“The Great Gatsby” and the Jazz Age--A Special Edition of FitzFirst@Four

FitzFirst@Four, a monthly program series on F. Scott Fitzgerald, will feature a special look at the intersection of music and literature in a presentation on the jazz influences found in The Great Gatsby.  The evening will feature The evening will feature Dr. Joel Pace and members of the world music ensemble, Irie Sol, and a discussion of the music that inspired this classic work of fiction. Join us on Tuesday, April 7, 2015m, at the University Club, 420 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul. This event is free and open to the public. The doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a social hour with a cash bar, providing audience members with an opportunity to mix and mingle with fellow Fitzgerald aficionados. This is followed by the interactive music and discussion program from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

A Saint Paul resident, Dr. Joel Pace is a Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, where he regularly interweaves the works of Fitzgerald into his teaching and research. In addition to his scholarly endeavors, Pace is a composer, singer, and trumpeter for Irie Sol, an eight-piece ensemble.   The group has recently recorded a concept album based on the short stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald, which will be released later this year.  At the event, Pace will perform a selection of songs featured in The Great Gatsby, and will explain how the lyrics of these songs mirror key developments in the novel’s plot.  

The FitzFirst@Four series is a program of Fitzgerald in Saint Paul. It features monthly presentations and discussions on the context and influences shaping Fitzgerald’s great literary works.  The series usually occurs the first Sunday of the month at 4 p.m. at Common Good Books in Saint Paul, but has changed times and locations for this special event.

FitzFirst@Four is co-sponsored by Common Good Books and The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, and this special edition is also sponsored by the University Club.  Fitzgerald in Saint Paul is a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating the life and literature of F. Scott Fitzgerald, the revered American author and cultural icon, in his hometown of Saint Paul, Minnesota. For more information, visit www.fitzgeraldinsaintpaul.org.