The brooklyn poetry choir, conceived in Prospect Park Bandshell during a concert attended by the co-founders enjoyed a workshop premiere at the St. Mark's Poetry Project. A lavish treat for the musical ear, BPC is a new old way to hear poetry. The choir performs original material composed individually and as a group. Original co-founders Tyrone Henderson, a spoken word performer and multi-media artist with fellow-founder Golda Solomon, then producer of a successful poetry jazz series in Westschester, brought together a group of writers, performers, educators and musicians. The common thread is Brooklyn, the "mother borough", and the Camaraderie of creativity and an extended family that respects each others' words and unique voices fuels this project.
Members explore through the spoken word, jazz and its roots, blues and coming of age experiences. The musicians working with the BPC are all seasoned artists who share a musical sensitivity to spoken word. Non-traditional instrumentation layers textures, flavors and rhythms as rich and diverse as the Brooklyn cultural alphabet soup.
The original band was Joe Exley, music director on tuba; jazz violinist Tom Aalfs; multi-reed player J.D. Parran; and percussionist/conguero Ray Turull. Original poets included Quimetta Peile and Gha'il Rhodes Benjamin.
The Poetry Project Friday Night series, then under the direction of Regie Cabico provided a starting point for many other exciting new works. The aura of the Poetry Project's "safe home" to new work nurtured creative development and new concepts.
The brooklyn poetry choir officially debuted at Po'Jazz and presented "Blues View" and "Ethnowhat?" at the Hudson Valley Writers' Center, Sleepy Hollow, New York.
Contact JazzJaunts if you want to become a member, or if you wish to have brooklyn poetry choir grace your venue.
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