The Langston Hughes Project, a well done display of culture and celebration honoring African-American history, was held March 22 in the Student Union Theatre and left many audience members feeling uplifted.

Langston Hughes was a famous American poet, playwright and social activist from Missouri. He is best known for helping create jazz poetry and being a stand-out leader for the Harlem Renaissance in New York City.

Ronald C. McCurdy was the charismatic genius behind the project. Currently a music professor at the University of Southern California, McCurdy has a long history with jazz and African-American studies and has won several awards.

He has also performed across the country and the globe with his various ensembles. McCurdy serves as a consultant to the Grammy Foundation and has had ties with the Walt Disney Company for more than 20 years.

Three University students opened the presentation with their winning pieces of slam poetry.

Hughes’s voice then welcomed the audience to the show and McCurdy began the night with an insightful and humorous monologue.

He told stories about African-American culture in 1960s America, like the Newport Jazz Festival, which Hughes was supposed to host, but the fest was shut down because of riots. McCurdy also gave a plethora historical context before beginning the performance so the audience could better understand the pieces to come.

A jazz quartet of piano, upright bass and drums provided a smooth, jazzy backdrop for the show of spoken word, song and performances led by McCurdy. Vintage images and clips in sepia tones from the Harlem Renaissance were projected on screen throughout.

Operating under the theme “Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods of Jazz,” each performance was dubbed a different “mood,” including “Cultural Exchange,” “Ode to Dinah” and “Blues in Stereo,” with the closing mood titled “Show Fare, Please.” 

Every act was an alternative yet beautifully creative way of telling important narratives many often forget.

McCurdy embodied a one-man show while singing, reciting and playing the trumpet for all twelve acts. He truly captured the audience, even getting many  to shout “Amen” at one point.

Topics touched upon by the music and poetry were deep, touching and thought provoking. African-American struggles were highlighted, especially racism in America and poverty. McCurdy also brought stories of the old South to life.

The Student Union Theatre offered an unforgettable performance highlighting Hughes’s commentary on the struggle for freedom and equality that so many before and after him fought for. To top it off, McCurdy was a wonderful entertainer, along with the appealing artwork and velvety music.