CALL and RESPONSE: Two collaborative, performative evenings, mixing words, sounds, genres, communities

Friday, October 2nd and Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

CALL and RESPONSE is a series of two multidisciplinary performative events organized collaboratively by Charlotte Street Foundation’s Urban Culture Project and the American Jazz Museum. Generating from the desire to bring artists from different media, genres, communities and backgrounds together to share, inspire one another, and build new audiences, CSF’s Urban Culture Project and the American Jazz Museum have come together to jointly organize this two-part, two-location series, which spotlights a mix of writers, spoken word poets, jazz musicians, electronic musicians, and composers.

CALL and RESPONSE participants are writers/poets Robert Baumann, Glenn North, Shavonne “Queen” Standifer, Kynan Ramsey, Faith Scott, and Jordan Stempleman; the Kansas City Electronic Music and Arts Alliance; and the contemporary jazz ensemble Synergy.

The theme for the two events is “Call and Response,” which references a performative, participatory type of communication exchange, and alludes to a rich history of music and storytelling traditions. From Wikipedia: “Call and response is a form of spontaneous verbal and non-verbal interaction between speaker and listener in which statements (‘calls’) are punctuated by expressions (‘responses’) from the listener. In African cultures, call and response is a pervasive pattern of democratic participation — in public gatherings, in the discussion of civic affairs, in religious rituals, as well as in vocal and instrumental musical expression. It is this tradition that African bondsmen and women have transmitted over the years in various forms of expression — in religious observance; public gatherings; even in children’s rhymes; and, most notably, in black music in its multiple forms: gospel, blues, rhythm and blues, jazz and jazz extensions, hip-hop and go-go.”

While the concept and practice of “call and response” will inform both evenings events, the first event, which takes place on First Friday in October at UCP’s la Esquina venue on the Westside, will specifically take the idea of “Call” as inspiration, while the second event, on Third Tuesday, October 20 at the Jazz Museum’s Blue Room will relate directly to the notion of “Response.” Both evenings will include solo pieces by each of the performers as well as collaborative efforts.

For photos of the event, check out our flickr.