Outside the Blues
a Forum & Concert Considering New Uses of an Old Language
7:30 pm
Panel discussion with Steve Cannon, Cooper-Moore, Elliott Sharp, Greg Tate and other guests TBA - moderated by Kurt Gottschalk
8:30 pm
Solo performances by Loren Connors, Elliott Sharp and Cooper-Moore
Defining "jazz" is a problem often argued about or demonstratively avoided. As a genre, "jazz" grew out of the same gene pool as ragtime, bluegrass, country and the blues - that is, the development of American idioms in the post-slavery years. In the early part of the 20th century, such divisions were made not by genre names but by region. With the development of an industry around the music - through radio and recordings - style-labels were created and lines, often racial, were drawn.
But as "jazz" has grown to develop a variety of approaches to improvisation, the popular notion of what constitutes "the blues" has been codified into a surprisingly narrow approach. Other artists, however, have kept the open expressiveness of the blues alive. The three musicians featured in this program have taken the blues into new, highly personalized, realms.
Prior to the concert, the panel discussion will explore what constitutes the blues.
Admission: $10
OUR SPECIAL THANKS! The Brecht Forum owes its existence to a broad network of support. Our modest fees cover only a fraction of our costs and we rely on the progressive community for our financial survival. Hundreds of valued subscribers and donors provide steady contributions to all of our activities. Our programs are funded in part by Manhattan Neighborhood Network, The Bardon Cole Foundation, The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, The Surdna Foundation, and by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
