Over 60 people gathered in Revolution Books in Harlem on Tuesday, February 3 to have their sights and spirits lifted. The event was Dreams in Dark Times: A Benefit for The Bob Avakian Institute at Revolution Books, with the prominent jazz musicians William Parker and Matthew Shipp.
The audience was diverse including fans of the musicians who'd never heard of Bob Avakian to Revolution Books regulars. As people came in, they were given more information about The Bob Avakian Institute and a complimentary copy of a biography of Bob Avakian: a revolutionary leader and thinker, and architect of the new communism.
Through the night, people were taken on a journey—confronting the dark times and led to grapple with what's possible, in an open and inviting atmosphere.
As the lights went down, Avakian's voice came through direct and unfiltered with the quote that was part of the central theme of the night:
Andy Zee, spokesperson for Revolution Books, gave a powerful introduction to the night.
The musicians then played a deep and resonant set. One attendee said afterwards, "I don't know what was on the minds of the artists as they performed, but I thought I could hear darkness and the striving for something different, the creative impulse to break the bounds of what has been."
In between sets, the audience heard again from Bob Avakian answering the question posed by Sunsara Taylor in an interview last year, "If we had a time machine and we could just fast forward into the future into a revolutionary society, how would things be different? What would it look like? What would it feel like?"
Annie Day, the Director of The Bob Avakian Institute, followed this up. She talked about the world historic significance of Avakian's work and the mission of The Institute in a moment of profound stakes for humanity, and yet widespread hopelessness. She called for people there to make a financial contribution to The Institute. And to volunteer their time to be part of changing what people throughout society are debating and discussing. The Institute aims to host forums and classes, and work to spread Avakian's work throughout society. The broad engagement with Avakian's pathbreaking work can have a profound positive impact right now -- breaking people's thinking beyond the soul-crushing and people destroying confines of capitalism.
After a second beautiful and dynamic set, William and Matthew shared their perspectives about why they wanted to be part of a benefit for The Bob Avakian Institute. After the event, Revolution Books was abuzz. There was a feeling of seriousness and joy.
As Annie made clear, this was the first of what The Institute hopes will be more such events.
You can donate to The Bob Avakian Institute here, and sign up to volunteer here. Please send your ideas, suggestions and questions to info@TheBobAvakianInstitute.org
In addition to our appreciation for the artists, we want to thank the volunteers who were essential in making this event happen, and to the staff of Revolution Books for your generous participation.
The Bob Avakian Institute is a nonprofit institute organized for educational purposes. Its mission is to preserve, project, and promote the works and vision of Bob Avakian with the aim of reaching the broadest possible audience.
William Parker is a bassist, improviser, composer, writer, and educator. He has been a key figure in the New York and European experimental jazz and new music scenes and is part of working on the Vision Jazz Festival. The Village Voice called him "the most consistently brilliant free jazz bassist of all time...”
Matthew Shipp is a pianist, composer, and bandleader who has developed one of the most unique voices in modern jazz and improvised music. He has recorded and performed widely—and his work has been described as “state of the art in terms of the possibilities of the jazz piano.” Matthew is the author of Black Mystery School Pianists and Other Writings.
Note: The videos on this page are rough cut videos. A short video of the program will be available in the near future.