Spotlight on "Jazzonia: The Marriage of Poetry and Jazz"

by Kendolyn Walker

Poet Altovise laster begins the may 4th session of “Jazzonia: The marriage of poetry and jazz”, along with musicians andré chez lewis (Piano), kenji tokunaga (bass), alex durant (drums) and kappa tanabe (electric guitar).

June is Black Music Month, an annual celebration of African-American music in the U.S, since the June 7, 1979 declaration by then President Jimmy Carter. In his 2016 proclamation commemorating the month, President Barack Obama noted that African-American music and musicians have helped the country "to dance, to express our faith through song, to march against injustice, and to defend our country's enduring promise of freedom and opportunity for all.

In honor of this tradition, we are paying homage this month to Black artists and musicians who have inspired over the years. First, we would like to highlight the legends of jazz, Nina Simone and Billie Holiday.

This was also the inspiration behind Jazzonia Part Two, held on May 4 at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. The second installment in a three-part series showcasing jazz poetry, a genre of poetry made popular by Harlem Renaissance poet and writer Langston Hughes in the 1920s. One of his first jazz poems, Jazzonia, serves as the title and theme of this project.

I had the honor of curating this program with the vision of honoring Mr. Hughes legacy as well as Nina Simone’s and other jazz greats with modern work by current poets. This event featured spoken word artists Lacresha Berry and Altovise Laster, who performed their own poetry to classic Holiday and Simone tunes alongside the City Love NYC band. What is most unique about this series is that the pieces selected were written and chosen to complement the songs played.

Watch the video below and tune in to the other two sessions on the YouTube or Facebook pages of The National Jazz Museum in Harlem.