Faculty members of the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies discuss their projects, research, and publications to share their work and interests. The DAAS Faculty Forum will be held monthly on Wednesdays at noon.
Fall 2026 Schedule:
September 23: Jonathan A. Gómez, Assistant Professor of Music, Department of Musicology
“Theorizing Black Musical Tribute Work”
“In this talk, I present the beginnings of what I am theorizing as ‘Black musical tribute work,’ a musical process of paying tribute to a Black musician, living or deceased, through musical performance. I engage specifically with the play of similarity and difference in covering the works of the artist to whom tribute is paid, especially the semiotic capacities of such musical activity. I look to the 2005 album So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross as a case study.”
Jonathan A. Gómez is a musicologist studying Black American musics of the 20th and 21st centuries, particularly popular musics. His work is situated at the intersection of music studies and Black studies, with interests in music analysis and semiotics via linguistic anthropology. He is also a jazz saxophonist, and can be heard on pianist Roberto Magris’ album Live in Miami @ the WDNA Jazz Gallery (2017), as well as on several tracks of Geo Trio’s We Made an Album! (2019). Gómez holds a Ph.D. in music with a secondary field in African and African American studies from Harvard University, an M.A. in musicology from Michigan State University, and a B.M. in studio music and jazz from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. Prior to U-M, Gómez taught in USC’s Thornton School of Music.
October 21: Justine Davis, Assistant Professor of Afroamerican and African Studies; Assistant Professor of Political Science
November 18: Martin Murray, Adjunct Professor of Afroamerican and African Studies; Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning
Fall 2026 Schedule:
September 23: Jonathan A. Gómez, Assistant Professor of Music, Department of Musicology
“Theorizing Black Musical Tribute Work”
“In this talk, I present the beginnings of what I am theorizing as ‘Black musical tribute work,’ a musical process of paying tribute to a Black musician, living or deceased, through musical performance. I engage specifically with the play of similarity and difference in covering the works of the artist to whom tribute is paid, especially the semiotic capacities of such musical activity. I look to the 2005 album So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross as a case study.”
Jonathan A. Gómez is a musicologist studying Black American musics of the 20th and 21st centuries, particularly popular musics. His work is situated at the intersection of music studies and Black studies, with interests in music analysis and semiotics via linguistic anthropology. He is also a jazz saxophonist, and can be heard on pianist Roberto Magris’ album Live in Miami @ the WDNA Jazz Gallery (2017), as well as on several tracks of Geo Trio’s We Made an Album! (2019). Gómez holds a Ph.D. in music with a secondary field in African and African American studies from Harvard University, an M.A. in musicology from Michigan State University, and a B.M. in studio music and jazz from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. Prior to U-M, Gómez taught in USC’s Thornton School of Music.
October 21: Justine Davis, Assistant Professor of Afroamerican and African Studies; Assistant Professor of Political Science
November 18: Martin Murray, Adjunct Professor of Afroamerican and African Studies; Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning
| Building: | Haven Hall |
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| Website: | |
| Event Type: | Lecture / Discussion |
| Tags: | AEM Featured, african and african american studies, african and afroamerican studies, African Diaspora, African Language, African Studies |
| Source: | Happening @ Michigan from Department of Afroamerican and African Studies |
| Upcoming Dates: |
Wednesday, September 23, 2026 12:00-1:00 PM
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