts
General Information
