Category: Jazz

Radical Pedagaogies: Bop Prosody and the Practice of Spontaneous Poetics

6/27/2019

Note: this program is being rescheduled. We will announce rescheduled date soon.

Compound Yellow
244 Lake St.
Oak Park, IL 60302

free and open to the public, all ages

You're invited to come to "Bop Prosody and the Practice of Spontaneous Poetics," which will be led by local poet, editor, and educator Albert DeGenova. Bop Prosody and the Practice of Spontaneous Poetics is the seventh installment in the Radical Pedagogies series.

Bop Prosody and the Practice of Spontaneous Poetics explores the concepts of jazz poetry. The writings of Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and others, posit that to write poetry as a jazz musician creates a musical improvisation is a “practice” more akin to Zen meditation than to traditional prosody. The terms bop prosody or spontaneous poetics represent the writer’s attempt at capturing the purity of spontaneous emotion in a literary medium similar to the improvisation method of a jazz musician. The Workshop will discuss jazz improvisation, Kerouac’s theory of Spontaneous Poetics, and Ginsberg’s long-held “first thought, best thought” dictate; musical examples and experimentation with writing prompts will also be facets of the day’s conversation.

photo: Charlie Parker and Miles Davis

Albert DeGenova is an award-winning poet, publisher, and teacher. He is the author of three books of poetry and three chapbooks. His most recent book is Black Pearl: poems of love, sex and regret; his collection of haibun and poetry, Postcards to Jack, was recently released in a second expanded edition in 2018. His work has also appeared in numerous journals including: RHINO, The Paterson Literary Review, The Louisville Review, Aesthetica Magazine, The Café Review and others. DeGenova is the founder and co-editor of After Hours magazine, a journal of Chicago writing and art, which launched in June of 2000. He received his MFA from Spalding University in Louisville and leads several writing workshops throughout the year at WriteOn Door County and an annual writing week at The Clearing Folk School in Ellison Bay, WI. He hosts the monthly Traveling Mollys reading series (Oak Park, IL) which is now in its 22nd year. He is also a blues saxophonist and one-time contributing editor to Down Beat magazine. DeGenova splits his time between Sturgeon Bay, WI, and the metro Chicago area.

Bop Prosody and the Practice of Spontaneous Poetics is part of the Radical Pedagogies series, which happens at Compound Yellow on the fourth Sunday of the month. This series is co-presented by Borderbend and Compound Yellow.

Mingus Awareness Project 2016

8/20/2016

Mark your calendars! Join us during our next Mingus Awareness Project concert -- November 9th at FitzGerald's in Berwyn. Visit mingusawarenessproject.org for complete details.

Song Lyrics Inspired by Chicago: Our Next Meetup at Mozart

5/18/2016

June 20th, 2016
(6:00-7:00, 7:15-8:30 p.m.)

Mozart Park Fieldhouse
2036 N. Avers Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647

all ages, free & open to the public

hey ask me where hip-hop is goin', it's Chicagoan
Poetry's in motion like a picture now showin'
It's the city, the city y'all, the city.
-- "Chi-City" by Common

Chicago has always given us plenty to talk about. That is why today we will be discussing lyrics inspired by Chicago. From Frank Sinatra to contemporary artists like Common and Wilco, we will discuss why these and more have been deeply inspired by Chicago. This meetup is being facilitated by Richard Washam.

Bring your musical instruments, art supplies and notebooks. These workshops are interactive and multidisciplinary. We have supplies and equipment on hand that workshop participants can use -- including pencils, pens, paint, a piano, other musical instruments.

Location: Mozart Park is in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. It's on the north side of Armitage Ave. -- several blocks east of Pulaski Rd., just south of Dickens and Shakespeare Streets. We meet in the multipurpose room to the left of fieldhouse lobby; some workshop sessions may happen outside in the park, weather permitting.

Transportation & parking: Mozart Park can be reached by public transportation (such as the #73 Armitage Ave. bus, and not far from the Logan Square and Western Ave. stations on the CTA's blue line. Mozart Park has a parking lot on Armitage, east of Avers.

Registering for Borderbend's arts workshop series at Mozart Park: Click here or here to register for the summer term at the Chicago Park District website.

Additional info: You can contact us by clicking here (if you have questions about this workshop or to RSVP). Click here to find out more about Borderbend's arts workshop series at Mozart Park.

Our Next Workshop: Abbey Lincoln, Mel Tormé, Patricia Barber and Kurt Elling

1/4/2016

Monday, January 25th
(6:00-7:00, 7:15-8:30 p.m.)

