The National Jazz Museum in Harlem continues to offer a wide range of top quality free programming and affordable concerts from jazz’s most celebrated musicians, educators and historians. This May, NJMH will take a closer look into different mediums of storytelling with fresh new programming that approaches the theme from several angles ranging from conversations to performances to film to poetry slams!Harlem Speaks, our flagship public program of oral histories, is taking a new direction this month as we present our first ever poetry slam! Born out of the jazz-infused poetry of the Harlem Renaissance, slam poetry is goldmine of oral histories and with two nights on the themes of Harlem and Jazz we will hear fresh new stories on the neighborhood and music we love.This month’s Jazz For Curious Listeners transports us into Christian McBride’s living room as he sits down with us and catches us up on the big year he’s had. From leading the Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour ensemble to traveling across the globe with his own band and others. Christian will have wonderful stories from the road to share with us.This May the museum launches the new Parallax Conversation Series. Parallax is defined as “the effect whereby the position or direction of an object appears to differ when viewed from different positions.” In this series we will pair two fascinating people who approach a common idea from vastly different perspectives or mediums to improvise on a theme. We begin with master storyteller from Sierra Leone in conversation with the head of the StoryCorps Griot Initiative and then pair kora player and griot with a tap dancer. All four participants are deeply rooted in the world of storytelling but come from opposite ends of the spectrum. We hope you’ll join us to find out what happens when we put them together!So, as you can see, it’s an action packed month for us, as usual. We hope to see you, your family and friends at as many of our events as you can make during this exciting month at The National Jazz Museum in Harlem. You’re bound to meet other similarly exciting, interesting and vital people – like yourselves! Friday, May 3, 2013 Harlem in the Himalayas Roy Assaf Trio7:00pmLocation: Rubin Museum of Art(150 West 17th Street)$20/Door $18/Advance | For more information: rmanyc.orgBeer Sheba-born, Tel Aviv-raised, and New York-based Roy Assaf brings his trio and their Middle Eastern/Latin American jazz melding to the Rubin. One of the most promising young pianists and composers on the scene today, Assaf has already racked up some prestigious prizes, including an ASCAP Young Jazz Composer award, and Down Beat student performance and arranging awards. He's played on more than 20 albums as a sideman and co-leader, and released his first solo disc, Respect, in 2012. Tuesday, May 7, 2013 Parallax Conversation SeriesKewulay Kamara and Melvin Reeves 7:00 – 8:30pm Location: Metropolitan Community United Methodist Church,NE Corner of 126th Street and Madison Avenue, enter on 126thFREE | For more information: 212-348-8300 Parallax: noun- The effect whereby the position or direction of an object appears to differ when viewed from different positions.In the first of our Parallax Conversation Series we bring together Sierra Leonian poet/storyteller Kewulay Kamara and StoryCorps Griot manager, Melvin Reeves for an evening of improvisation. Both ardent preservers, collectors, and presenters of stories they no doubt have plenty to talk about but what happens when we give them one word to riff on: “why”? Please join us for what promises to be a wild evening. Get to know the participants!Kewulay Kamara is a poet/storyteller, multi-media artist and an internationally renowned performer who has performed at major venues and cultural centers, including The Cathedral of St John the Divine, The Kitchen, Symphony Space, Gerald Lynch Theater, City Center, The Museum of Natural History and Oxford University, and participated in the Langston Hughes Festival and more. He is the recipient of numerous grant awards from major foundations including the Ford Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, National Geographic, and National Endowment for the Arts. Kewulay Kamara is working on a forthcoming documentary of epic poetry and history.Melvin Reeves came to StoryCorps in September 2006 to manage StoryCorps Griot, a one-year initiative that collected the stories of 1750 African Americans around the country. He has also planned initiatives that focused on Alaskan, Latino, Jewish and LGBTQ communities. He is the Associate Director for Education and Special Projects, and he is currently focusing on StoryCorps U, a program designed to place StoryCorps content and process in schools around the country. More on StoryCorps here:www.storycorps.org. Tuesday, May 14, 2013 Jazz for Curious ListenersCatching up with Christian7:00 – 8:30pm Location: Maysles Cinema(343 Lenox Avenue between 127th & 128th)Donation Suggested | For more information: 212-348-8300 It’s been a while since Christian McBride has sat down and talked with us, and we miss him as much as he misses us. Christian has had a busy year- so what else is new?-and has a lot to lay on us. From leading the Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour to performing across the globe with his group and others, we have a lot of catching up to do. Join us as we get transported into his living room as he regales us with stories from the road and updates us on the great projects he is working on. Wednesday, May 15, 2013 Harlem SpeaksPortraits of Harlem Poetry Slam Competition- Theme: Harlem6:30-8:30Location: MIST Harlem(46 West 116th Street)Suggested Donation of $20 | For more information: 212-348-8300 It's only a hop, skip and jump from the poetry of the Harlem Renaissance to slam poetry. Please join us on May 15th and 29th as the National Jazz Museum in Harlem hosts two amazing evenings of contemporary creativity. You're invited to participate, and there'll be prize as well. From Langston Hughes to Claude McKay to Jean Toomer, the poets of the Harlem Renaissance created stunning and powerful portraits of Harlem and the