house of jaz
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Cute As [House of Jaz] Buttons
July 10.11
I’m working on my “merch” for the blog. The House of Jaz brand is slowly becoming recognizable. I debuted these “Artist.Poet.MusicLover” buttons at my show. They were a hit! If you’ve purchased a button from the show, take a pic and send to hojdmv@gmail.com. I’d love to see all of my artist.poet.musiclovers out there!!
Reflection[Internal]:: Feature at Bohemian Caverns
July 10.11
::One of my friends rocking my #hoj buttons with FREESTYLE! This Way (Levi Stephens) painting in the background::
I know I haven’t posted in a while. I’d like to avoid using any cliches that refer to me being “on my grind” or “making moves”, but I have been in a state of reflection. I must admit, I’m still high from my show at Bohemian Caverns. It felt awesome to have my family front row center, to hear chants of my friends and colleagues, to be able to share my heart with everyone in the form of spoken word, and to have my art as the backdrop.
It still baffles me how I’ve been able to conjure words to articulate the mumbles of my heart; it baffles me even more to know that I (a “part-time poet”) know enough people who WANT to hear my words and see my work. To everyone who traveled to see me and cheered me on in spirit, THANK YOU and STAY TUNED!
National Poetry + [Jaz]z Appreciation Month
April 8.11
The month of April is National Poetry AND Jazz (the genre, not yours truly) appreciation month. It’s only right that I dedicate most if not ALL of the remaining posts for the month to both art forms (with of course a touch of art). If you have something you’d like to have posted, please send your poem, song, or video for review to hojdmv@gmail.com.
Mixology!
March 5.11
Here’s one of my latest designs for an after-work open mic mixer. The whole approach and idea for this concept was to literally mix fonts, patterns, and imagery without them visually clashing. If you’re ever in New Jersey, you should definitely check it out! Tell them Jazzo sent you.
Quoto Series:: As
November 1.10 — 1 Comment
I’m not sure who the artist of this beautiful artwork is, but I had to pair it with one of my favorite lines from Stevie Wonder’s “As” (cue the infamous scene from “The Best Man”).
They Reminisce Over You:: Bleek Week Presents: The Blower (A Hip Hop Event)
October 21.10
A roster of some of the dopest emcees in the NJ/NY area come together to celebrate the life of Deveran "Bleek" Ashe
In some instances of our lives, we catch a glimpse of the way we are perceived by the people we interact with on a personal and impersonal basis. If we are fortunate, we will accumulate a circle of individuals who have accepted the task of celebrating and allowing us to exude and live in the very essence of who we are. When someone is a creative, one of the greatest blessings is to develop an ongoing cypher amongst friends that consists of inspiration, challenge, love, and creativity. It’s even more dope if the cypher carries on after your time on earth has expired.
If your legacy is anything like Deveran “Bleek” Ashe, you will be one who has inspired your friends to pull all of their resources together to create a week of celebration in the truest essence of you.
The celebrations are already in full swing in New Jersey; Unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend, but if you are in the area, you should DEFINITELY check it out!
The Inspiration Behind Bleek Week (October 18–23, 2010)
This is Deveran ‘Bleek’ Ashe: a writer, poet, father, jazz aficionado, and honorary Newark son. Bleek came to Newark in 2007 to connect with college buddies from Wiberforce University. He traveled throughout the metro area reading and reciting his poetry and touching people’s lives. He was a regular at the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers and The Newark Public Libraries. He taught everyone around him discipline. Every day he read and every night he wrote. He challenged the poets of The People’s Open Mic of Newark and various venues around the city to be refined and to acknowledge their legacies. In 2009, he was struck by a sudden illness and passed away in February, but his friends, family and poetic soul mates will not let his memory die.
Bleek Week is an outpouring of love and creativity from people he touched. His friends and family have organized 6 days of jazz, poetry, hip hop and visual and public art events in downtown Newark. He did a lot in his short life. He came to Newark, pursued his dreams and was greatly inspirational and influential to the poets and the people of the community.
This entire week is a fundraiser for his two sons Miles and Malik.
Monday, October 18: Blue Floozie Waterfalls— A one-woman jazz and poetry show performed by Mia X.
Tuesday, Ocotber 19: Fermented Grapes— a spoken word tribute and open mic in his honor, curated by K. Desiree
Wednesday, October 20: Culture Food— an art mixer with live painting, photography and a short film about a day in his life.
Thursday, October 21: The Traveling People’s Open Mic—From six until eight pm groups of performers will be positioned at 1) Penn Station 2) 744 Broad Street between Academy and Clinton Sts. (The former Starbucks location) 3) Halsey and Raymond Blvd and 4) Branford and Halsey Streets. There will be poetry readings, dancing, singing, doing live art and connecting with the community.
