Danny Simmons & BAM Present Def Poetry Plugged In Concert Fuses Spoken Word and Music Including The Vernon Reid Poetry Project Featuring Sonia Sanchez, Ursula Rucker Reg E. Gaines to host; appearances from Russell Simmons, Karen Gibson Roc and Fluid, Sydnee Stewart, and Maritri & Tantra Independence Community Foundation is the presenting sponsor for Rhythm & BAM Def Poetry Plugged In Vernon Reid Poetry Project featuring Sonia Sanchez Ursula Rucker with special guests Karen Gibson Roc and Fluid, Sydnee Stewart, and Maritri & Tantra Hosted by Reg E. Gaines Curated by Kamilah Forbes Rhythm & BAM lighting designed by Roma Flowers BAM Howard Gilman Opera House (The Peter Jay Sharp Building - 30 Lafayette Avenue at Ashland Place) Jan 28 at 7:30pm Tickets: $20, 25 Call 718.636.4100 or visit www.bam.org Brooklyn, NY, December 21, 2004—As part of the third annual Rhythm & BAM series, Danny Simmons and BAM present Def Poetry Plugged In, a collaborative evening fusing spoken word, rock, and hip-hop, featuring poets and musicians sharing their rhythmic stories. The program, hosted by Reg E. Gaines, will include guitarist Vernon Reid featuring the legendary poet and writer Sonia Sanchez, hip-hop/nu-jazz/soul poetess Ursula Rucker, and special guests Karen Gibson Roc and Fluid, Sydnee Stewart, and Maritri & Tantra—with a special appearance from hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons. more… Def Poetry Plugged In 2 Def Poetry Plugged In will take place in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House on January 28 at 7:30pm. Tickets, priced at $20 and 25, may be purchased by calling BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100 or by visiting www.bam.org. About the artists Sonia Sanchez is recognized as one of the most important figures in African-American and women’s literature. She is the author of more than sixteen books including Homecoming, We a BaddDDD People, Love Poems, Like the Singing Coming Off the Drums, and Shake Loose My Skin: New and Selected Poems. Among her numerous awards, Ms. Sanchez is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts award, a Pew Fellowship in the Arts for 1992-1993, and the Langston Hughes Poetry Award for 1999. She is the Poetry Society of America’s 2001 Robert Frost Medalist, and a Ford Freedom Scholar from the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. Ms. Sanchez has lectured at numerous universities and colleges in the United States and has traveled extensively, reading her poetry in Africa, Cuba, England, the Caribbean, Australia, Nicaragua, China, Norway, and Canada. She was the first Presidential Fellow at Temple University and held the Laura Carnell Chair in English there until her retirement in 1999. Her most recent offering is the CD Full Moon of Sonia released in the summer of 2004. Vernon Reid is probably best known for leading the rock band Living Colour. Reid founded Living Colour in New York City in 1985 and piloted the band through a remarkable career. Among the highlights: a double platinum-selling debut album Vivid, released in 1988; its gold-certified successor, Time’s Up, released in 1990; and two consecutive Grammy Awards in the category of Best Hard Rock Performance. Living Colour reunited in 2000 and released CollideØscope, in October of 2003 on Sanctuary Records. In addition to Living Colour, Reid has recorded solo and collaborative albums including Mistaken Identity, his first solo album in 1996. Reid along with DJ Logic, calling themselves “The Yohimbe Brothers,” released an album in September 2002, Front End Lifter, and a second album, The Tao of Yo,was released in October 2004 on Thirsty Ear. Most recently, Reid served as music supervisor for the film Mr. 3000 starring Bernie Mac, released in September of 2004. Inspired by the social commentary of black female writers Zora Neale Hurston and Sonia Sanchez, and drawing on influences from the Black Arts movement, Ursula Rucker has elevated the spoken word landscape with her trademark socio-political work on her albums Super Sista (2001) and Silver or Lead (2003). Weaving words with music, the Philly-born artist has also collaborated with dance music group 4 Hero and DJ King Britt, and held the coveted album-ending spot on hip-hop group The Roots’ first three albums with her poems “The Unlocking,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and “Return to Innocence Lost.” The Guardian (UK) has said of Rucker, “…uniting the grooves are Rucker’s gritty, life-lyrics, ghostly, unflinching, harrowing, angry, tender, and peaceful.” Reg E. Gaines is an internationally renowned playwright, poet and writer. He was a featured performer on MTV’s “Unplugged” and its national “Free Your Mind” tour. He’s the author of Bring in Da Noise Bring in Da Funk, which garnered him a Grammy and two Tony Award nominations. Emerging from a thriving underground music scene in New York City, poetist (poetic vocalist) Karen Gibson Roc and her band Fluid bring a cohesive sound fusion they describe as “nujazzhiphopblues.” Gibson