Acoustic SpokenWord Café
The Café opened in the spring of 2009 as an Afrikan-centered downtown artspace where creative people can come to test 
run their work. Dedicated to providing local artists with the room to engagae, create, collaborate, present, and perform new and tried works of literature, music, song, dance, and theatre, the purpose of this artspace is to explore and stimulate a creative cross-cultural sense of community.
The Acoustic SpokenWord Café is open between 7 and 10PM on the second and fourth Saturday of each month except August. During July, October, November and December the Café opens only on the second Saturday. Most evenings consist of mixed genre presentations by two artists plus an open mic segment. Genres presented have included poetry, rap, short stories, novels, acoustic and electric jazz, blues, gospel, folk, traditional Native American flute, Afrikan drumming, and film. While our audience is mainly adults, young people are encouraged to come and share their talent and cultural gifts with Café audiences.
Click the blue button to see the SpokenWord Café calendar through December 2011.
Acoustic SpokenWord Café
Artist who have appeared at the Café include:
Bring your work to the Café!
To sign up for a possible feature or Open Mic spot at an upcoming Café, hit the Application button below and download the form. Email it back to us and we’ll contact you.
Taking drumming to the bank
Drumming in the New Year
Re-membering what strengthens our souls
You cannot relive a moment that has passed but you can recall its vitality and bank its emotive strength as both inspiration and reference.
Drumming is an act of re-creation that is both inspired and referential. We came into the world as living souls with the drumming heartbeat of our mothers resounding in our preternatural ears and resonating in our cells as our bodies formed in the womb. When we began drumming with Three Rivers Jenbe Ensemble in 1999, it was a way of centering and fixing identity that was based on strengthening families and growing children with the understanding that they were beautiful, creative, and meant to be free. The jenbe and dunun were symbols of that freedom and instruments for their creativity. Now, of course, TRJE has grown into TRIAAC but identity and family extension remain at the institute’s core, and the primary symbol and instrument for liberating cultural expression here at TRIAAC remains the drum.
When Afrikans were brought to the Americas our language, musical instrumentation, sense of time, rhythm and movement came with us. In these new places in the Americas we fashioned the drums we had left behind, and soon our captors grew wise to our communication. In many places throughout Americas slaveocracy they outlawed our playing of the drum, and in some instances even made its playing a legal prohibition. Playing the drum was both a form of communication and a marker of resistance to oppression.
We play the drum today with the echo of the past resounding in our beings, understanding that in our hands is an instrument for revitalizing the human spirit, and calling a people mentally vanquished back to themselves. This is a time for recalling people back to themselves from the clutches of the plutarchy who have seized our national vitality.
Drumming is a community action that opens possibilities of communication and action. Join us…
Drum Line, Circle Up
Identity Counts drumming connection
There is a session right just for you
To paraphrase Kool Moe Dee, self knowledge is king. Clearly, no information is as important as knowing who you are . Cultural understanding teaches that the drum (heartbeat) is at the core of any culture. So we’re working to learn more about ourselves through the practice of Mande drumming in community circle.
Family is the matrix of Afrikan social structure, and family isn’t nuclear but extended. From this extension comes a strength of identity that informs us who we are in relation, and what our responsibilities are to family and community. We extrapolate this social order to the drum circle. We position ourselves in a circle so that each individual has a clear view of those with whom she sits the circle. There is both a security and an accountability in this formation that is liberating — once the individual is able to relax and let go of their critical self judgement.
Through our decades of work with young people and adults, they have taught us how to facilitate their learning. Effective instruction is culture specific and individual, yet, at its core, is the collective. While we are teaching the cultural music tradition of another people, we are learning through the lens of American cultural perception. The facilitator/learner assumes the responsibility for communicating clearly (though not necessarily verbally). They must manipulate and witness the experience of the moment to the benefit of the student. It is the facilitators responsibility to see and hear each students comfort level and effect ways of assisting them to integrate their momentary experience. The result is a heightened awareness and understanding that identity counts.
TRIAAC will offer Identity Counts drumming for learners at all levels beginning in January, from pre-school to adults of all ages. Why? We have experienced the beneficial effects of community drumming first-hand, and witnessed its impact on the youth and adults with whom we have worked. The traditional Afrikan drumming practice that’s happening at TRIAAC is a community building experience. Drumming within a circle of learners strengthens self-confidence, opens doors to becoming a better listener, and facilitates left-right brain synchronization. The beneficial effects of drumming, rhythm and sound have been validated by health care professionals around the world as stress reducing and wonderfully revitalizing for mind, body and soul.
