The Venue Fine Art & Gifts will welcome jazz pianist Monika Herzig for its “Happy Birthday, Hoagy” celebration starting at 5:30 p.m. today at the gallery. The event will include musical performance, information on Carmichael and a cake.
Herzig, a senior lecturer in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, said she tries to commemorate Carmichael’s life and accomplishments around this time every year.
“Hoagy Carmichael is Bloomington’s legacy, so we have to pay him some tribute,” Herzig said. “I’ve led several of these initiatives before at other places. I also have a lot of students who need extra credit, so I needed to do something for them. Great music, great cause.”
During the event, Herzig said, she will share some lesser-known facts about the musician, such as he actually studied law during his time at IU, among many other facts.
Carmichael’s style flourished at a time when jazz was just gaining popularity and steam in the U.S., Herzig said.
“He wrote songs right on the verge when jazz came up from New Orleans and started creeping into popular music,” Herzig said. “He has this combination of ragtime flavor going into jazz, and it’s a really unique approach. Some of his songs just endured as major evergreens, some of those songs that just changed the world.”
Dave Colman, curator at the Venue, said Herzig’s grasp of Carmichael’s style is what makes her the right fit for this celebration.
“Although Monika is German, she has a real feel for the most American of music: jazz,” Colman said. “She also has an academic approach and has written a book about IU-Jacobs great Dave Baker. She has also produced a video about women in jazz, ‘She Has the Whole World in Her Hands.’”
The event will not only celebrate the popular music of Carmichael but the creative potential and possibilities within the music field inspired by him, Herzig said.
“My goal is enticing people — looking back into these songs and the ingredients going into creating these evergreen songs like ‘Georgia’ and ‘Stardust,’” Herzig said.
Herzig said she has had multiple events at the Venue before, including one revolving around women in jazz and one about jazz music in Indiana.
The Venue’s support for the arts community makes it perfect for a commemorative event such as this, Herzig said.
“You have some very inviting owners who just understand the arts,” Herzig said. “Gabe Colman is an artist himself — that’s why he started the gallery. Artists are supportive and understanding of the arts community. I support what they do.”
Colman said this sort of event shows how intertwined music and visual arts can be.
“Music is one of the richest of all of the art forms,” Colman said. “For me, not only do music and art connect, music is art. Events like this expose the public to great jazz and associate our gallery with something very cool. It also gets people through our doors to see the excellent art and gift items that we sell.”
