Jazz Poetry 2025: Jerome Jennings & iLL Philosophy

Jerome Jennings is a drummer, activist, and Emmy Award–winning composer. His debut album, The Beast, is a reflection of the everyday joys and traumas of Black life in the USA, and was named one of the top three jazz releases by NPR in addition to receiving a four-star rating in Downbeat Magazine. Jerome’s sophomore recording, Solidarity, focuses on the experiences of African American women, examining their lives through the prisms of the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements. Jerome comes to City of Asylum with his new musical group, Jerome Jennings & iLL Philosophy. This sextet—drums, trumpet, sax, keys, bass, and turntables (courtesy of DJ Oooh Child)—performs Jerome’s original compositions, which fuse jazz with blues, bebop, Afrobeat, and hip hop. Keeping with decades of tradition and experimentation, this performance is a collaboration and improvisation with talented poets from all over the world, including residents from European ICORN cities.