City of Asylum’s 16th annual Jazz Poetry Festival will present free concerts and readings from eight national jazz ensembles and ten poets from nine different countries throughout September.
The festival will kick off on Tuesday, September 8, at 7:00 PM with classically trained clarinetist and composer Waclaw Zimple in collaboration with Alex Frieheit, Polish spoken word poet and punk singer. Their concert was filmed in an abandoned communist era swimming pool, (discovered by mistake by a friend of Waclaw’s) with perfect acoustics for a stunning musical performance.
WHEN: September 8 – October 1, 2020
WHERE: Online, anywhere
All festival events are free to the public, but require pre-registration.
More information and reservations available by visiting alphabetcity.org/jazz-poetry-month.
“Jazz Poetry Month embodies City of Asylum’s mission to defend and celebrate freedom of expression,” said Henry Reese, co-founder and president of City of Asylum. “Each year, Jazz Poetry Month introduces Pittsburgh to never-before-seen collaborations between local, national, and international writers and musicians. This year’s programs were created in response to the pandemic and the public dialogue focused on longstanding issues of systemic social injustice rooted in racism and xenophobia. Art and shared joy are important ways to create the empathy and humanity necessary for sustainable, transformative change.”
“At its core, Jazz Poetry is about the exchange of music, language, and ideas. Jazz Poetry 2020 melds the familiar with the new—embracing the opportunities of our virtual programming channel and featuring artists and performers from around the globe,” added Director of Programs, Abby Lembersky. “The festival includes 4 commissions from international musicians and poets, filmed abroad and premiered in Pittsburgh.”
The Festival welcomes 4 international stars, 2 favorites from Jazz Poetries past, Waclaw Zimpel (Poland) and Jaak Sooäär (Estonia)… and 2 new to Pittsburgh, Mihaly Borbely (Hungary) and Kaja Draksler (Slovenia). The musicians will perform concerts in unique locations in their home countries (no living room concerts here!), and work with poets from home creating unique, in-language collaborations.
The other 4 evenings feature new work from favorite regional and national musicians, including Thoth Trio, the Off-Minor Jazz Series, and a special evening of Geri Allen music from Yoko Suzuki. Pairing Pittsburgh favorites with poets from around the world.
Jazz Poetry 2020 closes City of Asylum’s 15th anniversary season and although it’s been a dramatically unexpected season, there is still much to celebrate. This festival allows the virtual home built for artists over the last several months to continue to connect artists and audiences, and grow international community committed to protecting and celebrating creative freedom of expression.
About City of Asylum:
City of Asylum opened its doors in 2004 with a mission to provide sanctuary to literary writers exiled under threat of persecution. The organization creates a thriving community by defending, celebrating, and building on creative free expression. Now in its 15th year, City of Asylum operates the largest writer sanctuary program in the world, has re-developed over $12.5 million of abandoned property on Pittsburgh’s Northside, and presents over 180 globally focused arts and humanities programs annually at its state-of-the-art cultural center, Alphabet City. All City of Asylum programs are free to the public.
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