Before the Jazz Estate inhabited the East Side and Caroline's took root in Walker's Point, a slew of jazz clubs existed in Bronzeville. The neighborhood doesn't sound familiar? How about I-94? The strip of highway replaced the clubs around the Walnut Street neighborhood and dulled the luminescence of Bronzeville. But for this weekend, the Haggerty Museum of Art plans to recreate the energy of the Jazz Era with the multi-media exhibit "JAZZ: A Milwaukee History."

Written and directed by John Schneider, music director Berkeley Fudge will lead a jazz combo to recreate Milwaukee's musical history. All the while, actors walk through the audience relaying the local oral history. Audience members are not talked at; rather, they are a part of the history.

"Audience members are also performers — it's an interactive experience," said Curtis Carter, museum director.

In other words, you won't get yelled at for tapping your feet too loudly during this history lesson. Dancing is also encouraged.

With the intention of authenticating the Bronzeville experience, tables, stools, chairs, a bar (for those of age) and lighting will be arranged cabaret-style in the lower level of the gallery.

Purposefully planned so that "JAZZ" coincides with "Bob Thompson's Meteor in a Black Hat" exhibit, Carter noted the parallels in the exhibits.

"Thompson was involved in the world of jazz. Jazz musicians were interested in his work, and he in theirs," Carter said. The connection occurring during Black History month only solidifies the importance of the parallels.

The sheer presence of his paintings still contributes to jazz. In addition to the danced, sung and spoken art, "the paintings will provide atmosphere," Carter said.

By using many religiously themed paintings and abstractly improvising upon the previous artists' tastes, Thompson's "paintings reflect the rhythms of jazz," Carter said. "Where there are connections, we like to explore."

Thompson's bright paintings invoke a lot of red, one of the most powerful colors, representing both passion and anger. The clean silhouettes allow for the initial visceral response to the painting's colors rather than the form. Shadowy, ominous figures in the background hide behind these bright visuals.

In hopes to revive Bronzeville, Milwaukee's Common Council recently approved millions of dollars in appropriations to new businesses in the neighborhood, which is defined by Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and 7th Street along North Avenue.

The city seems to have a "steady, ongoing interest in jazz, which has a small audience, relatively," said Carter. "Jazz that goes on in Milwaukee is more underground for, I think, smaller audiences. It's alive, but not thriving."

"('JAZZ') is an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff at Marquette to explore Haggerty in a new way," Carter said. He views part of the Haggerty's purpose to "entertain and inform" students.

"JAZZ" has been performed before in Milwaukee, at the now defunct Theater X where Willem Dafoe (of "Spiderman" and "Boondock Saints" fame) got his start, but has grown organically since its last opening.

"As with jazz, every performance is new and fresh," Carter said. "When it's in a museum setting, it automatically gives it a new context."