OFF THE PAGE 2012: Women Jazz Composers Festival premieres October 12th and 13th at 18th Street Arts Center and World Stage, Los Angeles: including concerts by Maia, Tomeka Reid, Manisha Shahane, Dawn Norfleet, Leah Paul and Nicole Mitchell.
October 12-13, 2012—Six women composers from diverse musical backgrounds will present original music at the OFF THE PAGE 2012: Women Jazz Composers Festival. Each night will feature three sets of original music encompassing jazz, blues, world, folk and experimental traditions.
Chicago-based cellist, composer Tomeka Reid, presently a resident artist at the 18th Street Gallery in Santa Monica, was inspired by Maia, a critically acclaimed “multi-dimensional expressionist” to initiate a performance series showcasing the diverse talents of women musicians in the Los Angeles area. Coined by Maia, the festival is named “OFF THE PAGE” because it features women improvisers who define their own language and creativity in unique ways. Each night will feature three sets of original music encompassing jazz, blues, world, folk and experimental traditions led by women improviser/composers. The festival, designed to encourage the composer participants to collaborate in each others’ work, will be hosted by MC Rev. G.
October 12th, 7pm at the engaging 18th Street Gallery (Santa Monica), Leah Paul, a vocalist, flutist and composer will open up the festival with a set, featuring clarinetist Chris Speed and other festival musicians. Having migrated from New York, Paul has immersed herself into LA’s new music scene and will present exciting compositions that story her background in indie rock, jazz and chamber music. Next, Dawn Norfleet, greatly recognized for her soulful flute playing and vocals, and described as a “renaissance woman” by jazz historian Robin D. G. Kelley, will do a magnetic set, joined by other festival musicians. The closing set of the night will premiere “Maia Connection,” featuring heart-healing transformational music by AACM and Pan Afrikan Arkestra luminary, Maia. Maia will lead her septet on harp and vocals, which will also feature soprano saxophonist Tracy Caldwell, bassist Trevor Ware and vocalists Waberi Jordon, and Deborah Sharp-Taylor, along with festival musicians Nicole Mitchell and Tomeka Reid.
October 13th, 7pm, at Leimert Park’s historical World Stage, will begin with LA’s world-folk- fusion sensation, Manisha Shahane on guitar, vocals and piano, with her set titled: Bridging Hemispheres. Shahane’s set will include flutist Nicole Mitchell and percussionist T.J. Troy. Set two will feature a provocative, swinging project led by internationally recognized cellist Tomeka Reid. OFF THE PAGE festival will close with a premiere of new work titled Inner Messages led by LA newcomer and Alpert award-winning jazz flutist, Nicole Mitchell. Mitchell’s set will also feature the ancient-future sounds of vocalist Dwight Trible, percussionist Najite Agindotan and cellist Tomeka Reid. About “OFF THE PAGE,” Maia states, “I am thrilled and honored to present my work along with some of the most brilliant talented women/people on planet earth.” With enthusiasm, Tomeka Reid states: “We to want to welcome LA audiences to enjoy diverse music by women jazz composers, with a festival that is both inspiring and affordable.”
Festival Line-up
October 12th, 18th Street Gallery, 1639 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA
7pm Leah Paul Group:Leah Paul, vocals, flute, composition; Nicole Mitchell flute; Tomeka Reid cello; Chris Speed clarinet; Dawn Norfleet flute
8pm Dawn Norfleet Project: Dawn Norfleet vocals, flute, composition; Nicole Mitchell flute; and special guests
9pm Maia Connection: Maia harp, vocals, composition; Tracy Caldwell soprano sax; Tomeka Reid cello; Nicole Mitchell flute; Waberi Jordan vocals; Deborah Sharp-Taylor vocals; Trevor Ware bass
October 13th, World Stage, 4344 Degnan Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
7pm Manisha Shahane’s Bridging Hemispheres: Manisha Shahane piano, guitar, vocals; T.J. Troy percussion; Nicole Mitchell flutes
8pm Tomeka Reid Project: Tomeka Reid cello, composition; Nicole Mitchell flute; and special guests
9pm Nicole Mitchell’s Inner Messages: Nicole Mitchell flutes, composition; Tomeka Reid cello; Dwight Trible vocals; Najite Agindotan percussion.
