Jazz and Spoken Word. Winston-Salem youth tell their story with seasoned jazz musicians.

14 MP3 Songs in this album (60:54) !
Related styles: SPOKEN WORD: With Music, JAZZ: Modern Creative Jazz

People who are interested in Chuck D John Coltrane Amiri Baraka should consider this download.


Details:
This cd has two components:
Musicians and composers / Writers and word performers


Musicians/composers:

East Meets West

Matt Kendrick-bass
Keith Byrd-piano
Chuck Burns-Guitar
John Wilson-Drums

This project is as much a social comment as an artistic one. We are making a social comment through the use of our art, music. We are not trying to do anything new or avant garde but at the same time the fact that we are living, performing jazz musicians in 2008 means something. We are playing at the culmination of all our combined experiences to this point. We are playing songs we all know very well and have played for decades. We all grew up playing music in Winston-Salem. We are indigenous jazz musicians. We could put a bunch dressing on the music but I just don't feel this is necessary. We play the songs and what happens naturally in the improvisations is what this project is all about.
The social aspect is different. This is a statement against racism, segregation and discrimination. We are coming together as two European-American musicians from West Winston-Salem and two African-American musicians from East Winston-Salem.
So, Whatâs the big deal? Winston-Salem is still segregated, even now. Maybe some people want it that way but as artists, we know itâs not for the best. Art reflects life and art stagnates if it just stays within itself. There is no growing, no new ideas, no new concepts. Jazz is a gift from God created by African Americans through the melding of African and European cultures. Jazz brings us together in an informed and intellectual setting.
This c.d. is about breaking down barriers in peopleâs minds with great music. It is about coaxing people to think about the segregation that still exists in their minds, in this town and beyond. It is about art being created with interaction and no segregation. It is about people hearing and thinking about a diverse group of musicians communicating with each other on a high level.
The exchange of ideas between people of all types is where the future lies. If we do not we will perish. East to West will demonstrate this exchange of ideas through the art of Jazz, a music embraced by people all over the earth.

Matt

This recording was made with an "Artists Project Grant" from the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Arts Council

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The Winston-Salem Youth Arts Institute:

http://www.wsyai.org/

Writers and word performers:

Terryl Dozier,
Terrence Nivens
Tamara Settle
Terrence Trent
Dayshawn Middlleton
Love Lemon
Ebony Little
Jasmine Little
Aquarian Greenberg


Mission Statement of WSYAI
The mission of Winston-Salem Youth Arts Institute is to develop youth authors who publish, stage, and film their life experiences so that they can transform their lives, become leaders, and effect change in the world.

Who the WSYAI Serves
The Winston-Salem Youth Arts Institute brings professional artists together with youth seeking franchise* and non-violence in an at-risk and violent world.

*Franchise implies that youth are taking action on their own behalf, as opposed to having something done for them. That's a huge (and positive) shift from the way many programs are structured. The term "at risk" - much like the terms "troubled" and "minority" - have earned their place in the category of labeling. Many youth bolt when they are addressed with "at risk" - "I'm not at risk." They equate it with "slow" or "bad." While, on the other hand, the term "franchise" is most correct because it indicates a hope to be included. It invites both the community and its youth to bond towards a future that will empower. Precisely the word "franchise" connotes the positive as opposed to "at risk" where the word "risk" is negative. With "franchise" we purport gain for a viable child who needs support systems, versus "risk" where we purport to fix a broken child who failed to benefit by systems supposedly available. It's the community that is at risk, indeed our systems (familial, civic, economic) that need to be fixed. Children do not rear themselves.

This recording was made with an "Artists Project Grant" from the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Arts Council