Alt Cabaret With Rock/Jazz Trio Harriet Tubman
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - Harriet Tubman formed in 1998 when drummer J.T.
Lewis, guitarist Brandon Ross and bassist Melvin Gibbs came together to start a band with meaning. Named after the heroic African-American slave who risked her life to escape from slavery and help more than 300 others to do the same, Harriet Tubman is deeply inspired by the ideals of freedom. The trio's music -- a fusion of soul, rock, jazz, and blues -- examines the depths of these genres for their own unique liberated musical expression. Harriet Tubman will perform at MASS MoCA on Saturday, April 11, at 8 PM in MASS MoCA's Club B-10 as part of the Alt Cabaret series. Mitch Myers of Amazon raves that Harriet Tubman is "a mind-melting display of inspired instrumental discourse between three very accomplished musicians... a power trio unlike any other."
Integrating sampling and other digital methods into a compelling jazz-rock sound, Harriet Tubman looks back on the pioneering style of jazz. Re-contextualizing musical technology to create innovative compositions is an important part of the African-American tradition, and the trio sees Harriet Tubman as their contribution to that tradition. Always looking to musical history for meaning and inspiration, Lewis, Ross, and Gibbs present their music as a continuation of the musical innovation exhibited by such diverse artists as Ornette Coleman, Jimi Hendrix, Derrick May, Art Ensemble of Chicago and Parliment-Funkadelic.
On their place in the musical gene scene the band notes, "We feel that our choice to perform Open Music has a value and relevance that connects with a re-awakening, a new search for restored meaning that we see and experience wherever and whenever we perform. Our music does not dictate through genre, or demographic, how one 'should' relate to it."
Not just musical philosophers, Lewis, Ross, and Gibbs are truly talented musicians. Music blog Bold as Love praises "These three are consummate musicians who are at the top of their game. You can immediately tell when you are watching people who have mastered their craft: There's an effortless responsiveness to the shifts in the music and to each other that say loud and clear that these people are doing something special." The band has released two albums, 1998's I Am A Man and Prototype in 2006. Harriet Tubman plans to release its third album, Dub-ill 3rio LIVE, later this year.
Tickets for the Harriet Tubman Alt Cab are $14 in advance/ $18 day of show/$10 students. MASS MoCA members receive a 10% discount. The galleries will stay open until 7 PM before the show. Full bar and dinner and snacks from Lickety Split are available before and during the show.
Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located off Marshall Street in North Adams, open from 11 A.M. until 5 P.M., closed Tuesdays. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413-662-2111 during Box Office hours or purchased on line at www.massmoca.org.
