Category: music

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Happy Birthday, Trane

Tomorrow September 23, 2021, would have been John William Coltrane’s 95 birthday. This year, after 5 years of living in Trane’s home state of NC for almost 5 years now, I finally got to celebrate his commemorate his birthday in a way that I think got me thinking again about what his life and music have meant to me.

My friend and neighbor, Jazz Incognito,  (WXYC 89.3 FM Chapel Hill) has an amazing radio show that spend so much good music, invited me on his show to speak about John Coltrane, poetry, and what his work has meant to me. Not only was it a lot of fun, but I think it could be a step toward my own re-engagement with his work. Some time ago, I remember being discouraged from writing poems inspired by Jazz and Trane by some folks whose opinion I really took to heart, so I had stopped. Today, as a poet and writer, I have a little more confidence in my voice and more tools at my disposal, so perhaps I am better equipped to reflect and more fully say what I want to say about Trane’s life and music.

Here the interview I did with Jazz Incognito and a portion of the show. I encourage you to check out the whole show when it air and check out the amazing archive of shows on Jazz incognito, you won’t be sorry .

Here is one of my poems inspired by Trane and his experiences in Japan. Thanks to Kim Roberts for publishing this poem on Beltway back in 2007, it was (and still is) such a blessing to have my poems published there among writers and thinkers who love.

TRANE’S BLUES @ NAGASAKI

in a world where calls to prayer
are interrupted by the hot wail

of breaking bones and the rhythm
of blood spilling.

i have learned to question.

what is this way of seeing, viewing
the world through a ring of brass?

what is the sound that follows sight
whole notes blown

to be a force for good…

a drone calls me at the hour of God;
the sound is like that first hit.

the high that begins the search
more inward, than interstellar

i have found that the warm space
under sheets of sound

is my sanctuary, the calm center of a whirlwind
trapped in fire-shaped brass; every whole

note is a prison for all
the suffering I have ever seen.

Here are some links to other poems I had published on Beltway
Fred Joiner: The Wartime Issue
Fred Joiner: DC Places Issue
Fred Joiner: Audio Issue

Here is a piece I wrote for Trane’s 81st birthday on the now-defunct website Everyday Citizen:

A freestyle first meditation on _being a force for good_ on Trane’s 81st birthday (done in one take) (Everyday Citizen)

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Random Hip-Hop & Poetry Thought 01

inheritance

I have had the privilege of knowing Bro. Yao  ( Hoke S. Glover III) for quite some time. I don’t really remember how long it has been, but I do remember the conversations we used to have at the Karibu Books that was in the Landover Mall.  We did not learn that we were both poets until a bit later.

Today on Rattle’s website‘s, Bro. Yao’s poem “PUTTING THE NIGGERS TO REST“ is the poem of the day. After reading it, I immediately thought of The Roots song 75 Bars (Black Reconstruction) ( I also thought of DuBois’ Black Reconstruction in America, but that is a much longer discussion for another time), from their 2008 album Rising Down; on which Black Thought uses both Nigger(s) and Nigga(s) repeatedly in punctuating his lines.

Right of the top, in Yao’s poem, I do notice various types rhymes and sonic pleasures that Yao layers into the poem.

I am going to spend some time with these two pieces to look for similarities beyond the repetition of Nigger(s)/Nigga(s) and the strikingly similar distribution of the word throughout, but I  couldn’t ignore both poets’ use of Nigger(s)/Nigga(s) , perhaps as a way of pointing to some other layered meaning …….

Other Links to check out:
Bro. Yao’s (Hoke S Glover III) new book, Inheritance

Mos Def and Black Thought rhyming 75 Bars (Black Reconstruction)

 

 

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half note #002

do-you-want-more-image the-roots-and-then-you-shoot-your-cousin-cover-art

Every since I first saw The Roots “Do You Want More?” album cover, something about it has always seemed like “a visual sample” of Romare Bearden’s “Pittsburgh Memory”. Although  I am not quite sure that the structure over the head of the character on the right in Bearden’s collage is a bridge, but it is definitely some type of city infrastructure that suggests the same type of feeling from a visual standpoint.

As I think about Bearden’s eye, I think it is safe to say that he and The Roots have/had their eyes/ears/bodies steeped in the concerns of “the folk” , the everyday people that poem beauty and ugliness into song that sings on canvas, stage, page, tongue, arm, leg, leg, arm, head, whatever…

What I enjoy most about The Roots, whether or not i totally dig the album from a musical angle, is that their albums always give me something to think about as an entire package, cover, liner notes (those Major Jackson joints were the bomb), song titles, ideas in the songs, etc, etc…and that is what I am most looking forward to in this new album…Ear up!

 

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Respect the Architect – Kanye ‘s Anthimeria

Kanye West © Noam Dvir, Instagram User dvirnm
Kanye West © Noam Dvir, Instagram User dvirnm

Copyrighted image by dvirnm

So I guess I should start by saying I am not a Kanye fan and after reading about some of the blacklash…ahem backlash from members of the architecture establishment in Lian Chikako Chang’s article about Kanye’s recent visit to Harvard Graduate School of Design (I walk past here all the time while on Residency at Lesley doing my MFA)… I am still not a fan, but as poet/curator/hiphophead I really dug Kanye’s mini-lecture at Harvard School of Design.

