Photo: Sam Lee
Doors open 20:00
Event start 21:00
Standing
Age limit: 18
‘The poet laureate of the apocalypse’. That’s how Pitchfork described US composer, vocalist, poet and educator Moor Mother, aka LA-based Camae Ayewa. For the past few years her densely layered ‘Black Quantum Futurism’ – a blend of jazz, blues, soul, hiphop and other black classical traditions – has acted as a tool to transform knowledge and consciousness. At this concert, presented by MUNCH in collaboration with the Øya Festival, she brings her musical philosophy to MUNCH, along with a special guest appearance by Danish free jazz performer Mette Rasmussen.
Ayewa has performed and recorded with free jazz groups Irreversible Entanglements and Art Ensemble of Chicago. Moor Mother’s 2022 album Jazz Codes – a companion to her celebrated 2021 release Black Encyclopedia of the Air – uses free jazz as a starting point, but is sweetened with a dash of R&B. For this solo live set she’ll be using electronics, vocals, samples and drum machines.
Jazz Codes sprang from a book of poems written in honour of jazz and blues icons like Woody Shaw, Amina Claudine Myers and Mary Lou Williams. The lyrics reflect Moor Mother’s theories of Black Quantum Futurism – an alternate perception of the world through art, music and black history.
Tonight also features a solo saxophone/electronics set from Danish-born free jazz player Mette Rasmussen. Based in Trondheim, she has toured all over the world with her own groups ØKSE, Trio North and Rasmussen Quintet as well as Glass Triangle, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, MoE and more. Rasmussen will also join Moor Mother for a special guest appearance.
