Francesco Martinelli: King Zulu (lecture)

“King Zulu” is a typical 1986 painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat. Clearly attached to the imagery of jazz musicians, and usually mentioned as a generic tribute to Louis Armstrong or Miles Davis, it has not been analyzed in depth yet.

The lecture will identify all the sources of the images included in the painting, exploring their relationship with the music. Seeing side by side the original images and listening to the music implied by the painting will further the understanding of the work as a comment about the roots and development of jazz, allowing a proper reconsideration of Basquiat’s oeuvre within the complex fabric of African-American culture and creativity in the Americas.

Francesco Martinelli teaches History of Jazz at Siena Jazz University, Pietro Mascagni Conservatory in Leighorn (Italy). He is active as essayist, and translator. He was the editor of the massive History of European Jazz volume published by EJN/Equinox in 2018.