The -lash  is mostly centered around Kanye’s use of the “architected”. I understand this on many levels as poet and as someone trying to deal with language I understand that he used a rhetorical device called Conversion or Verbification or Anthimeria  or sometimes known as “verbing the noun”. This is common practice in the African American creative realm and is found all over in African American literature, drama and so on and so forth, so it comes as no surprise that an artist whose currency is language would say something like this. I always love to hear Sonia Sanchez say “poeting” when she talks about what she does; graphic designer Alan Flecther also used the term in the title of book Picturing and Poeting.

What I really love about this specific term is that it another way to describe a process that takes something from an idea caught in the flesh and blood, that is in our brains and makes a “thing” out in the world. It speaks to a very deliberate and intentional process by which to bring something abstract into the physical world…I cannot argue with Kanye on that.
I think the more ways we can find to articulate that sentiment and work ethic the better, be it architecting, poeting, whatevering, etc.

The other thing that I think the -lash makes clear is that in a profession that is 91.3% “white”, the fear of having someone who does not look the part, but who has such a huge platform, co-opting their language appears to be a threatening proposition…

Anyway, go read Lian Chikako Chang’s article For Architects Only? How Kanye Exposed Architecture’s Bias, also check out Phaidon’s blog from over a year ago (July 2012) about Hip Hop Architecture, and other articles about Hip Hop Architecture here , here  , here  and the work of Earl S Bell for good measure. Also check out other examples of verbing the noun – “architecting” in the Caribbean with the “V is for Veranda” Project.

When you are done with all that go check out Guru and Bahamadia on Respect the Architect, (that phrase comes from a Biz Markie sample from Nobody Beats the Biz)…architecting for real!

UPDATE: Also shout out to Doug Patt author of How to Architect

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Still Blue?

I am almost ashamed to say that I did not remember that Amiri Baraka’s Blues People: Negro Music in White America was published 50 years ago in 1963.

Here and Here. Baraka lays down the hard fact of the heavy learning mojo that the late Sterling A. Brown put on him (and Toni Morrison, A.B. Spellman, Lucille Clifton, Thomas Sowell and many others).  These are writers and thinkers that inform who I am today so I through them (and his work as well)  I have come to a greater appreciation for Sterling A. Brown.

This appreciation becomes even more significant  as I think about the my recent family reunion down in the heart of  Gullah/Geechee land (Coastal South Carolina), I am remind that I am part of the Blues People Continuum or as Dr. Tony Bolden put it the “blues network.”( his book is called Afro-Blue: Improvisations in African American Poetry and Culture 

bluesnet

I like the fact that Dr. Bolden’s  makes space in the “blues network” for all forms of  “African American vernacular culture” beyond just music, because this is the foundation for some of the new projects that I have coming up. This kind of grounding will be the perfect marriage of my current obsessions.

Thank you Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones) for the work…to be continued

 

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African American Art and Culture on Tour (from International Arts & Artists)

header-black.pngdancetheatre.jpg“One of ballet’s most exciting undertakings.”
– The New York Times, 1971 Dance Theatre of Harlem: 40 Years of Firsts

Highlighting Dance Theatre of Harlem’s 40-plus year history, this magnificent exhibition celebrates the history and art of dance with 22 costumes, set pieces, videos, photographs and tour posters from four staged ballets including: A Streetcar Named Desire, Creole Giselle, Dougla and Firebird. Dispelling the belief that ballet could not be performed by those of African decent, Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook founded the Dance Theatre of Harlem in 1969. This multi-media exhibition captures the majesty of the choreography, the beauty of the costuming, and the dancers who defied gravity and stereotyping. With a modest beginning, holding classes in a warehouse on 152nd Street, the school has greatly expanded and since grown into a multi-cultural dance institution.

The exhibition comes with customized costume forms and backdrops for the four staged ballets. Banners are long and can be mounted to a wall, or will require tall ceilings to hang in open air space.

Available:
May 2013 – December 2015

Contact:
Beth Pacentrilli

Reflections: African American Life from the Myrna Colley-Lee Collection“Reflections presents the lives, traditions, and environments of African Americans from the 20th century to the present…It allows viewers to connect the strong tradition of storytelling by African Americans, with the sense of place that is largely unique to Southerners.”

Reflections: African American Life from the Myrna Colley-Lee Collection

A dialogue between artist and identity is represented through the more than 50 works selected from the collection of costume designer and arts patron, Myrna Colley-Lee. Reflections focuses largely on the figurative and representational, presenting pieces by such noted artists as Romare Bearden, James Van Der Zee, Elizabeth Catlett, Eudora Welty, and Betye Saar. Myrna Colley-Lee is credited as one of the foremost costume designers in the Black Theatre movement. Her collection juxtaposes works by leading artists with that of lesser known, offering a wide view of African American life and culture from the 20th century to the present.