Friday, October 22: The Blower (A Hip Hop Show)— Dedicated to Bleek’s sons, this event is positive and full of local talent (many of which have been featured on the blog).
Saturday, October 23rd: Hard Bop and Haiku— This is Bleek’s birthday celebration with a trumpet battle. Winner takes $250.00 and a special performance from a tap dancer.
After hearing the rundown of events and knowing the people that Bleek has inspired, I felt compelled to share not only his story, but the awesome way his friends and loved ones have decided to celebrate his legacy. I personally believe it is important to think about how you’d like to be remembered. How does that compare to what people will actually say about you when you are no longer physically present? What is your legacy?
BONUS: Check out the track underneath the flyer, by Brokn.Englsh’s own Myk Dyaleks. It’s available for download here.
QUOTO Series:: Do It 4 U (This Is For)
October 6.10
We are all familiar with the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. It’s no doubt that art, poetry, and music are interchangeable muses that have the ability to create a never-ending cipher of visually and aurally stimulating compositions. I’ve been inspired by all of the former to create a new feature on the blog. This new section entitled QUOTO (Quote + Photo) Series, is an exploration of photography, illustration, and typography. The purpose is to merely narrate the beauty of an image with a song (line, lyric, quote) that I feel tells the story. Some may be literal; other interpretations are figurative. First up in this section is none other than a photo taken by my favorite photog femcee, Emperess and a line from 1/3 of Brokn.Englsh, Myk Dyaleks. Check it! (All use of this image without permission of the owner is prohibited.)
:: Photography by Emperess ::
You can download the song DO IT 4 U (This Is For) from Brokn.Englsh’s release “Dreamscape” (FO FREE!) here.
Artist @ He[art]:: Picture Perfect
August 9.10
How do you show two friends how much they mean to you? You paint portraits of them, that’s how. This weekend, I dedicated my art and focus to two of my close friends who are embarking on separate life journeys. I wish them the best, but will miss them with everything. This post is dedicated to one of the coolest brothas I know and to my pseudo sister with the heart of gold. Check out the gallery to see the process. Special shout out to Erika for helping me out with the details and finishing touches (her artwork will be posted soon)!
:: The Rebirth of Cool ::
:: Lion(ess) Heart ::
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Artist at He[art]:: Poet Through Experience:: [Music]lover Since Birth
July 23.10
Art inspired by music inspiring words. I love when this happens. The song featured can be found here.
::Dreamer::
His eyes sing lullabies to my heart
Sending me to sleep under trees birthed in due time
His smile echoes symphonies of sunshine
He is a beautiful song
I hummed him before we met
I sing along with my ears
He wipes away old tears
I listen to his touch
And dance in the memory
We store secrets in our lips
And tell them with a kiss
Never saying a word for they’ll be revealed
Lips sealed
Wounds healed
Time is bound whenever he’s around
Each minute is a gift
Wrapped in prayers
Tied with trying times
Says my ribbons add character
That scars are expected when being perfected (for him)
Kisses my forehead
Rubs the back of my neck
Tells me to keep dreaming
To keep humming
To keep loving
Until the sun sets.
Jazminia C. Griffith © 2010
All Rights Reserved.
A Doodle A Day Keeps the Cre8tiv Block Away…
June 17.10
Ok, so here’s the deal. I need you. Yes you…to help ME do this creative artsy thing more consistently. I need to go back to the basics, when all I had was my pencil and some paper (and maybe a few sharpies). For those who don’t know, I am a corporate creative consultant by day, and lately I’ve found myself to be a frustrated and tired free-spirited creative by night. Every time I go to paint something, I draw a blank. So I thought it would be cool to see what goes on in YOUR everyday. What objects surround you? What do YOU see?
Twit Pic Me and I’ll Sketch You Back…
I’d like to embark on some sketching exercises that involve my readers, my Twitter Followers and whomever is down for the cause. All I need is for you to Twit Pic me an object (a shoe, fire hydrant, ice cream cone, etc.) and I will draw it. The more momentum gained, the more I will experiment with more than just a pencil sketch. I may use sharpies, highlighters, ball-point pens (basically whatever’s at my desk). The goal is to have something by the end of the day. I’ll create a page or collage on the blog so we can see the progression.
If you’re on Twitter, you can follow me at @houseofjaz_dmv or @Jazz0thcre8tiv
If you’d prefer to email, please go to hojdmv@gmail.com.
GO!