About the Artists
Maia: Multi-Dimensional Expressionist of “…otherworldly twists…” (Chris Barton, Los Angeles Times), Maia, is a songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist (harp, flute, piccolo, vibraphone) and vocalist who has garnered critical acclaim across the U.S. and abroad. Maia is a proud member of The Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, Los Angeles and the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians), Chicago, two renown music organizations that are stalwarts of African American Culture. Her creative work has been commissioned by the Chicago Jazz Festival, and Meet the Composer. THE DAY THE EARTH SHOOK HAITI, a project that she composed and produced to benefit earthquake devastated Haiti, is her most valued composition to date. Alongside her music career, Maia is a SAG- AFTRA actor whose extensive film and theatrical credits include HIT LIST, starring Joey Lawrence and Shirley Brener, directed by Mihn Collins, TRUTH HALL starring and directed by Jade Dixon (in current rotation on BET network television) and “Body Language featuring the music of Patti LaBelle" by Michael Ajakwe, Jr. Maia takes pride in her extensive experience as vocal trainer and music teacher (voice and piano) to children, adults and adults with developmental disabilities around the community and in private settings.
Nicole Mitchell: Instrumentalist, composer Nicole Mitchell is celebrated for her improvisation and technique on the flute—repeatedly cited by DownBeat Critics Poll and the Jazz Journalists Association as “Top Flutist” for the last three years. As founder of Black Earth Ensemble and Black Earth Strings, Mitchell’s music has been featured throughout Europe, the U.S. and Canada, and reaches across genres, integrating new ideas with moments in the legacy of jazz, gospel, pop and African percussion. Formerly the first woman president of Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), Mitchell is a recipient of the Alpert Award in the Arts (2011) and has been commissioned by Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art, the Chicago Jazz Festival, Chamber Music America, the Jazz Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Sinfonietta Orchestra. She has performed with music luminaries including Anthony Braxton, George Lewis, Anthony Davis, Roscoe Mitchell, Joelle Leandre, Steve Coleman, Ramsey Lewis, Vijay Iyer, Myra Melford and many others. Mitchell is currently an assistant professor of music at the University of California, Irvine. She is a Doris Duke Artist and is endorsed by Verne Q. Powell Flutes.
Dawn Norfleet: Flutist, vocalist and composer, Dawn Norfleet has been described as a “Renaissance Woman" by respected jazz historian, Robin D.G. Kelley. Having earned her reputation as a respected bandleader and composer on both coasts, she has also worked with diverse artists, including: Grammy-nominated jazz pianist, Vijay Iyer; avant-garde jazz percussionist, David Pleasant; L.A. legendary jazz bassist, Nedra Wheeler, and funky-free jazz composer, David Ornette Cherry. Also fluent in funk, soul and world music, she also appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, accompanying R&B star, Monica. “Dr. Dawn" performed at the Skirball Center, Temple Bar, Ford Ampitheater, Grammy Museum, California African Museum, and Grand Performances as bandleader or side musician. Most recently, she produced and mixed her second EP, Something So Ordinary—a unique mélange of creative jazz, lively funk and eclectic world beat, featuring an eclectic line-up of fine musicians: pianist Andy Milne (Steve Coleman) and Muzz Skillings (Living Colour) and Munyungo Jackson (Stevie Wonder). A published scholar and ethnomusicologist with a Ph.D. from Columbia University, Dr. Norfleet recently joined the faculty of Cal Poly Pomona as Director of its Soul Ensemble.
