“Ornette Speaks”: graphic novelist Matthew Brown illustrates on-site acc. by live harmolodic jazz

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – July 29, 2024 – PRLog — For August’s “Third Thursdays” monthly jazz series concert, artist Matthew Brown, author of the graphic novel Ornette Speaks: A Cartoon Grammar, will create art in real time, accompanied by series host keyboardist Dave Bryant, saxophonist Jorrit Dijkstra, bassist Jacob William, and drummer Miki Matsuki and by Daniel Kurganov performing Ornette Coleman’s “Trinity,” a piece for solo violin.

Matthew Brown (https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B08953CSDP/about) was part of the Montreal underground zine scene of the early 1990s, and he credits his artistic approach to inspiration from the work of many free jazz artists, including Archie Shepp, Don Cherry, Thelonius Monk, Eric Dolphy, and Ornette Coleman. In Ornette Speaks, quotes from interviews with Ornette Coleman are presented in a graphic documentary format with a docu-brush style that has been described as “gestural and wild … and emphatically rhythmic.” Brown has since published a graphic novel that explores the life of Eric Dolphy, and a graphic novel on Thelonious Monk is forthcoming. jazz.fm/ornette-speaks-a-cartoon-grammar-matthew-brown-graphic-novel-ornette-coleman/

A livestream of five graphic novel readings by Brown on various topics, accompanied by selections from jazz artists, can also be found at his Ambient Zero Comic Book blog at ambientzero.blogspot.com/2020/04/live-stream-graphic-novel-reading-videos.html The fifth reading is from Ornette Speaks: A Cartoon Grammar, which Brown describes as, “A stream-of-consciousness odyssey through words spoken by avant-garde saxophone genius and composer Ornette Coleman, with music by the man himself.“

Listing info for the August concert:
Ornette Speaks: graphic novelist Matthew Brown (https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B08953CSDP/about) creates impromptu zine art work, with jazz accompaniment by “Third Thursdays” Dave Bryant (host/keys), Jorrit Dijkstra (sax), Daniel Kurganov (violin), Jacob William (bass) and Miki Matsuki (drums). Part of the “Third Thursdays with Dave Bryant and Friends” monthly harmolodic jazz series. On Thursday August 15, 8:00 pm. Admission at the door: $10 (cash/check/charge/venmo). Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church, 1555 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138. Complimentary “Third Thursdays” concert parking is available at the Everett Street Garage at 10 Everett Street in Cambridge. For further info: https://dbryantmusic.com/third-thursdays/ (https://dbryantmusic.com/third-thursdays/), bryantequilibria@gmail.com, 617-447-3030.

Bryant’s “Third Thursdays” (https://dbryantmusic.com/third-thursdays/) schedule for Fall includes the following performances:
— September 19: saxophonist Neil Leonard with Brazilian percussionist Thiago Trad, along with guitarist David Tronzo, bassist Max Ridley, drummer James Kamal Jones, and host/keyboardist Dave Bryant;
— November 8: a special “Third Thursdays On The Road” performance in NYC at the ShapeShifter Lab of selections from Dave Bryant’s new album Wire and Bone which was initially showcased during this past May’s “Third Thursdays” concert. All of the Wire and Bone performers were in attendance, joining Bryant in an extremely energetic evening with Jamaaladeen Tacuma (bass), George Garzone (tenor saxophone), Kenny Wessel (guitar), Eric Hofbauer (guitar), and Chris Bowman (drums). In November, they will all be sharing that energy with their NYC audience. The Wire and Bone album is available at davebryant.bandcamp.com. These harmolodic jazz concerts are made possible by the generous support of the Appalachian Springs Foundation (https://dbryantmusic.com/asf-statement/).

Monthly performances have been video recorded, with the goal of documenting Ornette Coleman’s impact on the free jazz movement. Another key purpose of the series is to document the experiences, reminiscences, and musical contributions of members of Coleman’s bands. All videos, including interviews with Bryant’s former Coleman colleagues, are available at dbryantmusic.com/third-thursdays, dbryantmusic.com/musician-interviews, and on youtube.com/@davebryantmusic/videos (https://www.youtube.com/@davebryantmusic/videos).

Media Contact
–submitted by marycurtinproductions
(on behalf of “Third Thursdays”)
mary.c.curtin@gmail.com
6174705867