Perfor mance

GEC Performances and Texts

“5 Poets Breaking Into Song: At 17 (Liberation Celebration).” Presented by GEC and Heliconian Club. Hosts: Giovanna Riccio amd GEC. Readings of poems by GEC, El Jones, Gloria Maxx, Leilah Nadir, Giovanna Riccio, Yeshim Ternar, and Andrea Thompson. Songs for 5 Poets composed by Eddie Bullen, Emily Hiemstra, D.D. Jackson, Juliet Palmer, Nevawn Patrick, and James Rolfe. Vocalist: Usha (Karen Usha Gray). Pianist: Narmina Afandiyeva. (All songs were commissioned by GEC; except Jackson & Jones’s “Africville,” which was—co-commissioned by the Halifax Public Library.) Live presentation, Heliconian Hall, Toronto (ON), May 8, 2025.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bF9dDCRtO9L0AVVbNpEgPfqkRnorGXA7/view?usp=sharing

MermaidTV Story Box Theatre Adaptation of Poems and Art from Lasso the Wind: Aurelia’s Verses and Other Poems (2013), with illustrations by Susan Tooke and poetry by GEC. Narrator: GEC; Puppeteer/Director: Struan Robertson; Puppeteer Jim Morrow; Creative Producer: Danny Everson; Composer/Sound Designer: Jackson Fairfax-Perry; Scenic & Puppetry Painter: Brenda Duran. Released: February 12, 2025.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/64rylcrean7qk72m8kch1/LassoTheWindFinalx2.mp4?rlkey=g6kmpkvmm5e2igxaja3u7fqrk&st=h2al2qsj&dl=0

“5 Poets Breaking Into Song (#16): Saltwater Spirituals and Uppity Blues (II).” Presented by GEC in association with The Halifax Public Libraries. Host: GEC. Readings of poems by Delvina Bernard, GEC, Hon. Mayann Francis, Anna Minerva Henderson (1887-1987), El Jones, Reed IzReal Jones, Stedmond Pardy, and Salima Tourkmani-MacDonald. All songs for “5 Poets” composed by D.D. Jackson. (Jackson’s songs were co-commissioned by GEC and The Halifax Public Libraries.) Vocalists: Dean Bowman and Shanice Skinner. Pianist: D.D. Jackson. Live presentation, Halifax Central Library, Halifax (NS), February 8, 2025.

https://youtu.be/-U9YzbsS8OM

See also: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6643250

See also: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6687699

“5 Poets Breaking Into Song: The 15th Round.” Presented by GEC in association with The Marigold Cultural Centre. Host: GEC. Readings of poems by R. Nathaniel Dett (1881-1943), Abena Beloved Green, GEC, Amatoritsero Ede, Hon. Mayann Francis, Thandiwande McCarthy, and Salima Tourkmani-MacDonald. All songs for “5 Poets” composed by Nevawn Patrick. (Patrick’s songs were co-commissioned by GEC and The Marigold Cultural Centre.) Vocalists: Linda Carvery and Nevawn Patrick. Pianist: Holly Arsenault. Live presentation, Marigold Cultural Centre, Truro (NS), February 7, 2025.

The Afro-Métis Nation (Executive Producer: GEC) released recording, Anthem, on Friday, January 10, 2025, across 150 platforms, including these four:

YouTube Music https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lMQ-f3_MgTp1TOKe8TDbhwoXKsMqcN8pU

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/1nBv38V5BbcNv2uDLrduq6

Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/album/anthem/1788946995

The album is also available on Bandcamp at this link: https://chriswhite2.bandcamp.com/album/anthem. Anthem features 16 tracks.

Launch Party for D.D. Jackson’s CD, Poetry Project, featuring full-band treatment of ten tracks from the thirteen-track CD, including, “2641 Fuller Terrace” (GEC), Ayesha Chatterjee (“On Silence”); Luciano Iacobelli (“Daylight Shooting in Little Italy”), Irving Layton (“Because You Squeezed Back”); Micheline Maylor (“So, say I”); A.F. Moritz (“Coda: The Blues”); Giovanna Riccio (“A Pavane for Georgie”); Libby Scheier (“the father’s dream”); Yin Xiaoyuan (“Alternating Current”); and Bruce Meyer (“Mavety Street).” Musicians: Tom Fleming (guitar), Mark Hundevad (percussion), D.D. Jackson (piano), Roberto Occhipinti (stand-up bass). Vocalists: Yoon Sun Choi, Michael Dunston, D.D. Jackson, Sammy Jackson. All songs composed by D.D. Jackson and commissioned by GEC—except “2641 Fuller Terrace,” commissioned by Giovanna Riccio. Presented by Caliban Arts Theatre in association with George Elliott Clarke and Redwood Theatre.

“5 Poets Breaking Into Song: The 14th Amendment.” Presented by GEC in association with Redwood Theatre and Caliban Arts Theatre. Host: GEC. Readings of poems by Ayesha Chatterjee, GEC, Bruce Meyer, Giovanna Riccio, and Choucri Paul Zemokhol. All songs for 5 poets composed by D.D. Jackson. Vocalists: Yoon Sun Choi, D.D. Jackson, and Sammy Jackson. Pianist: D.D. Jackson. (Jackson’s songs were commissioned by GEC and Giovanna Riccio.) Live presentation, Redwood Theatre, Toronto (ON), December 7, 2024.

Release of D.D. Jackson’s CD, Poetry Project (Independent), New York City (NY), 2024. 13 tracks, including 12 songs commissioned by GEC: “Self-Composed” (Jackson/GEC) and “2641 Fuller Terrace” (Jackson/GEC). Other tracks include: Ayesha Chatterjee (“On Silence”); Luciano Iacobelli (“Daylight Shooting in Little Italy”), Irving Layton (“Because You Squeezed Back”); Micheline Maylor (“So, say I”); A.F. Moritz (“Coda: The Blues”); Giovanna Riccio (“Daedalus’ Lament” and “Pavane for Georgie”); Libby Scheier (“the father’s dream”); Yin Xiaoyuan (“Alternating Current”); Choucri Paul Zemokhol (“I Call”).

 http://ddjackson.bandcamp.com