Welcome to Philadelphia Jazz Project
First Friday Rent Party Series
Mar 5, 2016
Coming up in 2016, PJP has some great events in store for you. Most important, is that 2016 marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the Great Migration: The historic period when millions of Black Americans left the South and moved to the Northeast, Midwest and West. People like Dizzy Gillespie, Jimmy, Percy and Tootie Heath, Cat Anderson, Ray Charles, Thelonious Monk, Fletcher Henderson, Max Roach, John Coltrane, Teddy Wilson, Nina Simone, Lester Young, Archie Shepp, Jimmy Hamilton, Hank Mobley and many, many others. This movement changed, the country culturally, politically and socially. There was no celebration for those lonely and exhausted folks then, but we'd like to celebrate their contributions by dedicating much of our 2016 programming to the Great Migration.
Those southerners brought with them their fried chicken, their turnip, beet, dandelion, collard & mustard greens, okra, grits, lard, their field, pigeon and black-eyed peas, various types of rice, pot liquors, their hot sauces, peanuts, sweet potatoes & yams, chitterlings, hog maws, their moon shines, corn liquors and brews, their blues, their gospel, their soul, their Jazz, their swagger, their strut... they brought their laughter, their tears and most important their hard work.
On April 1st, we begin our First Friday Rent Party Series at the Arch Street Meeting House. The Rent Party was an invention of Great Migrationeers who sometimes faced low wages and high rents. Many found themselves having to pull together a plan to pay the rent. The plan was a somewhat "illegal" house party with liquor, food, music and dancing, all with an admission price. The events happened weekly all over the country where ever these transplanted Southerners traveled and the musicians used them as a source for catapulting themselves and their music into the mainstream venues of that era.
Our rent parties will feature the same. Food curated by Chef, Valerie Erwin of Geechee Girl Restaurant. Music by artists like Sam Reed, Lili Añel, Tony Jones, V. Shayne Frederick and Chris Stevens. We'll have dance instruction, free dancing, beverages, as well as other exciting activities. The First Friday Rent Party Series will run through August.
All parties will start at 8PM and be held at:
Arch Street Meeting House
320 Arch Street, Phila., PA 19106
Tickets for these special events are only $25 per party.
Entrance to all 5 parties, (if purchased by March 25), is just $100!
Free parking available - first come, first served.
Click Here To Purchase Tickets
Rent Party Dates and States!
April 1 | Celebrating Virginia
Musical Guest: trumpeter Chris Stevens
Featured Foods: Croquette of turkey ham with rum, red eye gravy and herb-garlic grits cake
May 6 | Celebrating North Carolina
Musical Guest: pianist/vocalist V. Shayne Frederick
Featured Foods: Pulled turkey sliders with red and white cabbage slaw
June 3 | Celebrating South Carolina
Musical Guest: saxophonist Sam Reed
Featured Foods: Low country-style jambalaya with chicken and rice and collard green salad with crushed peanuts
July 1 | Celebrating Georgia
Musical Guest: bassist Tony Jones
Featured Foods: Grilled chicken with Old Bay rub and traditional Southern potato salad
August 5 | Celebrating Florida
Musical Guest: vocalist/guitarist Lili Añel
Featured Foods: Blackend catfish fingers and corn fritters with hot sauce aioli
All parties will be held at:
Arch Street Meeting House
320 Arch Street, Phila., PA 19106
Tickets for these special events are only $25 per party.
Entrance to all 5 parties, (if purchased by March 25), is just $100!
Free parking available - first come, first served.
Click Here To Purchase Tickets
Check out First Friday Rent Party musical guests, V. Shayne Frederick & Tony Jones in action...
IN OTHER GREAT MIGRATION NEWS:
Books and Stuff Book Club - The Warmth of Other Suns
Join the launch Saturday, March 25 of the Books & Stuff Book Club! Our first book will be The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson. Chosen in recognition of the 100th year anniversary of the start of the Great Migration, our discussion group will meet upstairs at Books & Stuff, on the 4th Saturday of the month. The cost of the book and first month dues is $25. If you want to bring your own book the cost is $10 payable at the door.
When: Saturday, March 26, 2016 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM / Where: Books and Stuff
Books and Stuff
23 Maplewood Mall,
Philadelphia, PA 19144
For Info & To Register: B&S-EventBrite
Visit Books and Stuff Website: Click Here
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The Great Migration: A City Transformed (1916-1930)
Gallery Reception & Opening
Exhibition of Photographs and Artifacts from the Charles L. Blockson Collection & Audio Oral Histories from Goin’ North: Tales of the Great Migration
Live Musical Performance
Saxophonist/composer Larry Price is joined by bassist Nimrod Speaks in a musical exploration of the Great Migration. CO-PRESENTED WITH THE PHILADELPHIA JAZZ PROJECT
The Great Migration: A City Transformed - A Discussion
A discussion with historian Dr. Diane Turner, Executive Director of the Charles L. Blockson Collection at Temple University; Dr. Charles Hardy, historian and professor at West Chester University; Louis Massiah, director of Scribe Video Center; and Lonnie Graham, commissioned artist for The Great Migration: A City Transformed.
When: Friday, April 15, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM / Where: Scribe Video Center
Scribe Video Center
4212 Chestnut Street, 3rd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19104
For Info: Call - 215-222-4201 or visit the website - www.scribe.org
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Traces of South: An Afternoon with Kevin Jerome Everson
Filmmmaker, Kevin Jerome Everson, who is one of the artists of The Great Migration: A City Transformed project will screen films that reflect on the Great Migration. The subject matter is the gestures or tasks caused by certain conditions in the lives of working class African Americans and other people of African descent. Everson,who has directed over 120 films, has been exhibited internationally at the Centre Pompidou, Paris; Whitney Museum of American Art; the Museum of Modern Art, and other venues. He is a professor at the University of Virginia.
When: Saturday, April 16, 3:00 – 5:00 PM / Where: Scribe Video Center
Scribe Video Center
4212 Chestnut Street, 3rd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19104
For Info: Call - 215-222-4201 or visit the website - www.scribe.org
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Precious Places Community History Project - Premiere!!!
A screening of nine new works, co-produced by Scribe Video Center and community groups from Philadelphia and Chester. The Precious Places Community History Project works to understand how the history of specific sites in the Philadelphia region have defined neighborhoods and affected the lives of local residents. Many of this year’s projects focus on communities formed during the first Great Migration (1916-1930), the mass movement of African- Americans from the southern states to the north.
Admission is FREE / Limited Seating Available - Please RSVP
When: Tuesday, May 17, 7:00 PM / Where: International House
International House
3701 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
For Info: Call - 215-222-4201 or visit the website - www.scribe.org
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See you at the Rent Parties!
First Friday Rent Party Series produced by Philadelphia Jazz Project in collaboration with Arch Street Meetinghouse.
Philadelphia Jazz Project is a sponsored project of the CultureWorks Greater Philadelphia, with funding provided by The Wyncote Foundation.