Named for the late jazz scholar and cultural activist (who was also an early Foundation board member, and later an executive director), the Tom Dent Congo Square Lecture Series provides a thoughtful outlet for our creative community with monthly lectures and more, all relating to issues of culture and society. Keep an eye on all of our upcoming events or sign up for our newsletter for the most up-to-date information.

About Tom Dent

Tom Dent (1931-1998) was a jazz scholar, playwright, oral historian, journalist and cultural activist. He was also an early board member of the Jazz & Heritage Foundation, and served as executive director from 1987 to 1990.

During his tenure he launched the Congo Square Lecture Series as a means to engage artists and thinkers in an intellectual dialogue on issues of culture and commerce. Since its beginnings, the series has delved into the history of New Orleans music and the ways its artists have responded to the world around them. 

Tom Dent (1931-1998) was a jazz scholar, playwright, oral historian, journalist and cultural activist. He was also an early board member of the Jazz & Heritage Foundation, and served as executive director from 1987 to 1990.

During his tenure he launched the Congo Square Lecture Series as a means to engage artists and thinkers in an intellectual dialogue on issues of culture and commerce. Since its beginnings, the series has delved into the history of New Orleans music and the ways its artists have responded to the world around them.

About the series

Since 1987, the Tom Dent lectures have presented an impressive range of musicians, artists and authors. Some of these include: Abbey Lincoln, Randy Weston, A.B. Spellman, Keorapetse Kgositsile, Edward Kamau Brathwaite, Gwendolyn Midlo Hall, Elizabeth Catlett, Vertamae Smart-Grovenor, Olu Dara with Niyi Osundare and Marku Ribas.

There have been special presentations on the cultural connections between New Orleans and Brazil, on the role of creoles in the development of early jazz, the evolution of the jazz funeral tradition and much more.

More recently, the series has presented readings by New Orleans authors, including Tom Sancton and Joshua Clark, and musicians such as Dr. Michael White. Jazz scholar Ashley Kahn and “Urban Blues” author Charles Keil also have been recent presenters. In 2012, the Foundation was extremely honored to host poet, scholar, and activist, Amiri Baraka.

In the past, the Tom Dent Congo Square Lectures also included the Tom Dent Congo Square Symposium. The event has featured top scholars of African culture and how it relates to the New World, such as Robert Farris Thompson of Yale University and the author Ned Sublette. The symposium coincides with one of the Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s cultural events, the Congo Square Rhythms Festival, which is held the second Sunday of November at the site of Congo Square, in New Orleans’ Armstrong Park. For details about the March 2012 event, see www.CongoSquareTalks.com.