HR0261 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0261 LRB099 11379 MST 32173 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, State Representative Monique D. Davis and the members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) on the occasion of its 50th anniversary; and

WHEREAS, 50 years ago, South Side jazz musicians found themselves in a musical landscape that was shifting towards rock'n'roll; clubs were closing and radio stations were going pop; Chicago musicians who had been employed 7-days-a-week found themselves with no jobs available at all; and

WHEREAS, Instead of just accepting the changing musical tastes, Chicago jazz musicians banded together and established the AACM; they invented original musical languages, created intriguing new instruments, and crafted novel ways of penning scores and otherwise defied long-standing presumptions of how music was supposed to be made; and

WHEREAS, Their work was steeped in the rituals of ancient Africa and certain traditions of early New Orleans music, and they managed to convey a vast sweep of black cultural history; the past 5 decades have produced recordings of a vast expressive and stylistic range, as well as influencing other jazz demographics; and

WHEREAS, The AACM's motto is "Great Black Music, Ancient to the Future"; and

WHEREAS, The AACM has kept jazz music alive throughout an ever-changing musical landscape; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians on the occasion of its 50th anniversary and wish them many more successful years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the AACM as an expression of our esteem and respect.