Roc has performed as part of HBO’s “Def Poetry Jam,” and at Joe’s Pub and Nuyorican Poets Café. Sydnee Stewart is a poet, actor and playwright who has won various poetry slams and competitions. She was a featured poet on BET’s "Lyric Cafe" and appeared in the Langston Hughes documentary "Hughes' Dream Harlem." She is the founder and executive director of a non-profit organization called Better Youth, Inc., which uses poetry and the arts to inspire young people by building self-esteem and self-confidence. Maritri & Tantra are a Brooklyn based duo featuring Maritri Garrett on vocals and Tantra providing poetry. Tantra is the author of alifepoeminprogress published by Pauline Publishing, which depicts one woman's evolutionary journey of love, self-discovery, spirituality, and healing through poetry. She is also the host of more… Def Poetry Plugged In 3 Wordspace at Satta Art Gallery. Maritri is jazz vocalist and pianist who has opened for Gladys Knight, The Five Blind Boys of Alabama, and Toshi Reagon, and has sung back up for Barbara Streisand and Vinx. About Danny Simmons Danny Simmons, Founder and President of Rush Arts is a painter, activist, and philanthropist. In 1995 he formed the Rush Arts Initiative (comprising the Rush Arts Philanthropic Arts Foundation and Rush Arts Gallery.) In addition to his work as the vice president of Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, he is owner of The Rush Gallery in Manhattan and The Corridor Gallery in Brooklyn. Simmons serves on the board of trustees for BAM and the New York Foundation for the Arts as well as The Brooklyn Museum of Art, and is an advisor to the children’s arts programs Red Clay and Creative Outlet Dance Theater of Brooklyn and is on the museum planning committee for MOCADA, an organization devoted to creating a museum of contemporary African Diaspora art in Bedford Stuyvesant. As an executive producer of the TONY and Peabody award-winning Def Poetry Jam, Simmons also has helped raise awareness of the importance of the spoken word art form. About Rhythm & BAM Now in its third year, Rhythm & BAM is an annual performance series at BAM which celebrates music from the African Diaspora including rock, jazz, soul, gospel, blues, R&B, funk, and hip-hop. Other events in this year’s series include Winter Soul featuring George Clinton & the P-Funk All-Stars and TV on the Radio on January 7 at 7:30 in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House; and Praise Music on January 22 at 7:30pm in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, featuring Grammy-nominated gospel soloist Shirley Caesar and The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir hosted by radio personality Nicole Brown. Marilyn Gelber, Executive Director of Independence Community Foundation says of the music series, “ICF is proud to provide ongoing support for Rhythm & BAM, which introduces longtime BAM patrons to the finest soul, gospel, and spoken word artists, while simultaneously introducing new audiences to BAM’s rich array of programming. This important mix of music and audiences is the hallmark of a true urban cultural center.” Credits Independence Community Foundation is the presenting sponsor for Rhythm & BAM with additional support provided by Con Edison. IN:NYCSM Card from American Express is the presenting sponsor for BAMfans (young donors club). Programming in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House is endowed by The Howard Gilman Foundation. BAM thanks The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, and Richard B. Fisher and Jeanne Donovan Fisher, for their special endowment gifts. BAM thanks its many donors and sponsors, including: New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The New York City Council, Brooklyn Delegation of the New York City Council, Brooklyn Delegation of the U.S. House of Representatives, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, New York State Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, The Howard Gilman Foundation, The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, Richard B. Fisher and Jeanne Donovan Fisher, William I. Campbell and Christine Wächter Campbell, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, The Florence Gould Foundation, The Kovner Foundation, The Starr Foundation, Diane and Adam E. Max, Judith R. and Alan H. Fishman, The Shubert Foundation, Inc., Skirball Foundation, and Forest City Ratner Companies. JPMorgan Chase is BAM’s lead corporate partner. Bloomberg Radio AM1130 is the official broadcast sponsor. New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge is the official hotel for the Spring Season. R/GA is the sponsor of BAM.org. Yamaha is the official piano of BAM. General information BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas, BAMcafé, and Shakespeare & Co. BAMshop are located in The Peter Jay Sharp Building at 30 Lafayette Avenue (between St Felix Street and Ashland Place) in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn.