City of Asylum
Giving Voice.
As part of his project “Four for Mingus,'' AJ Johnson presents the third in a series of four concerts. This performance will focus on the ways in which Charles Mingus expanded the blues and adopted it to his artistic vision, stretching the genre to new dimensions.
This summer, the Kente Arts Alliance is presenting a series of three energetic and engaging concerts at City of Asylum, with special focus on the art and music of the African Diaspora. The final concert in this series presents vocalist Anqwenique, who will share the stage with spoken word artist LaKeisha Wolf.
Don’t miss this stop on the Devin Drobka Trio’s tour as they embark on a 10-show journey through the Midwest. Their debut record, "Resorts," released in 2021, blurs the line between composition and improvisation and stretches the boundaries of a traditional piano trio.
This program is the finale of three concerts in the “History of Cuban Music'' series, curated and arranged by Hugo Cruz, and performed by Hugo Cruz and Caminos. This third concert will feature Afro-Cuban music traditions from the Yoruba and Abakuá cultures, and the Spanish-influenced Cuban genres of punto guajiro, bulerias, tanguillo, rumba, and seguidilla.
In support of his project “Four for Mingus,'' AJ Johnson presents the last in a series of four concerts dedicated to visionary musician Charles Mingus. This final concert will spotlight Charles Mingus’ tributes to Duke Ellington, creating a unique homage to both of these major figures in the history of jazz.
This program presents a combination reading and musical performance with author and ethnomusicologist, Shalini R. Ayyagari. In Shalani’s book, Musical Resilience: Performing Patronage in the Indian Thar Desert, she shows how professional low-caste musicians from the Thar Desert borderland of Rajasthan, India have skillfully reinvented their cultural and economic value in postcolonial India
Fan favorite jazz series Off Minor returns this September with an ode to Buddy DeFranco.
Utilizing a unique blend of global folk traditions and contemporary jazz, Kinetic’s performance efforts celebrate multiculturalism, wisdom, and unity.
Mathew Tembo returns this fall as part of his U.S. tour! Themed "Reggae-Afro," this tour is aimed at highlighting the impact that reggae has had on his Afropop style from Zambia.
In an exciting return to the Alphabet City stage, Thumbscrew (Tomas Fujiwara, Michael Formanek, and Mary Halvorson) debut a program of original compositions, developed and rehearsed over the course of their 5th biennial residency at City of Asylum.
This special program presents a jazz concert featuring Mat Maneri (performing with the ASH Quartet). The jazz set is followed by a jazz and poetry collaboration with poet Denver Butson and four poets from our partnership with the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program, Busisiwe Mahlangu, Saba Hamzah, Yashika Graham, and Tammy Lai-Ming Ho.
This unique collaboration is a mixture of avant garde jazz and ethno music from Hungary, like a cultural bridge between the USA and Eastern-Europe.
