PORTLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY COLLABORATES WITH FESTIVAL IN LITERARY DISCUSSION
Portland, Maine - The Portland Performing Arts Festival presents jazz & blues composer and master guitarist Doug Wamble, who is bringing a jazz band to perform his work “Yoknapatawpha.” Based on the literary works of William Faulkner, it is a sound portrait of Faulkner’s fictional world; this performance represents a rare chance to experience this contemporary jazz masterwork. The festival performance is slated for Saturday, June 30, 9pm at the State Theatre.
And in a complementary program, the Portland Public Library will host a discussion of “Faulkner and Music” on Friday, June 22 at noon in Rines Auditorium at the Main Branch, featuring Colby College distinguished professor Cedric Bryant leading a discussion of Faulkner stories and their moods and characters, illustrated by recorded excerpts from “Yoknapatawpha.”
Doug Wamble hails from Tennessee, and his family is from Oxford, Mississippi, the real place that William Faulkner used as the inspiration for his award-winning novels and short stories. Wamble currently lives in New York, where his jazz and blues playing and composing are in demand. He has recorded on the Marsalis record label, toured with Madeleine Peyroux, appeared on recordings with Wynton and Branford Marsalis (separately), and composed scores for Ken Burns’ documentary films. The New Yorker magazine said, “This acoustic guitarist, singer, and composer is a one-man compendium of avant Americana.”
Commissioned by Chamber Music America and previously performed at Joe’s Pub in New York City, “Yoknapatawpha” uses instrumental pieces to create impressions of Faulkner’s landscapes and lyrical sections to give voice to characters from his stories. The work is a deeply textured combination of jazz, blues, and traditional American music written for an octet of guitar, bass, piano, drums, and horns.
Given the jazz work’s roots in writing, the Festival organizers reached out to Prof. Bryant, the Lee Family Professor of English at Colby College and a specialist in William Faulkner and Southern regionalism, 19th- and 20th-century American literature, and
African-American poetry, fiction, drama, and non-fiction writing. Inspired by the work’s evocation of the atmosphere and characters of its literary source, he agreed to lead a discussion in collaboration with the Festival and the Portland Public Library. Meant to be inclusive event, the Library discussion will allow anyone interested to participate. Reading suggestions include Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” and “Light in August,” both of which are inspiration for parts of Wamble’s jazz composition.
The Portland Performing Arts Festival is a new four-day event, featuring eight performances of nationally renowned artists in classical music, jazz, dance, theater, and performance art. In its inaugural season, it presents two world premiere performances: of The Handsomest by Alison Chase/Performance, and of Thumbs up, a new play by the artists of the Celebration Barn Ensemble.
Featured Festival performances include:
June 28th:
Guitar Master Class, featuring visiting artists Sharon Isbin and Doug Wamble in teaching session with Maine artists, free and open to the public. 3pm, One Longfellow Square, 181 State Street, Portland
Maine performance art duo Eepybird (the Coke & Mentos guys), live demonstration spectacular. 6pm, Monument Square, Congress & Elm Streets, Portland (sponsored by Headlight Audio Visual) Free and open to the public: rain date Friday, June 29, 6pm
June 29th:
Sharon Isbin, classical guitar, solo concert. This multi-Grammy winning artist is regarded as the pre-eminent classical guitarist of our times. 7pm, Williston-Immanuel United Church, 156 High Street, Portland.
Tickets $20-45, plus ticketing fee
June 30th:
Celebration Barn Ensemble, world premiere play, “Thumbs Up.” Created by the artists of the Celebration Barn, “Thumbs Up” is an inventive and uproarious look at Maine’s unique qualities and characters. 8pm, John Ford Theater @ Portland High School, 284 Cumberland Avenue, Portland
Tickets $15-30 plus ticketing fee
Doug Wamble, jazz. Featuring an 8-piece ensemble presenting “Yoknapatawpha,” an evening-length work based on the literary works of William Faulkner. 9pm, The State Theater, 609 Congress Street Portland (sponsored by The State Theater)
Tickets $20-40 plus ticketing fee
July 1st:
Celebration Barn Ensemble, “Thumbs Up,” matinee performance. 1pm, John Ford Theater @ Portland High School, 284 Cumberland Avenue, Portland
Tickets $15-30 plus ticketing fee
Piano Concert, Festival Finale. Curated by the Portland Conservatory, this concert presents the premier artists of the International Piano Festival in works by a variety of composers, including Maine resident Elliott Schawartz. 3pm, Williston-Immanuel United Church, 156 High Street, Portland
Tickets $15-25 plus ticketing fee
Tickets for all performances are available through PortTix, tickets.porttix.com. More information about all the Festival performances is available at www.portlandfestival.org.
No comments:
Post a Comment