Billy Bang and Yusef Komunyakaa at Harlem Stage

The Harlem Stage Gatehouse is the intimate setting for this emotionally charged work that combines the exceptional talents of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa with the cutting edge sounds of jazz violinist Billy Bang. Coming from seemingly disparate backgrounds — Komunyakaa raised in Louisiana; Billy Bang reared in the Bronx — the two share a common past as Vietnam veterans. In this compelling production, the artists use music, voice, media, and conversation to capture their remembered experience of a cruel and painful war.

In Nine Bridges Back, twelve collaborating artists create a collage of voices and instruments based on poetry by Yusef Komunyakaa that addresses complex histories and personal experiences in the context of the Vietnam-American war.

Featuring:
Yusef Komunyakaa (poet); Vince di Mura (composer/keyboards) with Annie Lee Moffett(vocals) and Tony Jackson (narrator); Susie Ibarra (composer/percussionist) with Jennifer Choi (violin), Carol To Moy (singer) and Cathy Linh Che (translator); Tomas Doncker (composer/guitar/vocals) and Marvin Sewell (guitar); Alan Benditt (actor); and Noriko Kamo (piano). Dawn Akemi Saito (director).

Billy Bang and his Aftermath Band perform compositions based on Bang's experience as a combat soldier in Vietnam. Bang's music evokes and confronts memories through a combination of Western and Asian elements, including the use of Vietnamese traditional instruments. The ensemble features musicians who experienced both the Vietnam and Korean Wars.

Featuring:
Billy Bang, violin; Newman Taylor Baker, drums; Andrew Bemkey, piano; Ted Daniel, trumpet; Hilliard Greene, bass; Muziki Roberson, piano; James Spaulding, alto saxophone, flute; Henry P. Warner, clarinet, alto clarinet.

A pre-concert discussion at 6 pm with artists Bang and Komunyakaa will be moderated by Brent Hayes Edwards, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University.