`Crossing John' brings together jazz, drama, choreography

`Crossing John' brings together jazz, drama, choreography

In 1917 jazz was denounced as a musical vice. In the '60s it was hailed as a spiritual revelation. Now it's the basis of a musical called "Crossing John at the Crossroads."

The essence of jazz is that it doesn't conform to a standard (because once a style becomes formalized, it loses its ability to change and reinvent itself) so a jazz musical is by definition indefinable.

Like the jazz at the heart of "Crossing John" the action seems erratic, hyper-agile, independent of structure. The "story" is more emotion-driven than it is linear narrative. Choreographer De Ama Battle and director Del Lewis favor the …