Jazz & poetry on the road together in Copenhagen, Amsterdam & London
Monday December 12, 2005
Vermont poet T. Namaya is just back from a tour of Europe with his Jazz Beat Blues Poetry Ensemble, & he advises performance poets to “Go East!
Related article:
“All Together Now! Touring Switzerland with Le Cirque Electrique” (1999)
Read on for the full press release from Jazz Beat Blues:
“The Jazz Beat Blues Poetry Ensemble, fronted by performance poet T. Namaya and virtuoso Bill Shontz on sax and wind instruments, has returned from a very successful European tour of Denmark, Holland, and England. (Tour pictures can be viewed at the band’s Web site. The regular stateside band also consists of Dave Roitman on percussion and Jumpin’ Jersey Adair on bass. The Jazz Beats have gained a reputation as an innovative performance group with their fusion of ‘jazz, blues, the Word, and fun,’ addressing themes as diverse as ‘Whites Only,’ ‘Palestine’ and voodoo love in their trademark style of political satire & humor.
“In Denmark, at one of the leading cabaret theaters in Copenhagen, Café Teatret, the Jazz Beats performed to a welcoming full house with the audience laughing and dancing along to the wry satirical pieces ‘Nuclear Dance’ and ‘Condoleezza.’ ‘Amerika Uber Alles’ brought loud cheers from the audience: ‘We can’t stand Bush either!’ Namaya said, ‘It is amazing, the warm gracious hospitality of the Danes. Playing at Café Teatret was a career highlight.’
“In Amsterdam the Jazz Beats were featured at two venues well known for performance and music, The Winston and the Badcuyp. The Winston, on the edge of the Red Light district, is a favorite place for international artists to perform in an intimate venue. Namaya created one of his most memorable improvisation pieces there when he challenged the audience to give him four words to make an improvisation poem and they gave him ‘quantum physics, fried chicken, pink elephant, and true love.’ In a dizzying flight through the universe on his photon-inspired rocket ship astride greasy fried chicken in search of true love, the audience was won over. Shouts of ‘Encore!’ filled the hall as the Jazz Beats left the stage.
“Brighton, England is the happening place in the UK for performance art, and this charming city on the English Channel was absolutely welcoming and receptive to The Jazz Beats. The Dog House Cats, an English poetry group, also shared the stage for a sold out show. The audience was terrific and the Brighton newspaper Argus said, ‘Outrageous, fun performance poetry.’
“In London the well known bassist Andy Coe, along with Bill Shontz on sax, and Namaya on vocals were part of a program called ‘Bass Line Therapy’ sponsored by Apples and Snakes, one of the leading poetry performance centers in Britain. The program featured the Jamaican poet/singer Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze and the Dennis Boval dub band. Apples and Snakes organizers said, ‘Brilliant show! Great blend of music and the spoken word.’
“Namaya says, ‘My suggestion to US jazz and performance artists is: Go East! Europe is light years ahead of the States in terms of the climate and receptivity for innovative performance arts. The spoken word scene is far more mature than in the US, where the focus is still on the hip hop and slam scene. In Europe there is far more of a sensibility to bring in the full scope of spoken word and music. I was delighted by the warmth, generosity, and graciousness of the audiences we played for. The theater and club owners were astonishingly helpful. We are looking forward to going back for a full tour in summer 2006.’”
Related article:
“All Together Now! Touring Switzerland with Le Cirque Electrique” (1999)
Read on for the full press release from Jazz Beat Blues:
“The Jazz Beat Blues Poetry Ensemble, fronted by performance poet T. Namaya and virtuoso Bill Shontz on sax and wind instruments, has returned from a very successful European tour of Denmark, Holland, and England. (Tour pictures can be viewed at the band’s Web site. The regular stateside band also consists of Dave Roitman on percussion and Jumpin’ Jersey Adair on bass. The Jazz Beats have gained a reputation as an innovative performance group with their fusion of ‘jazz, blues, the Word, and fun,’ addressing themes as diverse as ‘Whites Only,’ ‘Palestine’ and voodoo love in their trademark style of political satire & humor.
“In Denmark, at one of the leading cabaret theaters in Copenhagen, Café Teatret, the Jazz Beats performed to a welcoming full house with the audience laughing and dancing along to the wry satirical pieces ‘Nuclear Dance’ and ‘Condoleezza.’ ‘Amerika Uber Alles’ brought loud cheers from the audience: ‘We can’t stand Bush either!’ Namaya said, ‘It is amazing, the warm gracious hospitality of the Danes. Playing at Café Teatret was a career highlight.’
“In Amsterdam the Jazz Beats were featured at two venues well known for performance and music, The Winston and the Badcuyp. The Winston, on the edge of the Red Light district, is a favorite place for international artists to perform in an intimate venue. Namaya created one of his most memorable improvisation pieces there when he challenged the audience to give him four words to make an improvisation poem and they gave him ‘quantum physics, fried chicken, pink elephant, and true love.’ In a dizzying flight through the universe on his photon-inspired rocket ship astride greasy fried chicken in search of true love, the audience was won over. Shouts of ‘Encore!’ filled the hall as the Jazz Beats left the stage.
“Brighton, England is the happening place in the UK for performance art, and this charming city on the English Channel was absolutely welcoming and receptive to The Jazz Beats. The Dog House Cats, an English poetry group, also shared the stage for a sold out show. The audience was terrific and the Brighton newspaper Argus said, ‘Outrageous, fun performance poetry.’
“In London the well known bassist Andy Coe, along with Bill Shontz on sax, and Namaya on vocals were part of a program called ‘Bass Line Therapy’ sponsored by Apples and Snakes, one of the leading poetry performance centers in Britain. The program featured the Jamaican poet/singer Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze and the Dennis Boval dub band. Apples and Snakes organizers said, ‘Brilliant show! Great blend of music and the spoken word.’
“Namaya says, ‘My suggestion to US jazz and performance artists is: Go East! Europe is light years ahead of the States in terms of the climate and receptivity for innovative performance arts. The spoken word scene is far more mature than in the US, where the focus is still on the hip hop and slam scene. In Europe there is far more of a sensibility to bring in the full scope of spoken word and music. I was delighted by the warmth, generosity, and graciousness of the audiences we played for. The theater and club owners were astonishingly helpful. We are looking forward to going back for a full tour in summer 2006.’”
Comments
Poetry of a Jazzy nature has been in the UK for years your right I wish more Poets would venture to Europe in hopes of bringing some of that style back to the US.
http://www.freestylevision.com – Poetry with an Urban Perspective
I have published a 38-poem long performance “poem-event” and have performed it in Luxembourg — locally — with a viola da gambist, but haven’t a clue how to get us booked into venues. Is there anyone out there who can tell me how to do it? Thanks!
Dana
I should add that the gambist who accompanies my two-women performance poem is, in fact, the Dutch master Ralph Rousseau Meulenbroeks. If you are intersted in inviting us to perform, post a message. To learn more about the poetry book, go to the Schortgen Press, Luxembourg homepage.