Following its February 2013 debut at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Michigan, Reflections will travel to Alexandria Museum of Art, Louisiana; Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Laurel, Mississippi; and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Alabama.

Available:
June 2013 – November 2013
March 2014 – August 2014
April 2015 – December 2015

Contact:
Beth Pacentrilli

 

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Dance Theatre of Harlem “In capturing the spiritual and emotional essence of this journey that is an essential part of my own history, I felt a strong sense of connection, and a bond with lives just a few generations removed.”
– Joseph Holston

Color in Freedom: Journey along the Underground Railroad

The stories of the Underground Railroad are some of the most powerful in American history. Color in Freedom is an exhibition of 49 paintings, etchings and drawings by Joseph Holston created to capture the essence of the courage and determination required to escape bondage in pursuit of independence; and to enhance understanding of the condition of slavery and the powerful instinct toward freedom.

Color in Freedom consists of four movements that track the flow of events in the lives of those who traveled along the Underground Railroad: The Unknown World, Living in Bondage-Life on the Plantation, The Journey of Escape, and finally, Color in Freedom.

Available:
April 2013 – mid-May 2013
August 2013 – September 2013
January 2014 – December 2014

Contact:
Beth Pacentrilli

 

International Arts & Artists
9 Hillyer Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
202.338.0680 | artsandartists.org

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East of the River Distinguished Artist Award

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Presented by Honfleur Gallery with funding from the Gautier Family

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The first Annual East of the River Distinguished Artist Award recognizes a current East of the Anacostia River artist for artistic excellence as well as significant impact on the DC cultural life.

One EOR artist is honored with this $5,000 award each year.

Nominations for 2012’s East of the River Distinguished Artist Award are due by June 15, 2012.

Who is eligible?

Artists who currently live East of the Anacostia River neighborhoods in all disciplines—including dance, film, literature, music, theater, photography and visual arts—whose careers have made a substantial impact on the arts in the District of Columbia may apply. Artists must have lived East of Anacostia River for at least one year and worked in District of Columbia for more than five years. No one may receive the award more than once. No posthumous awards will be made. Application must include at least two pieces of work that have been completed or are in progress from the current year of application.

What is the purpose of the award?

The award celebrates the achievements and contributions of East of the River artists who, individually and collectively, have made an impact for the wealth of arts in Washington, D.C. Although these East of the River artists have been working in the District of Columbia over a number of years, their role in the DC cultural scene is often overlooked. In recognizing them, the award will help document the East of the River cultural history and continue the long succession of tradition EOR artists. This award is the newest component of the ARCH Development Corporation support for local artists and will be given on an annual basis.

How to apply?

Applications are accepted either by mail only or dropping off applications in person. (Please note: no feedback will be given at that time of drop off.) An application form, a one to two page description of the candidate’s career and its impact, up to fifteen (15) images or documentation of the work along with a required image script, resume and two letters of support are required. Anyone that qualifies as an East of the River artist may apply (see above: Who is eligible?)

NOTE: *All files need to be high res (300dpi and no larger than 5x7inches) burned onto a CD or flashdrive. Please see application for more details.

Who chooses the Distinguished Artist?

The panel is composed of individuals representing a variety of artistic disciplines and others well versed in the history of the arts in the District of Columbia and with specific knowledge of the East of the River neighborhoods. This panel then recommends a candidate to the ARCH’s board of directors.

When is the Distinguished Artist announced?

The deadline is June15, 2012. No extensions will be given. The artist will be notified by August 1, 2012. The East of the River Distinguished Artist Award will include an awards ceremony at the closing ceremony of the Honfleur Gallery Annual East of the River Show, currently planned for September 7, 2012, which is mandatory to attend to receive the award.

DOWNLOAD APPLICATION HERE

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Time Shadows: Music – Chinese|German|American Neighborhood Poetry Collaboration

Poetry Reading
Thursday, February 23, 6:30 pm
Goethe-Institut Washington, 812 Seventh St. NW

Time Shadows: MusicChinese|German|American Neighborhood Poetry Collaboration

Over the last 150 years, Washington, DC’s Chinatown has been home to many immigrant groups. Each has contributed to the vibrancy and diversity of our neighborhood and our city. Three cultures are highlighted in this annual celebration of poetry and voice.
The 2012 poems focus on the topic “Music”, featuring poems by twelve renowned poets. Many of the poets will take part in the reading in person or via telephone.


Chinese Poets:
Xi Murong
Liao Weitang
Song Lin
Yi Lei

American Poets:
Sunil Freeman
Brian Gilmore
Rod Jellema
Fred Joiner

German Poets:
Norbert Hummelt
Hans Raimund
Jutta Richter
Brigitte Struzyk

 

Additional readings will take place throughout the city during Spring and Summer 2012. The poems and translations, along with the full schedule of readings, can be found at www.goethe.de/timeshadows.
In cooperation with the Chinatown Community Cultural Center, the Confucius Institute at George Mason University, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Public Library.

Goethe-Institut Washington, 812 Seventh St. NW
www.goethe.de/washington ; | www.facebook.com/GoetheDC | www.twitter.com/GoetheDC