Leah Paul began her musical career in NYC, after graduating from the University of Michigan with a BMA in Musical Arts in 2002. As a performer Leah's playing spans the genres of classical, improvised, and rock music, playing with such groups/musicians as Blarvuster, Anthony Braxton and the Dirty Projectors. Leah has had original music featured on WNYC’s Soundcheck, and has been written about by such publications as TimeOutNY, The Big Takeover, and The Brooklyn Paper. Her chamber ensemble Bike Lane has a new album out on Skirl Records, and is already getting rave reviews–eMusic describes it: “Navigating between jazz, experimental and contemporary music with confidence and authority.” Since moving to Los Angeles in July 2011, Leah has immersed herself in LA’s new music scene, as well as working on music for film and television. Leah has composed music for Art Without Borders, Time.com, the Sea Scouts, and Pierre Huyghes, in addition to writing countless arrangements for performing ensembles, and working as a teaching artist in schools.
Tomeka Reid: Chicago based cellist, composer and educator, Tomeka Reid has been described as “a remarkably versatile player,” (Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune). Equally adept in classical and jazz contexts, Ms. Reid predominantly works in experimental and improvisatory settings and composes for a wide range of instrumentation, from big band to chamber ensemble. Ms. Reid’s music combines her love for groove along with freer concepts. Ms. Reid is an integral part of Dee Alexander’s Evolution Ensemble, Nicole Mitchell’s Black Earth Ensemble/Strings, Mike Reed’s Loose Assembly, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) Great Black Music Ensemble, and co-leads the internationally recognized string trio, Hear in Now. Ms. Reid performs with many of today’s forward thinking musicians in the world of jazz and creative music including Anthony Braxton, George Lewis, Roscoe Mitchell, Jeb Bishop, Myra Melford, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Mary Halvorson, Denis Fournier, Edward Wilkerson and Harrison Bankhead. As a composer, Ms. Reid has been commissioned by the AACM, the Chicago Jazz Festival and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble and has showcase her work at festivals including Umbria Jazz, An Insolent Noise and Vignola Jazz. She has been awarded residencies for composition with the Ragdale Foundation and the 2nd Annual Make Jazz Fellowship hosted by the 18th Street Arts Organization.
Manisha Shahane: Alt-world songstress Manisha Shahane (Sha-hah-nay) is bridging hemispheres. Based in Los Angeles, her musical collage draws on her roots in southern Virginia, her East Indian heritage, and other traditions, resulting in “music of this universe.” Following her debut 2004 release of Peace in Progress, Shahane’s shows have garnered audiences in numerous cities in the US, as well as in Israel, the UK, and India. Her second album is titled When Parallel Lines Meet (2010). She has been invited to perform on various college campuses, including Wellesley, Brown, Brandeis, and Tufts; other invitations have included: Women in Jazz Festival at UMass Amherst & Vermont Jazz Center, PianoFest in Boston, MA, Local Colors International Festival in Roanoke, VA, Brihan Maharashtra Mandal Convention in Seattle, WA, UCLA Semel Institute Concert Series in Los Angeles, CA. In February of this year, she appeared at the Mridang Cultural Festival in Indore, India. As a teaching artist, she has led her own workshops and assemblies in music and dance, plus she has worked in the public schools through programs such as “Rock the Classroom” in Los Angeles and the Metropolitan Opera Guild’s “Urban Voices” in Boston. Since moving to LA in 2005, she has also joined the roster of artists who have participated in educational programming at The Grammy Museum and Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. Manisha is a multi-year recipient of the ASCAPlus Award in the Jazz and Popular Division.
MC Rev. G: Rev. G aka Calvin Gantt, based in Long Beach, is an announcer, youth advocate, social worker, writer, African American music aficionado and inter-faith minister. Rev. G publishes a weekly blog called “Timetahollerback: A Social Commentary On Personal Experiences.” He is currently completing his first book for publication entitled “As I Write, Right Now: Drug Recovery Via Spiritual Awakening,” to be released 2013. Born and raised in Chicago, Rev. G founded and directed the Onyx House for alcohol and drug recovery from 1994-2000, co- directed the Light House Youth Center from 2009-2011, and led the “Boys to Men” mentorship program for New Life Covenant Church 2007-2011. Rev. G completed a thirty- year career with Ford Motor Company, holding positions of assembly-line worker, general utility worker, millwright, safety coordinator and employee resource coordinator. He holds a Bachelors degree in Sociology from Lake Forest College, Illinois and a Masters in Community Development from North Park University, Chicago.
