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The
Harlem Stage Gatehouse is the intimate setting for this emotionally
charged work that combines the exceptional talents of Pulitzer
Prize-winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa with the cutting edge sounds of
jazz violinist Billy Bang. Coming from seemingly disparate backgrounds
— Komunyakaa raised in Louisiana; Billy Bang reared in the Bronx — the
two share a common past as Vietnam veterans. In this compelling
production, the artists use music, voice, media, and conversation to
capture their remembered experience of a cruel and painful war. In
Nine Bridges Back, twelve collaborating artists create a collage of
voices and instruments based on poetry by Yusef Komunyakaa that
addresses complex histories and personal experiences in the context of
the Vietnam-American war. Featuring:
Yusef Komunyakaa
(poet); Vince di Mura (composer/keyboards) with Annie Lee
Moffett(vocals) and Tony Jackson (narrator); Susie Ibarra
(composer/percussionist) with Jennifer Choi (violin), Carol To Moy
(singer) and Cathy Linh Che (translator); Tomas Doncker
(composer/guitar/vocals) and Marvin Sewell (guitar); Alan Benditt
(actor); and Noriko Kamo (piano). Dawn Akemi Saito (director).
Billy Bang and his Aftermath Band perform compositions based on Bang's
experience as a combat soldier in Vietnam. Bang's music evokes and
confronts memories through a combination of Western and Asian elements,
including the use of Vietnamese traditional instruments. The ensemble
features musicians who experienced both the Vietnam and Korean Wars. Featuring:
Billy Bang, violin; Newman Taylor Baker, drums; Andrew Bemkey, piano;
Ted Daniel, trumpet; Hilliard Greene, bass; Muziki Roberson, piano;
James Spaulding, alto saxophone, flute; Henry P. Warner, clarinet, alto
clarinet. A pre-concert discussion at 6 pm with artists Bang
and Komunyakaa will be moderated by Brent Hayes Edwards, Professor of
English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University.http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=32865
8:56 PM
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