A Night of Resistance And Reslience
with Andrew Barnes Jamieson, Jeffrey Alphonsus Mooney & Charles Peoples III
6/10/23
UMA gallery
It starts with rumors of a pandemic, then lockdowns, news of death and loss, finding your life suddenly in upheaval, then wondering if youβll ever find joy again. Most of us found ourselves in this placeβ¦but not Andrew. Andrew Barnes Jamieson wasnβt going to go quietly. He was not going to let joy slip away. When forced to improvise a new life in a new world, he decided to use his talents in order to improvise himself out of despair. Beginning in March 2020, Jamieson began performing and recording daily piano improvisations as small acts of defiance and a daily reminder that we are here and we belong. Even during a tumultuous 2020 and 2021, during civil unrest, the improvisations were a promise for tomorrowβa sign that every single person deserves respect. With a background in gospel, jazz and musical theater, Jamieson is not just a man of reflection, but of soul. Now, closing out the series with Improvisation #1096 (there may be a few more to wrap it all up on #1,111), itβs a time to say goodbye to the past and start looking toward a brighter future. In that same vein, opening performances by Jeffrey Alphonus Mooney and Charles Peoples III were more improvisations, with Charles directing his beautiful falsetto range through his MiMu Gloves, creating sonic loops of lush vocals, and Mooney offering a chance for collective joy, inviting the audience to sing along with his Mbira, bass and squeezebox. Thank you to the UMA gallery at the historic Mosswood Mortuary and to Rachel Smith for organizing this incredible event.
Shot by Fiestaban Photography
