BAG II announce spring concerts

The Black Arts Guild aka BAG II has announced a series of free performances this spring at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site. From their news release:

As promised BAG II (Black Arts Guild) has confirmed its lineup and proudly presents the spring season April 6 – June 20th with a dynamic lineup of creative artists – mark your calendars now!

Friday, April 6th: The Group* featuring Thomasina Clarke- the spontaNubian/vocals
Friday, April 20th: Poetry Month Celebration – host Shirley LeFlore
Saturday, May 12th: The Group featuring poet Michael Castro
Saturday, May 26th: The Group featuring Ariel Kenyatta, tenor saxophone
Friday, June 1st: The Group and an exhibit of visual art featuring paintings and collages
Saturday, June 30th: The Group and Open Mike – Express Yourself Night!

* The Group features Zimbabwe Nkenya/Bass & Mbira; Jerome “Jay Dubz” Williams/ Saxophones, and Glen “Papa” Wright/ drums.

All events are from 6:00 – 8:00 PM at the Scott Joplin House Rosebud Cafe, 2658 Delmar Blvd , St. Louis and admission is free.

Zimbabwe Nkenya is back in the St. Louis area following a 20-year career in New York and the southwest where he became known as New Mexico ’s foremost jazz bassist. Glenn ‘Papa’ Wright tours throughout the country as an artist-in-residence presenting percussion and multi-media performance work for school and community audiences. J-Dubbs is one of the St. Louis area’s premiere saxophonists, long known for his ability to produce the big sound and tone, with a blues edge and beyond...

...Shirley Leflore is considered to be the queen mother of performance poetry in St. Louis. From her work with BAG in the 1960’s and 70’s Shirley went on to present her work at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, on tour in Europe, and as a successful performance artist on the New York scene. Shirley is putting together a line-up of stellar poets that will truly honor and celebrate National Poetry Month. Included will be a reunion reading by Blue-Mashibini, a duo active in St. Louis in the early 1980’s, reunited and in the process of putting together a collection of their work for print.

For more information call Scott Joplin House at 314-340-5790; Thomasina Clarke at 314-535-8824; or email: bag_blackartistsgroup@yahoo.com

52nd City to explore St. Louis' "Sound"

Aficionados of audio esoterica may want to keep an ear out for the next issue of 52nd City, the quarterly St. Louis arts magazine run by Andrea Avery, Thomas Crone and Stefene Russell. That's because this time the magazine, which organizes each issue around a single topic, will actually be a CD, themed "Sound".

The CD will feature an eclectic mix of contributions from performers drawn from St. Louis' music, art and literary communities, albeit with something of a lean toward the white, South Side hipster set. "The piece overall, is a mix of music, experimental noise assemblages, spoken word, the one interview and a piece of a live "radio play," says Crone (via email).

Saxophonist Dave Stone appears twice - once as part of "a long sound collage by Eric Hall," also featuring Jeremy Brantlinger, Fred Friction, Brett Underwood, Jeremy Kannapell, Sunyatta Marshall, Jason Hutto and Derek Mosely; and again backing poet K. Curtis Lyle on "Nut Check". "Also of note is a Josh Weinstein recording of Ornette Coleman, which is an interview on the notion of Sound, which runs about five minutes," adds Crone.

Other contributors include KWMU reporter Tom Weber, doing a spoken word piece; Tony Renner's latest ambient music project, Learn, Artist; Cloister; Julie Dill; Cold War; Robert Goetz; the Mad Art Radio Hour; Heidi Dean; James Weber Jr.; MC401(k); Aaron Belz; and the Private Sector.

52nd City is throwing a release party for the "Sound" issue from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 14 at the Royale, 3132 S. Kingshighway. The event is free, and copies of the CD will be on sale for $8. After that, you can order one through the magazine's Web site, or pick up a copy at Vintage Vinyl, Euclid Records, Dunaway Books, Left Bank Books, Subterranean Books or various other independent retailers and businesses around town.