3PM, Basement WRX
February 21, 2016
Ditch the winter blahs with a Sunday afternoon of inspired sights and sounds:
HEAR tenorman JAMES BRANDON LEWIS’s kinetic, head-nodding exploration of 90s hip hop and its roots. His trio with Luke Stewart (b) and Warren Crudup III (d) melts rooms. This is how jazz does hip hop.
THE ARTISTS:
James Brandon Lewis
James is a modern titan of the tenor. His accolades range from The New York Times to Burning Ambulance, Ebony Magazine–chosen one of “7 Young Players to Watch”–and a host of best-of lists that have honored his last two releases. He has shared stages with such icons as Benny Golson, Geri Allen, Richard Davis, Wallace Roney, the late “Queen of Gospel” Albertina Walker, and avant-garde masters William Parker, Andrew Cyrille, Gerald Cleaver, Charles Gayle, Marilyn Crispell, Cooper Moore, Marvin “Bugalu” Smith, and Sabir Mateen. James has collaborated with the dance company CircuitDebris, under the direction of Mersiha Mesihovic, and extensively with the poet Thomas Sayers Ellis. James attended Howard University and holds an MFA from California Institute of the Arts.
Peter Bodge
Visual artist and educator Peter Bodge has been creating stunning linoleum-block prints of jazz artists for decades. He has seven such pieces in the Smithsonian’s permanent collection, and the National Museum of American History chose his Ellington portrait as the banner image for its jazz collection. Peter’s works also grace the collections of departed legends Max Roach and Clark Terry, and greats from Barry Harris to Sheila Jordan and David Murray. Peter is a Walking Jazz Encyclopedia.
Anthony Orji
Anthony attended the prestigious Jazz House Kids program in Montclair, New Jersey, and earned a full scholarship to Juilliard. His principal instrument is the bass clarinet, which he took up under inspiration from his musical hero, Eric Dolphy. Anthony currently lives and performs in New York City.
Joel Katz
Filmmaker Joel Katz, Chair of Media Arts at New Jersey City University, makes films and videos that expand upon micro-histories to examine broader themes of social history and race in America. His works include Corporation with a Movie Camera (1992, PBS broadcast), Dear Carry (1997, premiere at Museum of Modern Art), Strange Fruit (2002, national PBS broadcast; theatrical release), and White: A Study in Color (2012, Montclair Film Festival). Katz’s work has been awarded grants by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Independent Television Service, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Jerome Foundation, and numerous other agencies. He was a Fulbright Senior Scholar in 2008 and has served on the Board of Directors of Third World Newsreel since 1999 and the Black Maria Film Festival since 2010. Joel lives in Montclair, New Jersey.
SEE artist PETER BODGE‘s stunning linoleum-block jazz prints. His works hang in the Smithsonian. You, too, can have an original Bodge.
HEAR reed phenom ANTHONY ORJI make the bass clarinet sing. The Jazz House Kids/Juilliard alum will open the music.
SEE a debut trailer from Montclair filmmaker JOEL KATZ, creator of the acclaimed documentaries Strange Fruit and White: A Study in Color.
The MC, a new Montclair media platform, will record the event for its inaugural podcast.
And we’ll have an art activity for the kids, and free wine, beer juice and finger foods.