“Funky Donkey” Listening Party
—Celebrating funky free jazz and local music history on Nov. 14th—
In fall 1973, the Human Arts Ensemble, a group closely interknitted with St. Louis’s legendary Black Artists Group (BAG), recorded the funk-jazz album “Funky Donkey” in the sanctuary of Berea Presbyterian Church (now Saint Louis University’s Il Monastero facility). The featured musicians—including Lester Bowie, Charles “Bobo” Shaw, Joseph Bowie, J.D. Parran, and Luther Thomas—would soon ascend to leading roles in the international avant-garde jazz scene.
On Thursday, Nov. 14th, community and campus fans of funk, experimental jazz, local music, and St. Louis history are invited back to the former Berea Church—the exact site of the recording session—for a “Funky Donkey” listening party.
The event features DJ Mark Lewis beforehand and during breaks, short remarks on Berea church’s astonishing activist and artistic role during this period, the playing of an original vinyl pressing of “Funky Donkey,” and complimentary snacks and craft beer (21+) donated by Side Project Brewing. A bonus finale is a spinning of a new 35-minute Black Artists Group LP, titled “For Peace and Liberty,” recorded in Paris in 1972 but never released until a September 2024 issue by London's Wewantsounds label (five stars from Downbeat Magazine!).
LOCATION: Il Monastero, 3050 Olive St. in Midtown (free off-street parking)
DATE/TIME: Thurs., Nov. 14—doors open w/DJ at 7:00; album session 7:30 pm to 9:15 pm
Put your listening ears on! No RSVP needed; open to all!
Presented by SLU’s American Studies department and Women’s & Gender Studies department. Co-sponsored by SLU’s Visual and Performing Arts department, SLU’s Division of Innovative Community Engagement, Side Project Brewing, Planet Score Records, and Dead Wax Records.
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