Experience “the ultimate authentic sound from Harlem” with Rakiem Walker as he and his quartet fuse jazz, soul, and hip hop to create their unique sound. Rakiem will collaborate with four poets: finalist for the 2020 Emerging Poet Laureate of Allegheny County grace (ge) gilbert, winner of the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award Ladan Osman, author of four novels in Arabic and City of Asylum writer-in-residence Anouar Rahmani, and Astrid Roemer, winner of the Prijs der Nederlandse Letteren, the most prestigious prize for Dutch writers. Astrid’s performance is presented in partnership with The Center for the Art of Translation in San Francisco.

Each Jazz Poetry program begins with a 40-minute performance by the band, followed by 30 minutes of collaborative performance with the featured poets. In these collaborations, poets share their work while the musicians interpret and accompany their poetry with jazz, adding a unique, improvisational dimension to each performance.

Featured Musicians:

• Rakiem Walker: saxophone
• Anthony Longobardi: drums
• Jamal Peoples: keys
• Gloria Ry’ann: vocals