BAM Presents Guy Davis Trio: Stories and Songs of the Blues as part of the BAMfamily series MetLife Foundation is the Presenting sponsor for BAMfamily programs Guy Davis Trio: Stories and Songs of the Blues BAM Howard Gilman Opera House (30 Lafayette Ave) Feb 7 at 2pm Tickets: $15 BAM.org or 718.636.4100 BROOKLYN, January 12, 2009—In celebration of Black History Month, BAM presents Guy Davis Trio: Stories and Songs of the Blues on February 7, 2009 at 2pm as part of the BAMfamily series and the Sounds Like Brooklyn Music Festival. From the roots of the blues in the Mississippi Delta to the Carolinas, Davis channels tales from Black History and the rural South shared by his actor/activist parents (Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee) and grandparents, passing them along to a new generation. USA Today has said of the musician, “What is remarkable about Guy Davis’ picking style and easy songwriting grace is that his songs sound so deeply drenched in lost black traditions that you feel they must predate him. But no, they don’t. He created them.” Guy Davis Trio: Stories and Songs of the Blues will take place in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House (30 Lafayette Avenue) on Saturday, February 7 at 2pm. Concessions with kid-friendly food and snacks will be available before the performance. For tickets—priced at $15—call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100 or visit BAM.org. About the artists Guy Davis (guitar) Born in New York City, Davis taught himself the guitar and learned by listening and watching other musicians. Throughout his life, Davis has had overlapping interest in music and acting. Early roles included the lead in the film Beat Street, and on television’s “One Life to Live.” He made his Broadway musical debut in Mulebone which featured the music of Taj Mahal, followed by Off-Broadway shows, Robert Johnson: Trick the Devil in 1993, and In Bed with the Blues: The Adventures of Fishy Waters in 1994. The musician, composer, actor, director, and writer has been involved with a variety of other projects. Davis arranged, performed, and co-wrote the music for the Emmy-award winning film, To Be a Man, and his music was used in the national PBS series The American Promise. Davis has also performed in work with his parents including Two Hah Hahs and a Homeboy at the Crossroads Theater in New Brunswick, NJ. On a mission to revive the traditions of acoustic blues and reunite Black America with its musical roots, for the past decade he has focused on writing, recording, and performing music. In 1995 he released his debut CD Stomp Down River, since then he has released seven albums, including his latest, On Air in 2008. Davis has contributed to a host of tribute and compilation albums, including From Mali to Memphis, and the children’s album Sing along with Putumayo, as well as the Bob Dylan 60th birthday CD A Nod to Bob. In 2003, Davis contributed the title track to I Will Be Your Friend: Songs and Activities for Young Peacemakers. The CD is a collection of enriching songs combined with a teacher’s aide kit to help teach diversity and understanding. Mark Murphy (upright bass and vocals) Murphy has appeared on Nashville Network’s “Fire on the Mountain” and NPR's “Prairie Home Companion.” He has performed with Pilobolus Dance Company and has headlined shows ranging from the Carter Family Fold to Lincoln Center. With the Vanaver Caravan, he has performed at Lincoln Center and the United Nations, and was part of the cast filmed for their historic dance reconstruction, “Boston Fancy,” which was inducted into the National Archives. He also performs bass and vocals for Work o’ the Weavers. He tours and records with Guy Davis, including appearing with him on “Late Night With Conan O'Brien” and on tour in Europe. Aaron L. Hurwitz a/k/a Professor Louie (piano, keyboards, accordion, vocals) Professor Louie has been performing with Guy Davis for the past three years in Europe, Canada, and the US. Early in his career, he performed on the gospel circuit as organist for The Mighty Gospel Giants of Brooklyn and on the Rock and Blues circuit with many national acts. In 1985, he joined the organization of the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame group The Band, working with them for fifteen years co-producing, engineering, and performing on their three major releases in the 90s. In 2000, he formed his own group, Professor Louie & The Crowmatix. They have recorded six CD’s for The Woodstock Records label and perform over 100 shows a year. They hold the distinct honor of being the only artists to have a live concert CD released by The New York State Museum entitled The Spirit of Woodstock. In 2007, Professor