Slideshow: Jazz Poetry Concert 2012 Highlights

• Luis Bravo (Uruguay) and Damon Duewhite

   

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  Louis Bravo and Damon Duewhite share a laugh during rehearsal. Photo: Renee Rosensteel

• Attendees Before the Show

   

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  "I want to know what jazz and poetry together can encompass."- Alyssa Cypher Photo: Chris Rolinson

• Khet Mar (Burma)

   

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  "I am the sinner imprisoned outside the prison, burning in my own dim fire"- Khet Mar. Photo: Renee Rosensteel

• Interview with Nyein Thit (Burma)

   

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  Khet Mar interviews Nyein Thit, a documentary filmmaker in Burma. Because of his criticism of the Burmese military government, he has been censored and jailed on multiple occasions. Photo: Renee Rosensteel

• Oliver Lake's Steel Quartet with Meshell Ndegeocello

   

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  Oliver Lake's Steel Quartet with Meshell Ndegeocello jam during their first musical set. From left: Meshell Ndegeocello on bass, Damon Duewhite on drums, Oliver Lake on saxophone, and Lyndon Achee on steel pan. Photo: Renee Rosensteel.

• Glowing Names of Persecuted Writers

   

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  "Last year alone, Pen International documented 888 cases of writer persecution, ranging from censorship to murder." These glowing names are just a portion of those 888. Photo: Renee Rosensteel

• Israel Centeno (Venezuela)

   

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  "After the crackling sound of their rifles everything was over and we ended in a blur"- Israel Centeno. Photo: Renee Rosensteel.

• T.J. Dema (Botswana)

   

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  "She's been married to poverty for what feels like forever, been so long since anything felt right, pure, clean, easy, that she can't even remember ever"- T.J. Dema. Photo: Chris Rolinson

• Luis Bravo (Uruguay)

   

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  "The blast is that voice from within, it's a star coming through the throat, that you shall obey, blindly"- Luis Bravo. Photo: Chris Rolinson

• Interview with Tsering Woeser (China)

   

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  Meshell Ndegeocello interviews Tsering Woeser, a writer from China who the Chinese government put under house arrest for her writings on Tibet. Photo: Renee Rosensteel.

• The Audience

   

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  The crowd looks on as the artists perform. Photo: Renee Rosensteel.

• Patricia Smith

   

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  "I want the jazzman to craft me a house with walls of wildfire"- Patricia Smith. Photo: Chris Rolinson

• Jazz Poetry Performers

   

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  From left: Oliver Lake, Khet Mar, T.J. Dema, Israel Centeno, Luis Bravo, and Patricia Smith. Not shown: Meshell Ndegeocello on bass, Lyndon Achee on steel pan, and Damon Duewhite on drums. Photo: Chris Rolinson.

On September 8th, 2012, City of Asylum/Pittsburgh hosted its 8th annual Jazz Poetry Concert at the New Hazlett Theater in Pittsburgh’s North Side. The concert featured performances by Oliver Lake’s Steel Quartet with Meshell Ndegeocello, and readings and poetry by Patricia Smith, T.J. Dema, Luis Bravo, Israel Centeno, and Khet Mar. In addition to the performances were interviews with writers Nyein Thit and Tsering Woeser, who have both been persecuted for their writing by their respective governments.

A full video of the concert can be found here.