BAG Presents: Diverse Creative Voices on the St. Louis Scene

On Friday, August 10th from 7 - 9 PM BAG presents an
evening of diverse creative voices featuring musician
Zimbabwe Nkenya on mbira and poets Marsha Cann,
Michael Castro and Blue-Mashibini in the historic Rosebud Café at Scott Joplin House 2658 Delmar Blvd.). Native Marsha Cann is well-known as an actress, poet, storyteller and educator. Her work has been published in Wordwalkers, Frontlines and the St. Louis Muse. Cann has often been seen on stage in productions with the Black Rep and her association
with that group dates back to the origins of the company when she was a theater major at Washington University.

Michael Castro has ten books of poetry, essays, and translations to his
credit, most recently Human Rites: Selected Poems (2002) and A
Transparent Lion: Selected Poetry of Attila Jozsef (translated from the Hungarian with Gabor G. Gyukics, 2006). Castro is well known as a performance poet throughout the United States and internationally where he has performed in London, Edinburgh, Toronto, Montreal, New Delhi, and Budapest.

Blue-Mashibini is a poetry team (JoyCe Blue & Deborah
Mashibini) who first read together at Shirley
LeFlore's Creative Arts & Expression Lab (CAEL) in
1982. After a 20-plus year hiatus they have recently
re-united and will be reading from their work in
progress, Some Things Need to be Said.
Blue-Mashibini's poetic narratives weave common
stories that attempt to bridge the divides that
continue to separate people based on race and
misperceptions of one another.

Zimbabwe Nkenya has presented his work in some of the
finest performing arts centers in the country
including the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Lincoln
Center, and the Knitting Factory. He has performed
with Julius Hemphill, Rob Brown, William Parker,
Anthony Braxton, Frank Morgan, Floyd LeFlore, Mary
Redhouse and countless poets including Shirley
LeFlore, Quincy Troupe, Mike '360' Ipiotis, Joy Harjo
and Arthur Ray Brown. Currently Zimbabwe is working
with Mike Nelson bringing two sacred African
instruments, the Bata Drums and the Mbira, together.

The African Mbira, often referred to as a 'thumb
piano,' is in fact a multi-octave instrument requiring
more than thumbs to achieve its full potential. Nkenya
has incorporated the sacred sounds of the Mbira into
original jazz-based music for more than 30 years. "In
his hands, the Mbira becomes a vibrant channel for
spirited, authentic jazz improvisations... using ancient traditions to
forge music for today."

This free event is presented by BAG, a collective of
artists dedicated to presenting creative work in the
tradition of the original BAG (Black Artists Group).
Friday's performance is part of an ongoing series that
has included internationally known artists Eugene B.
Redmond, K. Curtis Lyle, Jerome "Scrooge" Harris,
Shirley LeFlore, Oliver Lake and Mike Nelson.

For more information contact Scott Joplin House at
314-340-5790 or email BAG:
bag_blackartistsgroup@yahoo.com