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Duke Arts Presents

Ambrose Akinmusire
Origami Harvest

Thursday, September 19, 2019 | 8:00 pm

Rubenstein Arts Center | von der Heyden Studio Theater


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In 2018, Ambrose Akinmusire’s Origami Harvest tackled institutional racism and cyclical poverty on a brave and original album that The Guardian calls “a voyage through America that is both dreamlike and dystopian.” Akinmusire’s bold interpretation of the jazz idiom diverges from the trumpeter and composer’s previous masterworks, including the live extravaganza A Rift in Decorum. By fusing hip-hop, free improvisation, and chamber music, Akinmusire creates one of the most unforgettable soundscapes in Blue Note Records’ vast catalog. Synthesizing the threads of his impressive 15-year career — including an affecting contribution to Kendrick Lamar’s conversation with the ghost of Tupac Shakur on To Pimp a Butterfly’s “Mortal Man” — Akinmusire deliberately resists classification and “takes jazz string writing to a new plateau” (DownBeat). Akinmusire kicks off Duke Performances’ season at the intimate von der Heyden Studio Theater with an ensemble that features rapper Kokayi, pianist Sam Harris, drummer Justin Brown, and Mivos Quartet.



Ambrose Akinmusire 'Origami Harvest (Album Trailer)'


“Akinmusire often invokes Miles Davis with his breathy tone and dark-hued solemnity, but at times he also ventures farther afield...”

JazzTimes (on Origami Harvest)