'Remembrance (For H. Freeman)' is an alternate take on one of the most quintessential albums in the history of jazz, while simultaneously serving as a touching tribute to one of...
"Remembrance (For H. Freeman)" is an alternate take on one of the most quintessential albums in the history of jazz, while simultaneously serving as a touching tribute to one of the artist's mentors. Cyrus explores the theory or notion posited by jazz aficionados that John Coltrane had wished his 1964 album "A Love Supreme" to be titled "Allah Supreme." To make the work, the artist digitally scanned the album, which was in Freeman's collection, and then substituted his own alternate Arabic title. Cyrus here is exploring the influence of Islam on black American culture by mining the relationships between jazz and Islam. The work also serves as a fitting tribute to the artist's mentor, Haroon Freeman, who was one of the first black students to attend Rice University and who taught Cyrus about jazz.
Jamal Cyrus "The End of My Beginning", Blaffer Art Museum, University of Houston, Houston, TX June 5 – September 29, 2021; Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, February 5 – May 29, 2022; Mississippi Museum of Art, October 29, 2022- March 5, 2023