MALCOLM X JAZZ FESTIVAL IN HONOR OF AMIRI BARAKA, MAY 17, OAKLAND

MARVIN X WILL MC COMMEMORATION FOR HIS FRIEND AMIRI BARAKA THE NEW DATE FOR the AMIRI BARAKA COMMEMORATION is FRIDAY, JUNE 20th, 7pm EastSide Cultural Center 2277 International Blvd, Oakland CA 94606.

SAVE THE DATE: Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival
SAT MAY 17, 11am-6pm, San Antonio Park, Oakland
In Honor of Amiri Baraka

6:00-6:10pm

Dance funeral dirge performed by Latayna Tigner (w/music from Black Arts Archestra)

6:10-6:30

African Dance led by Sister Linda

5:00pm - 6:00pm 

Marvin X and The Black Arts Movement Poets Choir & Arkestra: Tacuma King,
Tarika Lewis, Mechelle LaChaux, Ayodele Nzing, Toreada Mikel, Paradise Jah Love, Genny Lim, Zena Allen, Marshall Trammell, Earl Davis, Kalamu Chache', Avotcja, Linda Johnson

6:30-7:00

2nd line new orleans style procession 

PRESS RELEASE

Eastside Arts Alliance presents the 14th Annual Malcolm X JazzArts Festival on

Sat., May 17, 2014 (11am – 7pm)

San Antonio Park, 18^th Ave. & Foothill Blvd. Oakland, CA

Oakland, CA - Eastside Arts Alliance proudly presents the 14th Annual Malcolm X JazzArts Festival for free on Saturday, May 17, 2014 (11 am – 7pm) at San Antonio Park, Oakland. This unique Oakland-based festival celebrates Malcolm X’s vision to bring together communities of color to work to determine their own destiny. Now a local tradition, Malcolm X JazzArts Fest is one of the only remaining FREE outdoor festivals in Oakland providing a space for the grassroots communities of color to find common ground through a rich legacy of Black music and the evolution of Third World Arts Movements.

The festival’s intention is to bring new audiences to appreciate and support Jazz, an art form birthed out of the African American experience, but that also has resonance and deep meaning for other communities who share parallel experiences of struggle. 

This year's Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival will pay special tribute to the great Afro-American revolutionary poet and activist, AMIRI BARAKA, who recently transitioned to join the ancestors. Mr. Baraka was a great friend and key advisor to EastSide Arts Alliance who over the past two decades performed, led forums, taught workshops, collaborated with musicians and other artists, and even produced and directed a jazz opera at EastSide Cultural Center (The Sisyphus Syndrome). Amiri Baraka, recognized as the Father of the Black Arts Movement in the 60s was a renowned poet and playwright who continually and fearlessly re-examined and re-invented himself. The struggle for Black liberation was at the soul of his journey, and sustained his internationalism. Amiri Baraka's personal and public changes and contributions provide many lessons for us to acknowledge our connection to the breadth of history and the fleeting mortality of our own existence, and to renew our own life's commitment to work for a more just world.

EastSide Cultural Center will present a series of events commemorating Amiri Baraka, including an exhibition on The Black Arts Movement (April-July), the Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival (May 17), and a community commemoration with performances (June 20).

https://www.facebook.com/EastSideArtsAlliance

The day’s dynamic offerings are centered on the Jazz Main Stage with a historic and unforgettable line-up of heavyweight jazz musicians. The featured performers include:

§  The Last Poets (Umar Bin Hassan, Abiodun Oyewole, and Babatunde) with a special poetic tribute to Amiri Baraka

* Poet Marvin X and the Black Arts Movement Poet's Choir and Arkestra

§  Jazz Ensemble led by Howard Wiley & Ms. Faye Carol – performing excerpts from Amiri Baraka’s jazz opera – The Sisyphus Syndrome; also a special tribute to Abbey Lincoln; and performances from Unity Grooves, Eastside Arts Alliance’s Black Music youth ensemble

§  Dance performances by StarChild Dance – highlighting the music of the Harlem Renaissance, Kendra Kimbrough Dance Ensemble, and West African dance and drumming led by Sister Linda & Tacuma.