October 12, 7pm at 18th Street Art Gallery, 1639 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA
October 13, 7pm at The World Stage, 4344 Degnan Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
Ticket price: $10 a night
October 12-13, 2012—Six women composers from diverse musical backgrounds will present original music at the OFF THE PAGE 2012: Women Jazz Composers Festival. Each night will feature three sets of original music encompassing jazz, blues, world, folk and experimental traditions.
Chicago-based cellist, composer Tomeka Reid, presently a resident artist at the 18th Street Gallery in Santa Monica, was inspired by Maia, a critically acclaimed “multi-dimensional expressionist” to initiate a performance series showcasing the diverse talents of women musicians in the Los Angeles area. Coined by Maia, the festival is named “OFF THE PAGE” because it features women improvisers who define their own language and creativity in unique ways. Each night will feature three sets of original music encompassing jazz, blues, world, folk and experimental traditions led by women improviser/composers. The festival, designed to encourage the composer participants to collaborate in each others’ work, will be hosted by MC Rev. G.
October 12th, 7pm at the engaging 18th Street Gallery (Santa Monica), Leah Paul, a vocalist, flutist and composer will open up the festival with a set, featuring clarinetist Chris Speed and other festival musicians. Having migrated from New York, Paul has immersed herself into LA’s new music scene and will present exciting compositions that story her background in indie rock, jazz and chamber music. Next, Dawn Norfleet, greatly recognized for her soulful flute playing and vocals, and described as a “renaissance woman” by jazz historian Robin D. G. Kelley, will do a magnetic set, joined by other festival musicians. The closing set of the night will premiere “Maia Connection,” featuring heart-healing transformational music by AACM and Pan Afrikan Arkestra luminary, Maia. Maia will lead her septet on harp and vocals, which will also feature soprano saxophonist Tracy Caldwell, bassist Trevor Ware and vocalists Waberi Jordon, and Deborah Sharp-Taylor, along with festival musicians Nicole Mitchell and Tomeka Reid.
October 13th, 7pm, at Leimert Park’s historical World Stage, will begin with LA’s world-folk- fusion sensation, Manisha Shahane on guitar, vocals and piano, with her set titled: Bridging Hemispheres. Shahane’s set will include flutist Nicole Mitchell and percussionist T.J. Troy. Set two will feature a provocative, swinging project led by internationally recognized cellist Tomeka Reid. OFF THE PAGE festival will close with a premiere of new work titled Inner Messages led by LA newcomer and Alpert award-winning jazz flutist, Nicole Mitchell. Mitchell’s set will also feature the ancient-future sounds of vocalist Dwight Trible, percussionist Najite Agindotan and cellist Tomeka Reid. About “OFF THE PAGE,” Maia states, “I am thrilled and honored to present my work along with some of the most brilliant talented women/people on planet earth.” With enthusiasm, Tomeka Reid states: “We to want to welcome LA audiences to enjoy diverse music by women jazz composers, with a festival that is both inspiring and affordable.”
Festival Line-up
October 12th, 18th Street Gallery, 1639 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA
7pm Leah Paul Group:Leah Paul, vocals, flute, composition; Nicole Mitchell flute; Tomeka Reid cello; Chris Speed clarinet; Dawn Norfleet flute
8pm Dawn Norfleet Project: Dawn Norfleet vocals, flute, composition; Nicole Mitchell flute; and special guests
9pm Maia Connection: Maia harp, vocals, composition; Tracy Caldwell soprano sax; Tomeka Reid cello; Nicole Mitchell flute; Waberi Jordan vocals; Deborah Sharp-Taylor vocals; Trevor Ware bass
October 13th, World Stage, 4344 Degnan Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
7pm Manisha Shahane’s Bridging Hemispheres: Manisha Shahane piano, guitar, vocals; T.J. Troy percussion; Nicole Mitchell flutes
8pm Tomeka Reid Project: Tomeka Reid cello, composition; Nicole Mitchell flute; and special guests
9pm Nicole Mitchell’s Inner Messages: Nicole Mitchell flutes, composition; Tomeka Reid cello; Dwight Trible vocals; Najite Agindotan percussion.
