Tekoa Trail & Trestle slates three lecturers

Tekoa Trail and Trestle Association has scheduled three guest lecturers at Tekoa in the coming months. Ashley Hirt, Eastern Washington University instructor, will talk on "Jazz in the Northwest: Native Roots" March 30 at 6:30 p.m. at Tekoa Empire Theatre. He will cover Native American jazz bands and the relationship of jazz musician Lionel Hampton with the Nez Perce people in Idaho.

The history of jazz music in the Northwest is filled with examples of cross-cultural exchange and a laudable commitment to jazz education. Jazz was adopted by Native American ensembles who toured the region during the 1930s and ‘40s. This era is often dubbed the 'swing era,' associated with bands and musicians like Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller. This golden age of jazz had an impact on the musicians who performed in the Northwest, particularly those in Native American groups who adopted the freedom, spontaneity and joy of jazz as a point of identity.

Lionel Hampton fostered a relationship with Nez Perce people, returning to the reservation each year in order to teach and perform with the Nez Perce students.

Jody Graves, associate professor of piano studies at Eastern Washington University, will give a lecture on “Music Transcends the Middle East Conflict – One Note at a Time” April 27 at 6:30 p.m. at Tekoa Community Church, 301 S. Crosby St.

Dr. Graves has served as a Cultural Ambassador to the U.S. in the Persian Gulf and performed concerts/master classes in Jerusalem and throughout the West Bank region on several tours since 2006. This multi-media presentation/performance highlights several historic events, such as American women teaching music to Arab men for the first time, working with music students and performing concerts in the Middle East in recent years under very challenging conditions.

Logan Camporeale, a graduate student of Eastern Washington University, will tell the story of the "Queen of Fakers" May 9 at 6:30 p.m. in The Tekoa Museum, 139 S. Crosby St. Maud Johnson rode railroads across the country faking elaborate injuries when the trains came to a sudden stop or experienced an unusual jolt. She could dislocate her joints and was skilled with fake blood. After she was "injured," she threatened to sue the railroad companies and usually settled for large sums of money.

She faked accidents in Pullman, Vancouver and Seattle. She was ultimately caught and served time at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.