In our own practice we have found that Mande drumming:
- Promotes active listening
- Develops team spirit and ensemble skills
- Builds self-confidence
- Improves tolerance and respect
- Fosters heightened feelings of well-being
- Increases physical strength through aerobic exercise
- It improves musical ability, timing and hand-ear coordination
- Enhances cultural awareness
Come drum with us on Wednesday evening, from 6:00 to 7:30PM. Not to worry if you don’t have a drum, we have authentic hand-carved Guinean jenbes that you can use. We’re located at the corner of Brackenridge and Clay streets, In Fort Wayne, IN.
Hit the “Identity” button to learn more.
Acoustic SpokenWord Cafe & Open House
Holiday gathering
Greeting community with joy
Date: Saturday, December 10, 2011
Open-House: 4-7pm
Acoustic SpokenWord Cafe: 7-10pm
Location: TRIAAC, 501 E. Brackenridge Street, Fort Wayne, IN
The Three Rivers Institute of Afrikan Art & Culture will host an Open-house with dinners available for $5.00. Come and enjoy delicious food, mini-workshops, demonstrations, arts, crafts, and more! The Open-house will be followed by the December Acoustic SpokenWord Café featuring dynamic singer-songwriter Megan King and a Drum Circle led by Ketu Oladuwa. Rounding out the evening will be a Poet’s Open Mic. Spread the word!
Come for the food and fun, stay for the soul stirring entertainment!
For more info visit triaac.org.
Megan King live at the SpokenWord Cafe
She’ll put a spell on you
Fantastic, impassioned, emotive
It’s been nearly two years since Megan King first wowed the audience at the Acoustic SpokenWord Cafe. During that hiatus, the Warsaw-based songbird has been busy. She’s been busy in Nashville recording her third CD; has had a forced lay-off from the guitar, and experienced a painful personal injury. But she’s back now, and the SpokenWord Cafe is thrilled to have Megan back on our boards.
Sitting with Megan and listening to her haunting lyrics and exceptional delivery just might be a transformative experience. There’s no doubt the Summit City Music Scene is premiere in Northeast Indiana, and artists like Megan King, Carol Lockridge, Duane Ebby, Sunny Taylor, and Keith Flye are a testament to that fact.
Come on out and share the joy at the Acoustic SpokenWord Cafe on December 10th. You surely won’t regret it.
Have jenbé drum will travel
Moussa Bolokada Condé
Unparalleled jenbé genius set for residencies
Moussa Bolokada Condé teaches the jenbé and dunun drumming tradition of his people. An acclaimed master of his instruments and the culture from which they emerge, Bolokada is well-versed in imparting his knowledge to students at all levels, from elementary to college.
In the video above Bolokada worked with World Music students at IPFW, in Fort Wayne, IN. Below, his work with Taiwanese students is evident.
TRIAAC wants to discuss how we can bring this genius of the jenbé to your students to enhance their music and world culture education while bringing them the great joy of the traditional Malinké percussion. Contact us.
Poets sign-up now
Café December 10 Poets’ Round-robin
Wordslingers, Wordsmiths, Wordmagicians
The last Acoustic SpokenWord Cafe of 2011 will feature the undiluted Megan King. When Megan last appeared at the Café, she was accompanied by Daniel Zambrano on cello and keyboards. River of Moons, whose lyrics were inspired by an Andre Breton poem, with the music influenced by a 1998 Harvest Moon, is a taste of that work. Just scroll to the bottom of the page and click the music link. Enjoy.
We’ve no doubt that Megan King will be in full effect on December 10th, and a perfect compliment to the round-robin of poets who’ll step to the mic that evening to inspire, antagonize, wake up, calm , and otherwise pique our consciousness. Don’t miss this last Cafe of the year, it’s bound to be an inspiration.
Poets, if you want to join the round-robin here are the ground rules:
- You’ll get to read only one poem at a time and it will someway need to be tied to the work that precedes it.
- Whoever draws the first straw will need to begin with a work related to “connection(s).”
- Introductions to the work should be no more than one sentence.
The intent is to discover the “flow” operating on this particular evening. Should be fun. Sign up!!! Go to the Contact Us page and leave a message. We’ll get back with you.
Carol Lockridge had the Mojo Working
Working Mojo at the SpokenWord Cafe
Carol Lockridge and Friends all the way live
The November Cafe proved a steamy mix with Carol Lockridge belting out the Blues and serenading the soft sounds to a packed house. Fort Wayne’s Blues Diva, who has been crowned Indiana’s Blues Woman of the Year, sang songs ranging from the playful “You can Have My Husband to the Soulful “God Bless the Child” sang for Julia Meek on her birthday.