About the Artists
Maia: Multi-Dimensional Expressionist of “…otherworldly twists…” (Chris Barton, Los Angeles Times), Maia, is a songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist (harp, flute, piccolo, vibraphone) and vocalist who has garnered critical acclaim across the U.S. and abroad. Maia is a proud member of The Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, Los Angeles and the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians), Chicago, two renown music organizations that are stalwarts of African American Culture. Her creative work has been commissioned by the Chicago Jazz Festival, and Meet the Composer. THE DAY THE EARTH SHOOK HAITI, a project that she composed and produced to benefit earthquake devastated Haiti, is her most valued composition to date. Alongside her music career, Maia is a SAG- AFTRA actor whose extensive film and theatrical credits include HIT LIST, starring Joey Lawrence and Shirley Brener, directed by Mihn Collins, TRUTH HALL starring and directed by Jade Dixon (in current rotation on BET network television) and “Body Language featuring the music of Patti LaBelle" by Michael Ajakwe, Jr. Maia takes pride in her extensive experience as vocal trainer and music teacher (voice and piano) to children, adults and adults with developmental disabilities around the community and in private settings.
Nicole Mitchell: Instrumentalist, composer Nicole Mitchell is celebrated for her improvisation and technique on the flute—repeatedly cited by DownBeat Critics Poll and the Jazz Journalists Association as “Top Flutist” for the last three years. As founder of Black Earth Ensemble and Black Earth Strings, Mitchell’s music has been featured throughout Europe, the U.S. and Canada, and reaches across genres, integrating new ideas with moments in the legacy of jazz, gospel, pop and African percussion. Formerly the first woman president of Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), Mitchell is a recipient of the Alpert Award in the Arts (2011) and has been commissioned by Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art, the Chicago Jazz Festival, Chamber Music America, the Jazz Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Sinfonietta Orchestra. She has performed with music luminaries including Anthony Braxton, George Lewis, Anthony Davis, Roscoe Mitchell, Joelle Leandre, Steve Coleman, Ramsey Lewis, Vijay Iyer, Myra Melford and many others. Mitchell is currently an assistant professor of music at the University of California, Irvine. She is a Doris Duke Artist and is endorsed by Verne Q. Powell Flutes.
Dawn Norfleet: Flutist, vocalist and composer, Dawn Norfleet has been described as a “Renaissance Woman" by respected jazz historian, Robin D.G. Kelley. Having earned her reputation as a respected bandleader and composer on both coasts, she has also worked with diverse artists, including: Grammy-nominated jazz pianist, Vijay Iyer; avant-garde jazz percussionist, David Pleasant; L.A. legendary jazz bassist, Nedra Wheeler, and funky-free jazz composer, David Ornette Cherry. Also fluent in funk, soul and world music, she also appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, accompanying R&B star, Monica. “Dr. Dawn" performed at the Skirball Center, Temple Bar, Ford Ampitheater, Grammy Museum, California African Museum, and Grand Performances as bandleader or side musician. Most recently, she produced and mixed her second EP, Something So Ordinary—a unique mélange of creative jazz, lively funk and eclectic world beat, featuring an eclectic line-up of fine musicians: pianist Andy Milne (Steve Coleman) and Muzz Skillings (Living Colour) and Munyungo Jackson (Stevie Wonder). A published scholar and ethnomusicologist with a Ph.D. from Columbia University, Dr. Norfleet recently joined the faculty of Cal Poly Pomona as Director of its Soul Ensemble.
Leah Paul began her musical career in NYC, after graduating from the University of Michigan with a BMA in Musical Arts in 2002. As a performer Leah's playing spans the genres of classical, improvised, and rock music, playing with such groups/musicians as Blarvuster, Anthony Braxton and the Dirty Projectors. Leah has had original music featured on WNYC’s Soundcheck, and has been written about by such publications as TimeOutNY, The Big Takeover, and The Brooklyn Paper. Her chamber ensemble Bike Lane has a new album out on Skirl Records, and is already getting rave reviews–eMusic describes it: “Navigating between jazz, experimental and contemporary music with confidence and authority.” Since moving to Los Angeles in July 2011, Leah has immersed herself in LA’s new music scene, as well as working on music for film and television. Leah has composed music for Art Without Borders, Time.com, the Sea Scouts, and Pierre Huyghes, in addition to writing countless arrangements for performing ensembles, and working as a teaching artist in schools.