Mozart Park Fieldhouse
2036 N. Avers Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647

all ages, free & open to the public

You're invited to come to our next workshop, which focuses on four great jazz artists and composers who have strong ties to Chicago -- Abbey Lincoln, Mel Torme, Patricia Barber and Kurt Elling:

We will find out more about these artists' work and lives, and will listen to examples of their recordings.
Workshop participants will create poetry and art inspired by those artists' work.

Bring your musical instruments, art supplies and notebooks. These workshops are interactive and multidisciplinary. We have supplies and equipment on hand that workshop participants can use -- including pencils, pens, paint, a piano, other musical instruments.

Location: Mozart Park is in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. It's on the north side of Armitage Ave. -- several blocks east of Pulaski Rd., just south of Dickens and Shakespeare Streets. Our workshop series happens in the room to the left of fieldhouse lobby; some workshop sessions may happen outside in the park, weather permitting.

Transportation & parking: Mozart Park can be reached by public transportation (such as the #73 Armitage Ave. bus, and not far from the Logan Square and Western Ave. stations on the CTA's blue line. Mozart Park has a parking lot on Armitage, east of Avers.

Registering for Borderbend's arts workshop series at Mozart Park: Click here or here to register for the winter term at the Chicago Park District website.

Additional info: You can contact us by clicking here (if you have questions about this workshop or to RSVP). Click here to find out more about Borderbend's arts workshop series at Mozart Park.

Links:

Our Next Workshop: Captain Walter Dyett, Dorothy Donegan, John Gilmore and Dinah Washington

9/7/2015

Monday, September 14
(6:00-7:00, 7:15-8:30 p.m.)

Mozart Park Fieldhouse
2036 N. Avers Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647

all ages, free & open to the public

You're invited to come to our next workshop, which is inspired by Captain Walter Henri Dyett, Dorothy Donegan, John Gilmore and Dinah Washington --

We will talk about the careers of Dyett, Donegan, Gilmore and Washington, including their connections to Chicago;
We'll listen to examples of those artists' and educators' works, and we will talk about other people who are linked to and/or inspired by them; and
Workshop participants will have opportunities to create music and writings inspired by Dyett, Donegan, Gilmore and Washington.

Bring your musical instruments, art supplies and notebooks. These workshops are interactive and multidisciplinary. We have supplies and equipment on hand that workshop participants can use -- including pencils, pens, paint, a piano, other musical instruments.

Location: Mozart Park is in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. It's on the north side of Armitage Ave. -- several blocks east of Pulaski Rd., just south of Dickens and Shakespeare Streets. Our workshop series happens in the room to the left of fieldhouse lobby; some workshop sessions may happen outside in the park, weather permitting.

Transportation & parking: Mozart Park can be reached by public transportation (such as the #73 Armitage Ave. bus, and not far from the Logan Square and Western Ave. stations on the CTA's blue line. Mozart Park has a parking lot on Armitage, east of Avers.

Registering for Chicago Portraits & Arts Journeys: Click here or here to register for the fall term at the Chicago Park District website.

Additional info: You can contact us by clicking here (if you have questions about this workshop or to RSVP). Click here to find out more about the Chicago Portraits & Arts Journeys workshop series.

Links:

Our Next Workshop: Fred Anderson, Tatsu Aoki, Renée Baker & Mwata Bowden

6/17/2015

Monday, June 29th
(6:00-7:00, 7:15-8:30 p.m.)

Mozart Park Fieldhouse
2036 N. Avers Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647

all ages, free & open to the public

You're invited to come to our next workshop, which is inspired by Fred Anderson, Tatsu Aoki, Renée Baker & Mwata Bowden --

We will talk about and listen to music and other works created by Anderson, Aoki, Baker and Bowden;
We'll discuss examples of people and organizations that are linked to and/or inspired by those four artists' work; and
Workshop participants will have opportunities to create music and writings inspired by Anderson, Bowden, Baker and Aoki.

Bring your musical instruments, art supplies and notebooks. These workshops are interactive and multidisciplinary. We have supplies and equipment on hand that workshop participants can use -- including pencils, pens, paint, a piano, other musical instruments.

Location: Mozart Park is in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. It's on the north side of Armitage Ave. -- several blocks east of Pulaski Rd., just south of Dickens and Shakespeare Streets. Our workshop series happens in the room to the left of fieldhouse lobby; some workshop sessions may happen outside in the park, weather permitting.

Transportation & parking: Mozart Park can be reached by public transportation (such as the #73 Armitage Ave. bus, and not far from the Logan Square and Western Ave. stations on the CTA's blue line. Mozart Park has a parking lot on Armitage, east of Avers.

Registering for Chicago Portraits & Arts Journeys: Click here or here to register for the summer term at the Chicago Park District website.

