Textural Rhythms: Quilting the Jazz Tradition

by Carolyn L. Mazloomi

Jazz, like quilting, is a woven art form. Both genres produce textural harvests spun from the life fibers of masters of the imagination who create for our contemplation. Quiltmaking, as in jazz, evokes a host of complex rhythms and moods. Some quilt artists listen to jazz music while working on their quilts because the one form of artistic inspiration ignites in the other. When the two forms connect, the creative energy explodes exponentially. Textural Quilting the Jazz Tradition releases both the individual particles and the synergistic power of this explosion. The 83 quilts pictured include traditional, improvisational, and art quilts from some of the countries best known African American quilters. Textural Quilting the Jazz Tradition unite the two most well known, and popular artistic forms in African American culture jazz and quilts. These quilt artists have harnessed in cloth the spirit of jazz, and let us feel, hear, and see jazz music.

Genres: Quilting

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 10, 2007