WHAT: Acknowledging A Lifetime of Achievement by Milford Graves – First Life Time Achievement for a Visual Artist to be awarded to Robert Janz
WHEN: Festival -Wednesday, June 12 thru Sunday, June 16, 2013
Renaissance Man- Milford Graves, LifeTime of Achievement, June 12, 2013
Ephemeral nomadic artist Robert Janz, LifeTime of Achievement, June 13, 2013
WHERE: ROULETTE (509 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY)
TICKETS: Daily Admission: $30 per day / $20 students & seniors, Festival Passes are $140
INFO: Email info@artsforart.org / Call (212) 254-5420
URL: www.artsforart.org
AFA is excited to announce that Milford Graves will receive this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. This legendary drummer, scientist, herbalist, martial artist and acupuncturist is truly a renaissance man whose work has for too long gone either under the radar or like so many great artists, has been misunderstood. His groundbreaking work and scientific approach to understanding the effect of rhythm on the heart is matched with a belief in the power of art to move and inspire. As a drummer, his roots are in latin/Cuban rhythms, which will be reflected in the first group on June 12 where he has invited David Virelles to join him with a group of 3 other Cuban musicians. The Rest of the Night will be All Stars including Kidd Jordan, DD Jackson, Charles Gayle Roswell Rudd Amiri Baraka and William Parker!
On the Vision Festival:
“Avant-garde jazz culture has no better colloquy in this country than the Vision Festival” (Nate Chinen, The New York Times). Critics have described it as “arguably the most important free-jazz fest in the U.S.” (Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader), “unlike any other festival on the planet” (John Sharpe, AllAboutJazz.com) and “the most exciting, adventurous musical gathering that New York has to offer” (Jason Gross, The Village Voice).
“No single event in the past decade has done more for New York free jazz than the annual Vision Festival.” (Ed Hazell, Boston Phoenix) “Besides raising the profile of musicians who’ve been marginalized by the mainstream media, the artist-run event has provided a forum for allied artists in various media in which to explore the common political-aesthetic-spiritual underpinnings of their art directly with their audiences.”
About Arts For Art, Inc:
Arts For Art, Inc. was founded in 1995 by arts organizer/choreographer Patricia Parker, who a decade earlier, along with bassists/composers William Parker and Peter Kowald, produced the Vision Festival precursor, the Sound Unity Festival, which was immortalized in the influential documentary film, Rising Tones Cross. Since the first Vision Festival in 1996, Arts For Art, Inc. has presented the best of the best of the best of avantJazz / Free Jazz / Un-compromising music and art, that keeps faith with the ideals that first birthed this music. These ideals are as important today as when they were expounded in the 40’ 50’s 60’s etc. AFA has expanded its outreach to include other events and educational programing to find new ways to make great art available.
Vision Festival 18
Improvisation / Freedom / Revolution
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12
Celebrate Milford Graves – A Life-Time of Achievement
7:00 Afro/Cuban Roots
Román Díaz – percussions (congas, batá drums, añá), vocals
8:30 Milford Graves Transition TRIO
Milford Graves – drums, percussion
10:00 Milford Graves NY HeArt Ensemble
Milford Graves – drums, percussion
THURSDAY, JUNE 13
Honoring Visual Artist ROBERT JANZ
7:00 Maria Mitchell / Terry Jenoure
Maria Mitchell – dance
7:45 Roy Campbell’s Akhenaten Ensemble
Roy Campbell – trumpet
9:00 Rob Brown U_L Project
Joe McPhee – trumpet, sax
Rob Brown – alto saxophone
10:00 Roscoe Mitchell Trio
Roscoe Mitchell – reeds
FRIDAY, JUNE 14 – A French American Connection
7:00 VOCAL-EASE
7:30 Bern Nix Quartet
Matt Lavelle – trumpet
8:45 East-West Collective
Didier Petit – cello
10:00 The French-American Peace Ensemble
Francois Tusques – piano
Performances by FAPE & East West Collective is made possible through the French-American Jazz Exchange, a program of FACE & Mid-Atlantic Arts, with funds from French Embassy, Doris Duke Foundation, SACEM
SATURDAY, JUNE 15
12:30 PANEL on Building a Future where improvisation and Culture come Together
2 pm Visionary Youth Band– coT.I.M.E. initiative bklyn / Jeff Lederer, Jessica Jones
2:30 York College Creative Ensemble – CUNY Queens / Tom Zlabinger – Director
3 pm Achievement First Middle School Band – Brooklyn / Gene Baker director
3:30 All schools (80 young musicians) under direction of William Parker
5 pm Panel on the French-American exchange of musical ideas & social, political ideals
French: Didier Petit, Francois Tusques
Americans, William Parker, Larry Ochs
7:30 pm Tomas Fujiwara & The Hook Up
Jonathan Finlayson – trumpet
Mary Halvorson – guitar
Michael Formanek – bass
Tomas Fujiwara – drums
8:45 Davis/Revis/Cyrile Trio
Kris Davis – piano
9:45 Simmons / Burrell Duo
Sonny Simmons – alto saxophone
10:45 Reggie Workman WORKz
Reggie Workman – bass
Pheeroan akLaff – drums
SUNDAY, JUNE 16
2:00 Panel – Decolonizing the Music:
Reclaiming the Power of Creative Music in Communities of Color
4:30 Film on Butch Morris ‘Black February by Vipal Monga
6:00 Inner City: Migration
Miriam Parker – dance, choreographer
Robert Janz – guest visual artist
6:30 Positive Knowledge
7:30 Hamiet Bluiett Quartet
Hamiet Bluiett – baritone sax
DD. Jackson – piano
8:30 Mario Pavone ARC Trio
Mario Pavone – bass
9:30 Marshall Allen & McBrides BASS ROOTS
Marshall Allen – alto sax
AFA acknowledges Visual Artist Robert Janz
For A Lifetime Of Achievement
For the first time, Arts for Art will honor a great visual artist for a lifetime of achievement at the 18th Vision Festival in June 13, 2013. Robert Janz was born in 1932 in Ireland but received his art training in the US. He was part of the ‘Zen Generation’ led by Pacific Coast Beat artists. His work, in his own words, is ‘totemic …haikus’. Robert Janz has lived all his art always slightly under the radar, creating powerfully resonant, nomadic, overlooked, poetic, ephemeral, challenging art. And his art and philosophy has influenced generations of artists all over the world as his nomadic life led him. It is Arts for Art’s honor to shine a light on his work and creative philosophy.
