Jazz poetry month begins May 3 at Alphabet City in Pittsburgh
Nine concerts and more than 50 performers will perform during Jazz Poetry Month, which kicks off May 3 at Alphabet City in Pittsburgh.
The free programs, presented by City of Asylum for 19 years, also include jazz and poetry workshops and will be available in person or via a live stream.
Attendees will experience never-before-seen collaborations between writers and musicians, both new and returning to the Alphabet City stage in the North Side. Award-winning artists include James Brandon Lewis, Terrance Hayes, Eileen Myles, Mihály Borbély, Ben Okri, Elina Duni, Sumita Chakraborty and many more.
“City of Asylum’s Jazz Poetry Month is an opportunity for audiences to experience new collaborations between writers and musicians during a month-long period of creative partnership,” said Charlotte Cohen, City of Asylum’s interim executive director. “Jazz Poetry is our longest running program, and it is one that is key to our history and mission: offering a broad range of programs in a community setting to build social equity through cultural exchange”
Jazz Poetry began in 2004 with City of Asylum’s first writer-in-residence, Huang Xiang, who did not speak English. To help people connect with his poetry despite the language barrier, City of Asylum facilitated a collaboration between Xiang and jazz musician Oliver Lake. The two artists hosted a one-night-only performance, interpreting and riffing off of one another’s art.
Since then, Jazz Poetry has grown each year and now encompasses an entire month of innovative rhythm and verse.
This year’s lineup includes the following performances, all of which begin at 7 p.m.
May 3: James Brandon Lewis, Terrance Hayes, Cynthia Dewi Oka, and George Abraham; May 7: Elina Duni, Rob Luft, Mj Shahen, and Yalie Saweda Kamara; May 8: Elina Duni, Rob Luft, Ben Okri, and Jorge Olivera Castillo; May 14: Alexia Bomtempo, Eileen Myles, Hiromi Ito, and Rachelle Escamilla; May 21: Mihály Borbély, Ariana Benson, Gaia Rajan, and Rania Mamoun; May 24: Mihály Borbély, Cameron Awkward-Rich, Tabassam Shah, and Anouar Rahmani; May 28: Dyer Rosenbloom Kitamura, Sumita Chakraborty, Rosebud Ben-Oni, and Doralee Brooks; May 30: WeFreeStrings, Orlando Watson, and Roy G. Guzmán; May 31: Hip Hop Orchestra, Rho Bloom-Wang, Jade Davis, Audrey Alling, and Aja Lynn.
Reservations are recommended and can be made by visiting cityofasylum.org/jazz-poetry-month/. Alphabet City is located at 40 W. North Ave., Pittsburgh.