WZUM is again a Media Sponsor for Jazz Poetry Month At City of Asylum / Alphabet City, North Side
City of Asylum presents the 20th annual celebration of Jazz Poetry Month. Jazz Poetry Month began with City of Asylum’s first writer-in-residence, Huang Xiang and world renowned saxophonist Oliver Lake, in 2004 and has continued as an annual marquee event bringing together acclaimed poets and musicians in a celebration of cross-cultural collaboration.
Jazz Poetry Month 2024 brings together never-before-seen collaborations between writers and musicians, both new and returning to the Alphabet City stage. Among the celebrated artists is fan favorite and award-winning saxophonist, James Brandon Lewis, who will be headlining the festival for his fourth year in a row. City of Asylum will also be welcoming artists including JUNO Award-winning jazz pianist Andy Milne, Spanish flugelhorn player Milena Casado, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Rae Armantrout, and the University of Pittsburgh’s 2023–2025 Center for African American Poetry & Poetics fellow, Richard Hamilton.
Jazz Poetry 2024 features artists from India, Jamaica, Ukraine, Suriname, Algeria, Argentina, Sudan, Mexico, Romania, Palestine, Vietnam, Cuba, Spain, Canada, and more.
All Jazz Poetry Month programs are free to the public and will take place across the month of May at City of Asylum’s Alphabet City venue in the North Side, withboth in-person and livestream tickets available.
The 2024 Jazz Poetry Month lineup:
(All programs take place at Alphabet City, 40 W. North Ave., Pittsburgh, PA):
Thurs. 5/2: James Brandon Lewis Quartet, Olena Boryshpolets, Amit Chaudhuri, Shara McCallum, Toi Derricotte
Thurs. 5/9: Rakiem Walker Quartet, grace (ge) gilbert, Ladan Osman, Anouar Rahmani, Astrid Roemer
Mon. 5/13: Leslie DeShazor Quintet, Fatimah Asghar, Jeremy Lee Stone, Rania Mamoun, Andrés Neuman
Thurs. 5/16: Milena Casado Quartet, Rae Armantrout, Oleksandr Frazé-Frazénko, Richard Hamilton, Yahya Ashour
Sun. 5/19: Andy Milne's Unison Trio, Noah Arhm Choi, Jonathan Moody, Justin Perez, Monica Sok
Tues. 5/21: Roger Humphries' RH Factor, Mónica de la Torre, Sahar Muradi, Volodomyr Rafeyenko
Sun. 5/23: Alex Harding & Lucian Ban's Blutopia Quintet, Quan Barry, Quincy Scott Jones, Jorge Olivera Castillo, Rajiv Mohabir
Jazz Poetry 2024, May 2-31, features 50+ artists, bringing musicians and poets from around the world together to experiment, collaborate, and connect with audiences in meaningful ways. All concerts, in-person at Alphabet City and streamed online.
