NBA Hall of Famer and Harlem native Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-a lifelong jazz fan-will appear on Thursday, Dec. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the Museum of the City of New York as special guest for “Harlem Speaks,” an ongoing series of conversations with, and performances by, notable local musicians and cultural figures. The event is free and will be hosted by XM Satellite Radio’s Maxx Myrick. Call 212-348-8300 to RSVP.
The leading scorer in NBA history and generally considered the greatest basketball player of all-time (along with Michael Jordan), Abdul-Jabbar’s love of jazz-he’s a self-professed Monk fanatic-began at an early age due to being raised by a father who was a Juilliard-trained trombonist and vocalist. In an interview with bassist Christian McBride and writer Larry Blumenfeld, Abdul-Jabbar will discuss his new documentary On the Shoulders of Giants, scheduled for release in Feb. 2007. The film-featuring a score by Herbie Hancock-explores the relationship between jazz, hip-hop and basketball.
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