Artist Christina Marie Sears releases jazz and poetry album Performance June 21st @ 7:00P.M.

Ypsilanti Interdisciplinary Artist Christina Marie Sears releases a jazz and poetry album this spring. Public are invited to an Album Release Party and Performance June 21st @ 7:00 pm at Yours Truly.

Tickets $20- $30 each, with refreshments included and various perks, including a CD or download of the album, Moments Contemporary Haiku and Jazz.

MOMENTS

What is MOMENTS? A contemporary haiku booklet with original illustrations and an accompanying album of jazz and poetry. Created by CM Sears with collaborators Daniel Ozzie Andrews, Ken Kozora, and Piotr Michalowski.

This event celebrates poetry and musical arts in the Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor area. Highlight of the event is this unique recording, an original song cycle of 13 tracks. There is one haiku/song setting per month, and an outro jam track. The poems themselves focus on the human-to-nature connection, the power of reflection and contemplative practice, wellness, joy and the power of musical and poetic expression. 

Each of the band members bring dynamic musical performances, a fun and playful approach, and improvisational skill to the live performance. Guests are invited to purchase advance tickets to attend. Price point is between $20 and $30 with varying perks associated with each ticket. Door Sale tickets will become available at 6:00 pm on June 21st and are $23. All tickets include perks, including stickers, CD’s and the booklet of poems. Refreshments are included for all.

Visit www.maplestreetstudios.org to book advance tickets. (Specific Link for tickets will be provided upon request.)

About the Artists

•••

FEATURED ARTISTS

CM Sears, Lead

Daniel Ozzie Andrews

Ken Kozora

Piotr Michalowski

CM Sears is an interdisciplinary artist with interests and expertise in dance, theater, music, fiber, and text/spoken word/ poetry and prose. She is a published author and performer. She holds an MFA in Choreography and Performance from State University of New York, College at Brockport, and an MA in English Language and Literature from Eastern Michigan University. CM maintains a private studio, Maple Street Studios, in Ypsilanti Michigan. Recent publications are in American Book Review Pandemic Poetry Issue 43.1, Isele Magazine, (pan-Africanist list mag,) The Hare’s Paw Literary Journal, of New York, Sad Girls Club Literary, (California) and elsewhere. CM’s recent poetry publications include Crab Apple Literary (of Montreal, Canada,) Tupelo Press’ 30 x 30 Program (Massachusetts,) Juste Milieu Literary ‘Zine of Detroit, and the Dew Drop.

For many years, Sears frequently collaborated as a dancer with Ken Kozora and others, and received notable awards for her artistry, including a special commendation from the State of Michigan, and a cash prize for Best New Choreography in the State. Additionally, she has performed her dance, theater and poetry at Glastonbury Festival Performing Arts in England, Ebbio in Italy, Leeds Theater in England, and the Hot Prospects Festival in New York. An alumna from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance, her scores and scripts for performance have been presented in film festivals, museums such as MOCAD, Detroit, and theaters; including The Kennedy Center in DC, and the Rose Theater at Lincoln Center, NYC.

Stay in touch with Christina on socials and through her blog at www.christinasearswordsmith.com.

Lansing, Michigan born, Daniel Ozzie Andrews, acoustic & electric bassist, began his professional music career at age 13 playing in bands in & around Detroit. After attending high school in Ann Arbor and graduating with a music performance degree from the University of North Texas, he landed in New Orleans, Louisiana and began performing on cruise ships. After sailing around the world four times he relocated to San Francisco, California and began extensively performing up and down the West Coast, from Seattle to San Diego, with jazz, blues and rock bands, as well as performing on extended tours in the United States, Japan, Canada, Ireland & the United Kingdom. In 2000, journalist Ann Powers wrote in the New York Times, in review of a live show at NYC's Bowery Ballroom, "Ozzie Andrews, on stand-up bass, was versatile and engaging." Currently, Ozzie records & performs with multiple Michigan-based original bands. In 2017, the New York Music Daily described the recorded performance of Ozzie's playing as "tersely slinky bass." The MOMENTS album marks Sears and Andrews second major collaboration, with the first being a live performance at the Detroit Institute of the Arts, through the auspices of the band Cold Tone Harvest, and the Detroit Dance City Festival.

