Current Collaborators include: Funkworthy FM, synonymUS, Saheli, & Van Davis
Influences
Thelonious Monk, Carmen McRae, Stevie Wonder, Radiohead, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Everything But The Girl (sometimes in a stupor known as Nothing But the Boy- wink wink) Bill Withers, Rufus & Chaka, Pablo Neruda, Kwaku Kwaakye Obeng, Rufus Thomas, Sam & Dave, Elana Bell, Dara Lazar, Eric B. & Rakim, JJ Johnson, Steve Turre, Barney Bigard, Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan, Queen Latifah, Lauryn Hill, Earth Wind & Fire, Sly and the Family Stone, Dizzy Gillespie, Joan Miro, Minor White...
ABENA KOOMSON is a performer, educator and graduate of Sarah Lawrence College. Her mission is to foster a deep understanding of self through the exploration of language, music and movement, and to produce thoughtful works in collaboration with others. To that end, she is a founding member of Saheli, an a cappella womens trio where she performs and composes. Recent compositions include Mathilde based on a poem by Pablo Neruda and Lullaby (LauraMaries Song) her first doo-wop composition. Additionally she is resident bassist/vocalist/ poet with synonymUS an improvisatory poetry and music collaborative which has shared the staged with Robert Bly, John Hammond, Patricia Smith, Cheryl Boyce Taylor, Roger Bonair-Agard, and others. She is a member of Funkworthy FM under the name AK47 thelovegun where she collaborates with DJs, Emcees, Beatboxers, and Instrumentalists on House, Dub, Grime, & Garage. In September of 2006, she held a blow out Birthday Bash at the Bowery Poetry Club and featured funk rock trio Van Davis.
Abena has performed at several venues throughout NYC and abroad including:
Bar 13, the louderARTS project, NYC
The Bowery Poetry Club, NYC
Lincoln Center OUT OF DOORS Festival, NYC
Artist of Tomorrow Series @ West End Theatre, NYC
Chashama, NYC
Kush Lounge, NYC
Artwell Gallery, NYC
Rialto Performing Arts Center, Atlanta GA
Festival Internacional de Puebla, Puebla Mexico
Myspace Backgrounds
Poetstock 2009!
Never before has this been done, and hopefully it will be successfully repeated after this all over the world, again and again….
Our aim is to bring together poets from all over, who produce all
genres of poetry for a night of mingling, poetry, shameless self
promotion…. Each poet will have the poetry to read their work on
stage, sell their work to those who would like to buy, and mingle with
the best poets of our generation.
It will be held on Saturday, July 11, 2009 at 9 PM at STUDIO PARK; 1519 Carroll Dr
Atlanta, GA 30318-3605
And the owner of STUDIO PARK in Atlanta has been gracious enough to open his doors to us without charging us ANYTHING!!!
Guys, you seriously CAN’T miss this~you HAVE to be there! It is the
chance of the lifetime, and the bigger we make it, the more attention
we poets will get.
Poetry is NOT dead~let’s show the world that it is living and breathing~
Don’t forget to bring your Books, CDs and/or original artwork to sell!
***BTW~we are looking for a talented DJ to spin between reads~so if you
have what it takes or know someone who does, please email me.
****ALL are welcome! Whether you are a poet, or love poetry, we hope
you will all come, tell your friends about it, and your friends’
friends-blog it, bulletin it, email it, scream about it from the
rooftops~Whatever it takes!!!
Hey Abena! just got an email from Brant Lyon inviting me to his show... your name was on the bill... small world. I recorded Bant and Friends CD... that's how I met him...
So I keep playing your album on loop. It's on my iPod. And I am forced to mentally separate the Abena I always see and the one I listen to...Otherwise I'll turn into a complete groupie around you and replace a "hello" with me throwing my panties at you.
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