Lockridge was back by Jeff McCray on guitar, and Fey Fey Moussou, TRIAAC’s house drummer and co-organizer. Check out the entire range of songs on TRIAAC’s Youtube Channel
Tanika Burt turns up the heat
Poet’s Exspresso Shots put the Cafe on boil
Tanika Burt’s poetry was the perfect compliment for Cafe’s focus on the bountiful creativity of Black women. The second set was even more meaningful in that Tanika’s sisters were in the house and in full effect. The give and take between audience and performer was New York small cafe rich with the music and spokenword movement of black life.
Check out the Acoustic SpokenWord’s Youtube Channel by hitting the button above. Until December…
Blues meets Soul at the SpokenWord Cafe
Acoustic SpokenWord Cafe
Lockridge & Burt song and floetry at the Cafe
Saturday evening promises to be big fun and a truck load of inspiration for Summit City residents. The Acoustic SpokenWord Cafe will open with the spicy blues influenced vocals of Carol Lockridge, a Detroit native relocated to Fort Wayne. Carol’s sung the blues with some of the best including Bobby Rush, Lattimore, and Denise LaSalle.
Raised up in “the church” the flavor of Lockridge’s vocals is filled with the grit of real life and fueled by the emotions that anyone living can latch onto. Don’t miss her, she’ll be on the boards about 7:15PM.
Tanika Burt is the other half of the SpokenWord Cafe’s fare for November’s offering. Wow! Tanika’s passion for life resonates through the Cafe. She’s appeared on two other occassions in tandem with other poets, and her magnetic resonance was just too great to keep bottled up in the collective cauldron. Tanika calls her work floetry, and flow it does from the easy mundane roots of experience to the the soaring vocal respiration of life that this Black woman manages with spokenword and song. Hey, I can’t wait.
And tying the evening together as hostess and emcee will be Clydia Early Oladuwa. Come one, come all! You’re bound to have a great time. See you there!!!
5 scholarships for adult drummers
TRIAAC offers 5 adults 3 free classes
Drummers get on the jenbe-dunun beat
The Three Rivers Institute of Afrikan Art & Culture is opening the way for five adult learners to experience the fun, camaraderie, and energy rush of traditional Mande jenbe and dunun drumming. Beginning today, TRIAAC is offering 5 adult learners the chance to take 3 90-minute sessions free. The offer ends December 8.
To register, adults 18-years or older should fill out the application and email it back to TRIAAC. The first five adults to do so will receive admission to the classes (a value of $60.00), which includes the in-class drum rentals.
ScholarshipThe traditional Mande drumming at TRIAAC is offered through its JATA Adult Drumming Workshops, offered Wednesday evenings from 6:00–7:00PM, in seven-week workshops. The new workshop begins November 9th and continues through November 21st. Regular costs for the 90-minute classes is $130.00 or $20.00 per session.
The workshop is open to beginners and intermediate students. Advanced students (students with considerable traditional jenbe and dunun experience) should contact TRIAAC to arrange special classes or private instruction. For more information contact TRIAAC.
Jenbe at the Philmore on Broadway
TRJE rocks Philmore on Broadway
My Fort Wayne 46807 building community
Sunday afternoon was live with entertainment in the 46807 zip code district. The My Fort Wayne — 46807 organizing committee hosted a meet and greet at The Philmore on Broadway, the top entertainment venue in the 07 district in the Fort Wayne.
On the boards when we arrived was Michael Patterson singing and playing the blues. Shortly after arriving, Fey Fey Moussou grabbed a drum and began accompanying Michael on the jenbe drum. All considered it was an effective expression of community; one that absolutely pleased the 07+ residents in attendance.
The event was sponsored by Pathfinder Community Connections, and Pat Turner was right there on the case meeting and greeting everyone who passed trough the door. John Steinbach was the emcee (community organizer) proncipally responsible for pulling the entertainment together for the event.
When the Three Rivers Jenbe Ensemble took to the boards about 4PM, there were about 50 people in the house. Known for their treatments of traditional Mande music, from differing regions of Guinee, West Afrika, the five members of the ensemble who presented were on fire. During the 45-minute set they pleased the crowd and even managed to get a few participants on their feet dancing.
The ensemble can next be seen at Grace College in Winona Lake, on November 16, and the following day on the campus of IPFW, at Walb Union for National Education Week.
Afrika Awake
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Fort Wayne Midday
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