Media

Heliacal Rising of Sothis 2023

Signaling the moment of the annual Nile flood, the recognition of a crucial celestial event represents a body of knowledge that was the foundation of all civilization that followed, including ours. Similarly, the music, philosophy, and teaching of Kelan Phil Cohran are foundational for the tradition of Great Black Music coming out of Chicago and radiating around the world. I studied with Phil Cohran only briefly, but his teaching and inspiration led to a series of compositions and a participatory approach to music that I want to share.  I'm honored to be joined by extraordinary community/spiritual musicians Fred Jackson, Jr.  Naydja Bruton, Sharon Udoh, and Ben Lamar Gay. 

Sacred Keepers Garden 2019

Filmed at the Sacred Keepers Garden on 48th and King Drive, these sessions were part of a series of open jam sessions on Tuesdays. This session featured:

Adam Zanolini - bass
Sura Dupart - congas
Rick Carrington - congas
Dwight - congas
Dr. Khalfani Rivers - flute, percussion
Xristian Espinoza - saxophone, percussion
Angel Bat Dawid - clarinet

I organized these sessions, partly for an artist residency; I wrote a piece about the sessions for the 2nd Floor Rear Co-op. The session was filmed by Diana Darby as part of her film “Baba Sura,” and she graciously cut together this short excerpt for me. This footage is precious as it documents the only time I was privileged to perform with Dr. Rivers, shortly before he left the planet in early 2020.

Mexico City 2020

This film documents an international collaboration between Chicago musicians and Mexican musicians that took place in Mexico City March 13-16, 2020, just days before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all performances in the United States. The performances took place at the Centro Cultural de España en México and at Casa Niza. The musicians were Angel Bat Dawid, Isaiah Collier, Katie Ernst, Paul Giallorenzo, Lia Kohl, Ben Lamar Gay, Adam Zanolini from Chicago; Natalia Pérez, Arturo Báez, Remi Álvarez, Rogelio Sosa, Gibrán Andrade, Amanda Irarrazabal, Alfonso Muñoz, and Gustavo Nandayapa from Mexico; with appearances by co-organizers Chris Cogburn, Danae Silva, and Paco Barba. The film was realized by Rhizomes Films, which is Andrea Rodea and Erik Mares.