African-American experience. Jazz musicians were doing the same thing with music, and the marriage of the two laid the foundation for the modern art form of slam poetry. This two-night poetry slam competition will premiere contemporary vignettes of our neighborhood and the music. Poets from all ages, backgrounds and neighborhoods can send in sample work for consideration and 14 will be chosen to kick-off the competition with the theme as “Harlem.” On the second night, with the topic being “Jazz”, the poets will improvise with musicians and judges will select one grand-prize winner. Peppered with live music and quick-fire poetry improvisation, the event will be the first of its kind for us and we hope you’ll join us as we showcase the new stories of our beloved Harlem and jazz! To submit your work for consideration please send a sample to Meera Dugal at mdugal@jmih.org. Tuesday, May 21, 2013 Jazz for Curious ListenersCatching up with Christian7:00 – 8:30pm Location: Metropolitan Community United Methodist Church,NE Corner of 126th Street and Madison Avenue, enter on 126thFREE | For more information: 212-348-8300 It’s been a while since Christian McBride has sat down and talked with us and he misses it! Christian has had a busy year from leading the Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour to performing across the country with his group Inside Straight and we have a lot of catching up to do. Join us as we get transported into his living room as he regales us with stories from the road and updates us on the great projects he is working on! Tuesday, May 28, 2013 Parallax Conversation SeriesAndrew Nemr and Yacouba Sissoko7:00 – 8:30pm Location: Metropolitan Community United Methodist Church,NE Corner of 126th Street and Madison Avenue, enter on 126thFREE | For more information: 212-348-8300 Parallax: noun- The effect whereby the position or direction of an object appears to differ when viewed from different positions.What happens when you pair two storytellers together? Two great stories, right? What happens when one is an American tap dancer and the other is a Malian kora player? Join us for the second installment of the Parallax Conversation Series to find out as these two master storytellers of different mediums get together for a spontaneous reaction to the word “Jazz.” Anything can happen with these two together- you won’t want to miss it! Get to know the participants!Andrew Nemr, mentored by Gregory Hines, is considered one of the most diverse tap dance artists today. Andrew has garnered a reputation for impeccable musicianship and sensitivity, and respect for the craft that he loves. Andrew received an NEA Masterpieces: Dance Initiative Grant to reconstruct the works of classic tap dance soloists, garnering critical and popular acclaim upon their presentation in Echoes In Time. An experienced soloist, Andrew has performed in various venues nationally and internationally including the Blue Note Jazz Club, NY, Town Hall Theatre, NY, The Duke Theatre, NY and more. Andrew was featured alongside Jazz greats Clark Terry, Jimmy Heath, Hank Jones, James Carter, and John Faddis in A Great Night in Harlem at the Apollo Theatre, NY. He has also been the featured tap dancer with the Duke Ellington Orchestra presenting Duke Ellington: The Sacred Concerts, and with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra. Andrew performed regularly with the legendary Les Paul at the Iridium Jazz Club, NYC. Andresw is also a founding member and dance captain of Savion Glover’s TiDii.Yacouba Sissoko is a Master Kora player from the Djely griot tradition. He was born in Kita, Mali. His grandfather, Samakoun Tounkara, began teaching Yacouba when he was 9 years old.In 1993, Souleymane Koli,the leader of the Ensemble Koteba of Abidjan recruited him. Yacouba spend the next 5 years performing all over the world with this 45-piece band. In his career, he has traveled to almost every nation on the African continent, as well as most of Europe, Canada, the US and Australia. He is in demand as one of the best kora players in the world, playing with jazz, Latin and R & B bands as well as traditional African ceremonies. As leader of his own band, Siya, and member of the group Super Mande, Yacouba continues to record with many famous musicians, including the groups Source, Tamalalou and Fula Flute. Currently, Yacouba plays with a variety of well known artists such as Regina Carter, Awa Sangho, Rachel Brown, Kavita Shah, Kakande and Leni Stern. Yacouba also has had the opportunity to record with Harry Belafonte and Paul Simons. In addition, Yacouba works in partnership with La Maison d'Art Gallery in Harlem as a collaborator in bringing some other musicians as part of the galleries' events. Wednesday, May 29, 2013 Harlem SpeaksPortraits of Harlem Poetry Slam Competition: Theme: Jazz6:30-8:30Location: MIST Harlem(46 West 116th Street)Suggested Donation of $20 | For more information: 212-348-8300 It's only a hop, skip and jump from the poetry of the Harlem Renaissance to slam poetry. Please join us on May 15th and 29th as the National Jazz Museum in Harlem hosts two amazing evenings of contemporary creativity. You're invited to participate, and there'll be prize as well. From Langston Hughes to Claude McKay to Jean Toomer, the poets of the Harlem Renaissance created stunning and powerful portraits of Harlem and the African-American experience. Jazz musicians were doing the same thing with music, and the marriage of the two laid the foundation for the modern art form of slam poetry. This two-night poetry slam competition will premiere contemporary vignettes of our neighborhood and the music. Poets from all ages, backgrounds and neighborhoods can send in sample work for consideration and 14 will be chosen to kick-off the competition with the theme as “Harlem.” On the second night, with the topic being “Jazz”, the poets will improvise with musicians and judges will select one grand-prize winner. Peppered with live music and quick-fire poetry improvisation, the event will be the first of its kind for us and we hope you’ll join us as we showcase the new stories of our beloved Harlem and jazz!