Ken Kozora is a creative composer and musician, and a restless explorer, who is always eager to push boundaries. Ken brings a wide perspective to his compositions and performance on trumpet, synthesizer, acoustic/ electronic percussion, wind synth, bamboo flutes, drum kit and any new noisemaker he happens to stumble upon Ken has recorded and performed with many stellar artists, both local and renowned international collaborators. Ken leads his own world / jazz group “KOZORA,” performs as a soloist for special events and composes music for dance, art installations, films and other media and theatrical projects. Ken and Christina have been frequent collaborators since they met at Edgefest in 2008.

Piotr Michalowski is a creative improviser and woodwind player who grew up in Poland. Piotr’s connection with music began during his teenage years as he learned guitar and drums. As a high-school student he played drums for a traditional Dixieland jazz combo in Warsaw; Piotr began playing woodwinds as an adult musician. After attending the University of Warsaw from 1965-1968, he emigrated to the US, earning a Master’s Degree in 1972, and his PhD in 1976 in Near Eastern Studies at Yale University. He became a Professor at UCLA and later joined the University of Michigan. Once Piotr settled in Ann Arbor, MI, his musical enterprises expanded significantly. Not only is Piotr an extensively published author in his field, he is active in jazz and world music, not only as a performer and improviser, but also as a columnist, reviewer, and feature writer. He joined University of Michigan’s Creative Arts Orchestra, directed by Ed Sarath. Later he collaborated with Sarah Weaver’s sound painting orchestra project, Weave, which included bassist James Ilgenfritz, and violinist Mike Khoury. Micalowski was also a key member of the creative improvising world ensemble Sublingual, and the group Babarday, and was the founder of the Abzu record label. As Piotr expanded his horizons, he also increased his instrumental range, playing soprano, sopranino, baritone, and tenor saxophones, soprano and bass clarinets, and C and alto flutes. (Biographic content includes text by the late Michael G. Nastos.) Piotr and Christina have collaborated on multiple projects in Detroit and Ann Arbor over the years, most notably at Arthur Miller Theater in 2015, and with Detroit composer and brass player James Cornish at Hatch Gallery and other venues.

ABOUT CONTEMPORARY HAIKU MOMENTS

Moments is a ‘zine of poetry and an album. There are 13 tracks on the album and it is a listening experience of approximately one hour. The ‘zines are full color and include original illustration and graphic design along with a contemporary haiku. The haiku reference the natural world, as traditional haiku do, and are formal poems in that each one uses the syllabic structure (5-7-5) and the three line format. However, emotion and vibrant colors and textures burst forth from each poem.

The accompanying album was composed improvisationally from a band that have been collaborating together for years. Each musician/ sound artist brings a decades-long career to the process of composing-in-the-moment.

Please consider this extended schedule of public performances for interviews, features or more expanded coverage.

PLANNED EVENTS & PUBLIC APPEARANCES

June 21th

Album Release Party and Poetry Reading

@ Yours Truly (formerly Unicorn Supply)

11 West Michigan Avenue

Ypsilanti MI 48197

7:00- 9 pm

July 6th

SmeetFrog Music Festival

Moments Listening Party and Poetry Open Mic

@ The Love Stand

315 North River Street

Ypsilanti MI 48198

2- 5 pm

July 21st Bookfest Detroit

Album Release Celebration and Signing

Visit with the Artists/ Photo Booth

Enter to win vinyl

Bookfest 2024 is at Eastern Market Shed 5

2934 Russell Street Detroit MI

Hours 10- 4 pm

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