Louie with his writing partner Marie Spinosa won the International composition award given out by the ERM/Naxos Label for their song “Melody of Peace.” The label brought them to perform and record in Prague. For the past four years, Professor Louie has been performing in concert halls in Novosibirsk, Siberia, Russia and also has been teaching English through singing. A documentary of these experiences, Woodstock-Siberia Blues Express, has been featured at film festivals including the 2007 Woodstock Film Festival. Louie has an instructional accordion DVD on Homespun Tapes and has taught and performed for elementary, high school and college programs including St Lawrence University and The Common Ground music series at McDaniel College in Maryland. Credits MetLife Foundation is the Presenting sponsor for BAMfamily programs. JPMorgan Chase Foundation is the Title sponsor for Sounds Like Brooklyn Music Festival. Additional support for Sounds Like Brooklyn is provided by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. BAM 2009 Spring Season is sponsored by Bloomberg. Programming in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House is supported and endowed by The Howard Gilman Foundation. Education programs at BAM are supported or endowed by: Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Endowment Fund for Community, Educational, & Public Affairs Programs; Citi Foundation; News Corporation; Jim and Mary Ottaway; May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc.; The SHS Foundation; Target; Time Warner Inc.; Verizon Foundation; Joseph LeRoy and Ann C. Warner Fund; Charles Hayden Foundation; The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation; The CW11 Care for Kids, a Fund of the McCormick Foundation; New York Community Trust; Irene Diamond Fund; Heckscher Foundation for Children; HSBC Bank USA, N.A; Emily Davie and Joseph S. Kornfeld Foundation; William Randolph Hearst Endowment for Education and Humanities Programs; The New York Times Company Foundation; The Jerome Robbins Foundation, Inc.; Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation; New York State Assembly Brooklyn Delegation; Barker Welfare Foundation; NYSE Foundation; Michael Tuch Foundation; The Bay and Paul Foundations; and M&T Bank. BAM thanks its many donors and sponsors, including: The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation; New York City Council; Estate of Richard B. Fisher; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; The Starr Foundation; Robert Sterling Clark Foundation; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; Carnegie Corporation of New York; Time Warner Inc.; The Howard Gilman Foundation; The Skirball Foundation; The SHS Foundation; The Harkness Foundation for Dance; New York State Assembly Brooklyn Delegation; Friends of BAM and BAM Cinema Club. Sovereign Bank is the BAM Marquee sponsor. Yamaha is the official piano for BAM. R/GA is the BAM.org sponsor. New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge is the official hotel for BAM. The BAM facilities are owned by the City of New York and benefit from public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs with support from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg; Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin; The New York City Council including Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Cultural Affairs Committee Chair Domenic M. Recchia, Jr., the Brooklyn Delegation of the Council, and Councilwoman Letitia James; and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. General Information BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas, BAMcafé, and Brownstone Books at BAM 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. BAM Harvey Theater is located two blocks from the main building at 651 Fulton Street (between Ashland and Rockwell Places). BAM Rose Cinemas is Brooklyn’s only movie house dedicated to first-run independent and foreign film and repertory programming. BAMcafé, operated by Great Performances, is open for dining prior to Howard Gilman Opera House performances. BAMcafé also features an eclectic mix of spoken word and live music for BAMcafé Live on Friday and Saturday nights with a special BAMcafé Live menu available starting at 8pm. Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, Q, B to Atlantic Avenue; D, M, N, R to Pacific Street; G to Fulton Street; C to Lafayette Avenue Train: Long Island Railroad to Flatbush Avenue Bus: B25, B26, B41, B45, B52, B63, B67 all stop within three blocks of BAM Car: Commercial parking lots are located adjacent to BAM For ticket and BAMbus information, call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100, or visit BAM.org. ## ## ## .