Doors open at 7 - Music at 7:30 - $30 advance tickets - $35 at the door
This is a fully seated, listening room-style show
The Alluvion World Music Series presents Ancestral Haiku an interactive performance that weaves together live original music, dance, video projection and original artwork. Part performance, meditation, and ritual, Ancestral Haiku explores Black Ancestry, the Middle Passage, and engages the work of poet/scholar Mursalata Muhammad. Detroit jazz legend Marion Hayden and Legacy join dance artist and U-M faculty Robin Wilson, with artwork and video installation by M. Saffell Gardner.
Ancestral Haiku considers spiritual restitution as a way to alleviate spiritual suffering and begin the process of community healing. In particular, the use of buttons in visual media, soundscape and as interactive objects reflect West African religious practices that were carried over to African-American slave culture. Seen as objects of ritual and meaning, buttons connect the ancestral world with our own.
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The Performers:
Bass Violin/Vocals/ Leader - Marion Hayden
Saxophones & Flute- Jeffrey Trent
Guitar - Max Bowen
Drums - Tariq Gardner
Movement Direction/Dancer - Robin Wilson
Dancer/Vocals - Alexandria Davis
Artwork and Video - M. Saffell Gardner
MARION HAYDEN - Bass Violin / Vocals / Leader
Born in Detroit, MI, a crucible of jazz, Marion Hayden is one of the nation’s finest proponents of the acoustic bass. Mentored by master trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, Hayden began performing jazz at the age of 15. She has performed with such diverse luminaries as Bobby McFerrin, Nancy Wilson, Geri Allen, Regina Carter, Steve Turre, Lester Bowie, David Allen Grier, James Carter, Dorothy Donegan, Joe Williams, Lionel Hampton, Frank Morgan, Jon Hendricks, Hank Jones, Bobby Hutcherson, Larry Willis, Vanessa Rubin, Sheila Jordan, Mulgrew Miller, Annie Ross and many others. Read more on her website
MAX BOWEN - Guitar
Max is a jazz guitarist based in southeast Michigan. He has performed and/or recorded with Detroit luminaries such as Vincent Chandler, Marion Hayden, Leonard King, and Musique Noire.
In addition to performing live and on recordings, Max teaches guitar privately focusing on music theory and improvisation. He offers guitar lessons throughout Washtenaw County, including Ann Arbor, Chelsea, Dexter, Saline, and Ypsilanti. Learn more on his website
TARIQ GARDNER - Drums
“A University of Michigan SMTD Graduate, I specialize in jazz, whether traditional, straight ahead or in a big band context, as well as New Orleans, Gospel, R&B, Latin styles of music. I am a reading musician with experience working in pit orchestras most recently in the musical based on the works of Fats Waller!”
ROBIN WILSON - Movement Direction / Dance
Robin Wilson sees teaching, artmaking, and activism as easy companions – giving voice to untold stories and giving tools for others to speak their truth. She sees no contradiction between making art, teaching others to discover the artist within, teaching others to understand their history and connection to the greater good and being an advocate for the arts and communities. A founding member of New York’s Urban Bush Women, Robin is an Associate Professor of Dance at the University of Michigan. Learn more on her website
ALEXANDRIA DAVIS - Dance / Vocals
“I am an Actress, Dancer, Choreographer, Educator, and Screendance artist. I use my choreography to investigate commentary and investigate alternative points of view. I perform rituals of identity and technique. I am a post-modern choreographer. My movement is my story, an abstraction of my perceptions of American myth, history, and culture. My performance is my research. My community influences my movement technique.” Learn more on her website
M. SAFFELL GARDNER - Artwork / Video
M. Saffell Gardner holds BFA and MFA degrees in fine art from Wayne State University. A multidisciplinary artist, art historian, curator, lecturer and educator, he teaches at private colleges and community colleges. In fall of 2023 Saffell installed a monumental sculpture “Gateway to Black Eden” at Michigan Legacy Art Park, which was commissioned by their collection committee. Learn more on his website