Tonight’s Musical Performance: Samora Abayomi Pinderhughes
Samora Abayomi Pinderhughes, keyboards, vocals; Elena Ayodele Pinderhughes, flute, vocals; Daniel Jones, vocals; Jehbreal Muhammad Jackson, vocals; Godwin Louis, alto saxophone; Brad Allen Williams, guitar; Josh Hari, bass; Corey Fonville, drums
A recent graduate of the Juilliard jazz program, the pianist and composer Samora Abayomi Pinderhughes uses music to raise challenging questions about social justice and identity. His Transformations Suite combines music, theater, and poetry to examine the radical history of resistance within the African diaspora. His ongoing work I’m Still Here: Letters on Trauma and Healing, produced by Anna Deavere Smith, presents conversations between people dealing with trauma in the prison-industrial complex, with a focus on the healing process. Harlem Stage recently commissioned a new work from him, The James Baldwin Essays: Examining the American Dream Narrative. Pinderhughes has performed at venues including the White House, Blue Note, Sundance Film Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, and Carnegie Hall. At MoMA, he will present works “inspired by new and old studies of the Migration and its effects . . . on the meanings of movement, protest, and community.”
Every Thursday in July and August, 5:30–8:00 p.m.
Live music begins at 6:30 p.m.
Regular Museum admission applies. Performances take place in the Sculpture Garden. In the event of rain, the Garden will close, and music will take place in Theater 1. Please note: Sculpture Garden and indoor seating are limited and on a first-come, first-served basis.
The musical component of Summer Thursdays 2018 celebrates musicians living and working in New York City. Organized in collaboration with PopRally, the series hosts a variety of sounds that explore the City’s expansive musical landscape. Each evening, unique sonic flavors fill the Sculpture Garden with a range of blended genres such as dream punk, Afrofuturist soul, funk fusion, hip-hop, experimental, and lo-fi baroque pop.
This performance was organized in collaboration with Harlem Stage.