What happens
when an acclaimed American jazz singer takes the stage with an award-winning
Jamaican writer? They produce an innovative art called Jamericazz© - short stories interpreted on the spot and turned into original, unforgettable music.
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| Announcing Jamericazz© |
Vocalist
Denise King and author Alecia McKenzie, SWAN’s editor, met at an event
organized by a mutual friend in Paris, France. McKenzie was asked to read one
of her short stories, and she consented, but only if King would sing as well.
And so,
Jamericazz© was born. The artists perform without rehearsing or even knowing in
advance what each other will do. McKenzie, who has won two
Commonwealth literary prizes, reads her stories, and King, who has graced
stages around the world, improvises based on the reading.
The artists
officially launched the exciting project at Waterstones bookstore in Brussels,
Belgium, on June 28 to much appreciation, in the presence of the Jamaican Ambassador to Belgium and the European Union. The performance followed a poetic
introduction by Patricia Viseur Sellers, a renowned American international lawyer and lecturer, who said: “In the beginning there was the word, and also the sound.”
Literature
and jazz. Word and song. Jamericazz© is a celebration of oral storytelling and
improvisation, key elements of both Caribbean and African-American culture. The artists plan to take the project to schools, bookstores and jazz clubs in different countries.