Tomeka Reid: Chicago based cellist, composer and educator, Tomeka Reid has been described as “a remarkably versatile player,” (Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune). Equally adept in classical and jazz contexts, Ms. Reid predominantly works in experimental and improvisatory settings and composes for a wide range of instrumentation, from big band to chamber ensemble. Ms. Reid’s music combines her love for groove along with freer concepts. Ms. Reid is an integral part of Dee Alexander’s Evolution Ensemble, Nicole Mitchell’s Black Earth Ensemble/Strings, Mike Reed’s Loose Assembly, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) Great Black Music Ensemble, and co-leads the internationally recognized string trio, Hear in Now. Ms. Reid performs with many of today’s forward thinking musicians in the world of jazz and creative music including Anthony Braxton, George Lewis, Roscoe Mitchell, Jeb Bishop, Myra Melford, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Mary Halvorson, Denis Fournier, Edward Wilkerson and Harrison Bankhead. As a composer, Ms. Reid has been commissioned by the AACM, the Chicago Jazz Festival and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble and has showcase her work at festivals including Umbria Jazz, An Insolent Noise and Vignola Jazz. She has been awarded residencies for composition with the Ragdale Foundation and the 2nd Annual Make Jazz Fellowship hosted by the 18th Street Arts Organization.
Manisha Shahane: Alt-world songstress Manisha Shahane (Sha-hah-nay) is bridging hemispheres. Based in Los Angeles, her musical collage draws on her roots in southern Virginia, her East Indian heritage, and other traditions, resulting in “music of this universe.” Following her debut 2004 release of Peace in Progress, Shahane’s shows have garnered audiences in numerous cities in the US, as well as in Israel, the UK, and India. Her second album is titled When Parallel Lines Meet (2010). She has been invited to perform on various college campuses, including Wellesley, Brown, Brandeis, and Tufts; other invitations have included: Women in Jazz Festival at UMass Amherst & Vermont Jazz Center, PianoFest in Boston, MA, Local Colors International Festival in Roanoke, VA, Brihan Maharashtra Mandal Convention in Seattle, WA, UCLA Semel Institute Concert Series in Los Angeles, CA. In February of this year, she appeared at the Mridang Cultural Festival in Indore, India. As a teaching artist, she has led her own workshops and assemblies in music and dance, plus she has worked in the public schools through programs such as “Rock the Classroom” in Los Angeles and the Metropolitan Opera Guild’s “Urban Voices” in Boston. Since moving to LA in 2005, she has also joined the roster of artists who have participated in educational programming at The Grammy Museum and Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. Manisha is a multi-year recipient of the ASCAPlus Award in the Jazz and Popular Division.
MC Rev. G: Rev. G aka Calvin Gantt, based in Long Beach, is an announcer, youth advocate, social worker, writer, African American music aficionado and inter-faith minister. Rev. G publishes a weekly blog called “Timetahollerback: A Social Commentary On Personal Experiences.” He is currently completing his first book for publication entitled “As I Write, Right Now: Drug Recovery Via Spiritual Awakening,” to be released 2013. Born and raised in Chicago, Rev. G founded and directed the Onyx House for alcohol and drug recovery from 1994-2000, co- directed the Light House Youth Center from 2009-2011, and led the “Boys to Men” mentorship program for New Life Covenant Church 2007-2011. Rev. G completed a thirty- year career with Ford Motor Company, holding positions of assembly-line worker, general utility worker, millwright, safety coordinator and employee resource coordinator. He holds a Bachelors degree in Sociology from Lake Forest College, Illinois and a Masters in Community Development from North Park University, Chicago.
October 12, 7pm at 18th Street Art Gallery, 1639 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA
October 13, 7pm at The World Stage, 4344 Degnan Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
Ticket price: $10 a night