Additional info: You can contact us by clicking here (if you have questions about this workshop or to RSVP). Click here to find out more about the Chicago Portraits & Arts Journeys workshop series.

Links:

"Adventures in Jazz -- Chicago and Beyond" at Fred Anderson Park

5/27/2015

Wednesday, July 15th (7-9 p.m.)

Fred Anderson Park
1625 S. Wabash Ave.
Chicago, IL 60616

free and open to the public, all ages

The Borderbend Arts Collective presents "Adventures in Jazz -- Chicago and Beyond,” a Night Out in the Parks event that includes a performance by a jazz ensemble and art-making activities for kids. The set list includes compositions by the great jazz saxophonist Fred Anderson, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Charles Mingus, Eric Dolphy, and ensemble members. Musicians: Jon Hey (piano), Rebecca Cohn (trombone), Paul Hartsaw (tenor saxophone), Dan Godston (cornet), Alex Wing (upright bass) and Damon Short (drums).

This program is presented as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks with the support of Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Arts programming in neighborhoods across the city advances the goals of the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Cultural Plan.

Links:

Armitage Arts: Summer Edition at Mozart Park

4/25/2015

Wednesday, June 24th (6:30-8:30 p.m.)

Mozart Park Fieldhouse
2036 N. Avers Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647

free and open to the public

The Borderbend Arts Collective presents “Armitage Arts: Summer Edition,” a Night Out in the Parks event at Mozart Park that includes an interdisciplinary performance with poetry, music and projections, as well as interactive arts-making activities for all ages. The poets include Janina Ciezadlo, Steven Schroeder, Elizabeth Marino, Charlie Newman and Wayne Allen Jones, and the musicians include Adam Zanolini (flute, saxophone, djembe, electric bass), Angel Elmore (piano, clarinet), Dan Godston (cornet, pixiphone) and Lou Ciccotelli (drums).

“Armitage Arts: Summer Edition” is part of an ongoing series that is part of a community-building initiative along W. Armitage Ave; other “Armitage Arts” programs have included the 2014 Armitage Arts Festival, as well as events at the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center and Rosa’s Lounge.

This program is presented as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks with the support of Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Arts programming in neighborhoods across the city advances the goals of the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Cultural Plan.

Funding for this program is also being provided by Poets & Writers. Support for Readings & Workshops events in Chicago is provided by an endowment established with generous contributions from the Poets & Writers Board of Directors and others. Additional support comes from the Friends of Poets & Writers.

Links:

Our Next Workshop: The Art Ensemble of Chicago

5/12/2014

You're invited to come to our next Chicago Heroes & Arts Adventures workshop --

Monday, May 12 (6:00-7:15, 7:30-8:30 p.m.)

Mozart Park Fieldhouse
2036 N. Avers Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647

all ages, free & open to the public

During our next workshop we focus on the Art Ensemble of Chicago. We will:

Listen to and talk about music by that legendary musical group;
Talk about how the AEC connects with other people and things (e.g. examples of its influences and who it has influenced; how it pertains other musical ensembles such as the Sun Ra Arkestra and the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians);
Talk about examples of AEC members' other artistic projects (such as Roscoe Mitchell's Nonaah and Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy);
Make music with voice, percussion and other instruments.

Location: Mozart Park is in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. It's on the north side of Armitage Ave. -- several blocks east of Pulaski Rd., just south of Dickens and Shakespeare Streets. Our workshop series happens in the room to the left of fieldhouse lobby; some workshop sessions may happen outside in the park, weather permitting.

Transportation & parking: Mozart Park can be reached by public transportation (such as the #73 Armitage Ave. bus, and not far from the Logan Square and Western Ave. stations on the CTA's blue line. Mozart Park has a parking lot on Armitage, east of Avers.

Registering for Chicago Heroes & Arts Journeys: You can register for this workshop series at the Chicago Park District website.

Additional info: You can contact us by clicking here (if you have questions about this workshop or to RSVP). Click here to find out more about the Chicago Heroes & Arts Journeys workshop series.

Links:

Rhizome Bloom

4/29/2014

Rhizome Bloom: a multi-genre exploration
with music, poetry, projections & movement

Tuesday, April 29 (8 p.m.)

Chicago Temple
77 W. Washington St.
Chicago, IL

$7 suggested donation

"Rhizome Bloom" features premieres of Deep Black Garden II & Weep Dark Blue by Renée Baker. The American musical genius Duke Ellington was born on April 29, 1899; this performance event features a tribute to Ellington in the program as well.

ensemble members:
Renée Baker -- composer
Angel Elmore -- piano
Dan Godston -- trumpet
Jenae Taylor -- movement
Charles Joseph Smith -- piano & movement
Lou Ciccotelli -- drums