Weeksville & Arts for Art Present a Weekend of Jazz
October 18-20, 2019
Building on their 2018 collaboration, Arts for Art returns to Weeksville Heritage Center to bring the contemporary sound of free jazz which, like Weeksville Heritage Center, was first birthed in black communities during the Civil Rights era. In addition to an improvisation workshop, the partnership features performances by poets Tracie Morris, Fred Moten and David Mills along with noted musicians Gerald Cleaver, William Parker, and Pheeroan akLaff, to name a few.
Just as AFA is dedicated to maintaining the presence of this innovative music and art, Weeksville has similarly worked to document and preserve Brooklyn jazz history through their Lost Jazz Shrines of Brooklyn project, which covers the cultural legacy of jazz history in in Central Brooklyn and contains oral history interviews, jazz ephemera, primary and secondary research documents, musical recordings, publications, and photographs. During the mid 20th century, jazz venues in Brooklyn - largely African-American owned and operated - outnumbered those in Manhattan. Venues like The East and the Kingston Lounge specifically catered to black audiences, and brought in radical artists such as Pharoah Sanders, Leroy Jenkins, and Max Roach. Many artists within AFA’s close circle have roots in Central Brooklyn, including 2019 Vision Festival honoree Andrew Cyrille.
AFA and Weeksville have partnered together to ensure that New York’s jazz history is not only respected, but extended into the future and in the service of the neighborhood and communities who helped birth it.
The partnership begins on October 12 with a free education workshop to introduce local student musicians to improvisation, featuring AFA’s Visionary Youth Orchestra under the leadership of composer and bassist, William Parker.
Later in October, poets, critical thinkers and musicians will gather for three evenings in the Weeksville Center’s performance space.
Friday October 18
7:30 David Mills - poetry
8:30 Gerald Cleaver Trio
Gerald Cleaver - drums / Brandon Seabrook - guitar / Brandon Lopez - bass
Saturday October 19
7:30 Fred Moten - poetry
8:00 William Parker Solo & Quartet
William Parker – bass, gimbre / Val Jeanty – percussion, electronics / Daniel Carter – reeds, trumpet
Patricia Nicholson – words, dance
Sunday October 20
4:00 Tracie Morris - poetry
5:00 Mixashawn Trio
Mixashawn – sax, voice, mandolin / William Parker – bass / Pheeroan akLaff - drums
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