§  New Orleans style second line tribute procession to Amiri Baraka (the community is invited to bring umbrellas and participate).

§  Speakers, poets, community organizers sharing their thoughts on how Amiri Baraka influences their work.

Other performances and activities include: the Katherine Dunham Dance Stage featuring some of the best Bay Area dancers; the Javad Jahi Soapbox Stage, where community organizers get their message out; the DREAM Courts that features emerging youth artists; the Graf Court an all-city graffiti battle; Kids Zone with arts & crafts, games, and fun for children; Vendor Marketplace, items for sale by creative local artisans; Information Booths by local community-based organizations; and a Food Court that offers local and international cuisine.

Our programs depend on community support. People can visit our website at www.eastsideartsalliance.org to become monthly ROOTS SUPPORTERS. The festival is ALWAYS FREE but DONATIONS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME AND NEEDED!

About Eastside Arts Alliance:

EastSide Arts Alliance (ESAA) is a collective of artists and community organizers of color who live and work in the San Antonio district of East Oakland.  Founded in 1999, our mission is to unite art with activism to work for community empowerment and cultural development, and to build bridges between the disenfranchised, racially and ethnically divided communities that reside in our immediate neighborhood and in the broader East Bay. The founding members of EastSide Arts Alliance have been working in the San Antonio /Fruitvale neighborhoods for over 30 years.

In 2006 ESAA closed escrow on our new and permanent home – The EastSide Cultural Center, located on International Blvd at 23^rd Avenue in the heart of the San Antonio district. The center includes a 150-seat multi-use theater space, sound and visual arts studios, 16 units of affordable rental housing and storefront spaces for community-based non-profits.

Eastside Arts Alliance programs include free after-school arts workshops for youth ages 14-22 (music, dance, theater, visual arts and leadership development), public arts projects, performances, festivals, town hall forums and exhibitions. Our success has been in our longevity and our continued growth in this diverse working-class community.

For more information about the 14^th Annual Malcolm X JazzArts Festival, please contact EastSide Arts Alliance at 510-533-6629 or visitwww.eastsideartsalliance.org.  

###

Elena Serrano

EastSide Cultural Center

2277 International Blvd.

Oakland, CA  94606

510-533-6629

www.eastsideartsalliance.org

mailing address:

PO Box 17008

Oakland, CA  94601

Dear Friends of EastSide,

This year's Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival will pay special tribute to the great Afro-American revolutionary poet and activist, AMIRI BARAKA, who recently transitioned to join the ancestors. Amiri was a great friend and key advisor to the ESAA who over the past two decades performed, led forums, taught workshops, collaborated with musicians and other artists, and even produced and directed a jazz opera at EastSide Cultural Center. He was an inspirational teacher who constantly engaged us to critically analyze the function of cultural activism and the social issues of the day. He insisted that Black and all Third World self-determination required 1) a program and conscious mission, 2) organization (collectives, coalitions, united fronts), and 3) independent institution building. We strive to meet those criteria in our cultural work. Baraka, the Father of the Black Arts Movement in the 60s was already a renown poet and playwright who continually and fearlessly re-examined and re-invented himself, his philosophy and leadership role to overcome shortcomings and to move us all forward collectively. The struggle for Black liberation was at the soul of his journey, and sustained his internationalism. Amiri Baraka's personal and public changes and contributions should provide many lessons for us to acknowledge our connection to the breadth of history and the fleeting mortality of our own existence, and to renew our own life's commitment to work for a more just world.

EastSide Cultural Center will present a series of events commemorating Amiri Baraka, including a retrospective exhibition, the Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival, and a community commemoration with performances.