The Woodmere Art Museum's exhibition Freedom's Journal: The Art of Jerry Pinkney—which showcases the works of master watercolorist, Caldecott-winning illustrator, and Philadelphia native Jerry Pinkney—will end on May 12th. The Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble will be at the Woodmere on Saturday, May 11th at 7 PM to perform a musical narrative of two books illustrated by Pinkney—I Want To Be, by Thylias Moss, and The Old African, by Julius Lester.The Apreggio Jazz Ensemble, with vocalist Suzanne Burgess, visited the WRTI 90.1 Performance Studio to record a musical narrative of one of the books, I Want To Be. Check it out!
At the closing weekend of of the exhibition, Apreggio will perform Goma, Goma: A Musical Narrative of The Old African and I Want To Be on Saturday, May 11th at 7 PM at the Woodmere. Details here.
Performers: Suzanne Burgess, vocals; Frank Butrey, acoustic guitar; Adam Faulk, synthesizer; Greg (Juju) Jones, drums; Doug Pablo Edwards, percussion; Warren Oree, bass and narration; Larry Price, saxophone
Music and voice bring to life the powerful stories of I Want to Be and The Old African, a tale about a shaman-like character who leads his people from a life of enslavement back to freedom in Africa through a magical journey across the ocean floor. This story of resilience inspired the title, “Goma, Goma,” which translates as “Revolt, Revolt.” The original music is composed and arranged by bass player Warren Oree.
Freedom's Journal: The Art of Jerry Pinkneyincludes over 100 of the artists illustrations, most focusing on the subject of civil rights and the pursuit of freedom. Jerry was borm in the Germantown section of Philadelphia and studied at the University of the Arts. He has received a Caldecott Medal, five Caldecott Honor Medals and five Coretta Scott King Awards, amongst many other accolaides. The exhibition is on display at Woodmere Art Museum through Sunday, May 12th.