Be-Side

March is Women Makin’ History Month a Jazzbah!

Jazzbars w/ Hakim Be & Friends will be “front-woman’d” by Donne “The Wychdokta” Lewis

A bar is a measure of music…Whether it be the bars on the sheet music of a jazz musician or the hot 16 of an MC, every generation measures itself in song. Every month at Jazzbah, a few musicians and a poet or two will give you another moment to remember…We don’t bridge the gap between Hip-Hop and Jazz, we eliminate it.

On the first Tuesday of every month at Downtown Albuquerque’s newest jazz club, hip hop’s genetic precursor and future are on display. Jazzbah Presents: JazzBars with Hakim Be & Friends is a throwback to the era of jazz poetry from which hip hop emerged. Flirted with by the likes of T.S. Eliot and E.E. Cummings; conceived by Black poets in the 20s; and maintained by Beat generation poets in the 50s, jazz poetry has been said to be reborn in hip hop music and at poetry slams.

Tapping under the tutelage of Diane Walker, Buster Brown and Savion Glover; Donne “The Wychdokta” Lewis will be co-hosting Jazzbars this month with Hakim Be. Using foot, voice and verb, Lewis is joining the March line up for Jazzbars to make sure Women’s History Month does not go un-“funkdafied.” A former member and contributing choreographer to DC Tapestry (a Washington D.C. based dance company); Lewis has performed at the 930 Club, The Smithsonian Museum and at Capitol Hill on stage with the late Ray Charles.

Joining “The Wychdokta” is her long-time collaborative partner Stuart “Fish Out O Water” Smith. Percussionist, guitarist, accompanist and dancer, Smith practices many styles “creative martial arts.” “I’ve played for and with international phenomena in the world of dance and music,” says Smith. “Flamencas from all over Spain and Central and South America, Hoofers (tap) from NY, DC, to Chi-town through KC to LA. Swing on djembe, hip-hop on the floor, Bularias on concert toms, Mozart on djun and goncoqui.” Smith has been accompanying university level modern dance classes for over a decade, as a result Jazzbah will remove a few tables to accommodate Smith’s open invite to the dance students at UNM!

The final “& Friends” request from Hakim Be was extended to bassist Eric Owens. Since the age of 14, Eric Owens has been playing in local clubs and bars. No stranger to the road, Owens toured with Quincy Street Records underground alternative band New London for four years. Then he joined southern rockers Six Gun Overload and opened for acts like Foghat, Nazareth and Molly Hatchet. Adding to the dance floor theme of March Jazzbars, Owens says, “Life in the pocket is where it’s at. If I don’t see butts moving and heads bouncing I’m not doing my job!”

JazzBars with Hakim Be & Friends: Women Makin’ History Month will take place at the Jazzbah on March 6^th for two shows (7:30pm/9:30pm). Chef Pacheco will be on fine dining and Master Mixologist Denial Gonzales on “sizzurp” duty. As always, tickets are $12 for both shows. FREE w/ valid student I.D. Baseball hats are a no-go, this is cultura with white tablecloths.  -hb

Make sure you let us know if you are joining us Tuesday March 6th for 7:30pm and/or 9:30pm shows at our Facebook Event Page!

First Tuesday’s in Albquuerque…

Performance poetry + live jazz = a pre-hip hop flavor in an upscale setting
Award-winning M.C. and award-winning mixology at Albuquerque’s newest jazz club

JAZZBAHABQ.COM - Downtown Albuquerque has not seen a jazz club since the 50s. That’s when Albuquerque High School alum Chester and his wife, Pert, owned Chet and Pert’s Flamingo Lounge. Downtown has changed since then. Jazz, the only pure blooded American, musical offspring of this mutt country has changed too. In fact, it had a child and her name is Hip Hop.

On the first Tuesday of every month at Downtown Albuquerque’s newest jazz club, hip hop’s genetic precursor and future is on display. Jazzbah Presents: JazzBars with Hakim Be & Friends is a throwback to the era of jazz poetry from which hip hop emerged. Flirted with by the likes of T.S. Eliot and E.E. Cummings; conceived by Black poets in the 20s; and maintained by Beat generation poets in the 50s, jazz poetry has been said to be reborn in hip hop music and at poetry slams.

Hakim Bellamy (AKA Hakim Be) is a two-time national champion in the poetry slam community and acts as the musical curator of the monthly series. A published poet and hip hop emcee, Bellamy also sees the future of hip hop in its jazzy origins. “Groups like The Roots, The Coup and J. Davis Trio apply improvisation to live instrumentation and lyricism,” says Bellamy. “As a result you get the ‘once in a lifetime’ jam band feeling that would come from a Grateful Dead or a Bob Marley show, but with the poetics and danceability of hip hop.”

According to the JazzBars Facebook event page, “A bar is a measure of music…Whether the it be the bars on the sheet music of a jazz musician or the hot 16 of an MC, every generation measures itself in song. Every month at Jazzbah, a few musicians and a poet or two will give you another moment to remember…We don’t bridge the gap between Hip-Hop and Jazz, we eliminate it.”

Along with Jazzbah’s standard fare of white tablecloth cuisine, black tie service, wine menu by wine steward (and owner) Don Putz and mixology by internationally renowned drink chemist Daniel Gonzales; JazzBars puts a younger, hipper, hopper face on the establishment. Students 18 and up get into the 7pm and 9pm JazzBar shows free with student ID. The general public can see both or either show for a $12 cover.

This month, Hakim Be has invited vocal percussionist and  break beat looping magician Zack Freeman to join him along with “keys junkie” Romeo Alonzo on piano. Rumor has it that Romeo will also bring his horn, so if you are a brass fan, come see a gumbo of electronic and acoustic music with some lyrical roux. “It’s like having dinner while hanging out in the studio with us,” says Bellamy. “While Executive Chef Robert Pacheco  whips up culinary chemistry in the back, we experiment with beautiful music out front. Welcome to our laboratory.”

Jazzbah Presents: JazzBars with Hakim Be & Friends
@ Jazzbah 119 Gold Street SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102
Tuesday December 6th 7pm & 9pm sets
$12/2 shows
www.jazzbahabq.com

Jazzbah: Designed to evoke the taste, touch, and feel of the urban jazz club vibe, Jazzbah is the southwest’s premier destination for lovers of fine wine and dining, and true bar mixology.