The Jazz Poetry Ensemble will mark the 3rd annual Hot Times Tribute to the late civil rights attorney and activist Kate Schulte with three special performances next week. These concerts will all feature legendary saxophonist Edward “Kidd” Jordan, Artist-In-Residence Emeritus of the Kate Schulte Foundation. A benefit for the Foundation will kick off the festivities on Wednesday, September 3rd at Natalie’s with new and rare material from poet Michael Vander Does, while the Thursday, September 4th show at Dicks Den will be a late night affair of new music, poetry, and special guests. The culmination of the tribute will be the presentation of the Flytown Blues Project, honoring Columbus’ own Rahsaan Roland Kirk, at 3:45pm on Sunday, September 7th at the Hot Times Festival. This trio of unique programs will honor the artistic and activist spirit of Schulte with combinations of top-flight jazz and groundbreaking poetry. Keep reading for further details on the shows and performers.
This year’s Hot Times Tribute to Kate Schulte will feature three completely different performances. All performances will feature jazz legend and artist-in-residence Edward “Kidd” Jordan and The Jazz Poetry Ensemble (Roger Hines, bass; Roger Myers, drums; Brett Burleson, guitar). The free public performance at the Hot Times Festival on Sunday, September 7, will present The Flytown Blues Project, honoring Columbus native Rahsaan Roland Kirk. A performance to benefit The Kate Schulte Foundation at Natalie’s Coal-Fired Pizza on Wednesday, September 3, will be an avant-garde affair with leader Michael Vander Does’ poems Thanamattapoeia and Curassavica. On Thursday, September 4, Dick’s Den will host a performance of The Basketball of Tao.
The performance at Natalie’s will benefit The Kate Schulte Foundation, helping them present artists who take a stand for justice. It will also help them develop their Justice for Artists program which will assist artists hit by catastrophe and provide referral services. The two set show will begin at 9 pm. This will be a Kidd Jordan style performance which will go where it will until everyone decides to stop. The first set will feature a rare performance of Vander Does’s Pushcart Prize-nominated Thanamattapoeia, a threnody for Allen Ginsberg who suggested the creation of The Jazz Poetry Ensemble. In the second set, he will read some new poems. Prices will range from $20-$100. $50 and $100 tickets will receive preferred seating and a signed broadside. $100 tickets will also get a recording of the show, and an invitation to attend the sound check and meet the musicians. Premium tickets are limited. $10 student tickets will go on sale soon. Most of the purchase price is tax-deductible. Tickets are available online here or by calling Natalie’s at 614-436-COAL. Phone orders do not have a service charge.
At Dick’s Den, Kidd and The Jazz Poetry Ensemble will present the Ensemble’s new oeuvre based on the poetry collection The Basketball of Tao, originally published in The Scream Online. This late night show begins at 10 pm. $4 cover.
The crown jewel of the series will be The Flytown Blues Project at the Hot Times Festival on Sunday afternoon, September 7. It will use three saxophonists to honor Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s practice of playing three instruments at a time. Kidd Jordan will be joined by local musicians Brian Olsheski and Kris Keith. Kris Keith will also play flute. Vander Does will have new poems written especially for this project. This performance will follow the Listen for the Jazz jam session honoring the dearly lamented Gene Walker.
Kidd Jordan performs internationally and is rapidly becoming a fixture on the Columbus scene. He first performed here in the mid-1990s at K2U. Last spring he was here with the French American Peace Ensemble. This will be his third performance as part of the Hot Times Tribute to Kate Schulte. He is the patriarch of one of the major New Orleans jazz families and is a world renowned jazz educator. He has performed with a pile of musicians and singers too long to list, including Aretha Franklin and all the Motown stars, the World Saxophone Quartet, Ornette Coleman, Ray Charles, Cannonball Adderley, and Sun Ra – just to mention a few. He helped found the Heritage School of Music and the Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Jazz Camp, and taught many of today’s stars such as Terence Blanchard, the Marsalis brothers, and Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews.
The Jazz Poetry Ensemble was started in the mid-1980s by Michael Vander Does at the suggestion of Allen Ginsberg. Around 2003, Roger Myers and Roger Hines joined the band and Brett Burleson has been with them since 2008. Roger Myers was a major part of the band Seeds of Fulfillment in the 1970s. He then led the band Ibada. His percussion work also includes drum therapy. Roger Hines was Ray Charles’ bassist and friend for many years, performing and recording with him as a band member and later as needed. He was Diane Schuur’s musical director for a decade and a half. Since leaving the road, he has been a faculty member at the OSU School of Music and now at the Capital University School of Music. Brett Burleson plays with numerous bands in many styles and works regularly with national artists. Michael Vander Does has had numerous poems published in various magazines including Pudding, Café Noir, The Istanbul Literary Review, Negative Capabilities, and The Croton Review. He has received grants from the Ohio Arts Council, the Puffin Foundation, and the Puffin Foundation West for his work with The Jazz Poetry Ensemble.