RECESS Odean Pope, Craig McIver, Diane Monroe, Victor North, Harold Smith, and Nimrod Speaks.
RECESS is a new immersive performance created by Odean Pope and Immanuel Wilkins.
Join us as we transform a North Philadelphia warehouse into a sculptural playground for sound! RECESS invites audiences inside a living model of improvisation, in an installation that is part bandstand, part score, part jungle gym—designed by Immanuel Wilkins and Rachael Elliott. Performance artist Jennifer Kidwell acts as guide and facilitator in this experience of “radical play.”
This performance came about when Odean Pope—undisputed jazz master and elder of Philadelphia’s creative music community—was looking for ways to expand his (already wide!) creative horizons. He invited five of the most creative musicians he knew to join him in a series of sessions exploring “radical play,” with the only instruction being: “No talk, just play.” The resulting sessions became inspiring lessons in how attuned musicians can provoke, respond, and encourage one another. Envelopes were pushed! Boundaries were stretched! Magic was created!
So of course we asked this ensemble to take the RECESS stage and discover what they can do! It starts with Odean Pope, who studied closely with John Coltrane in his youth and later toured extensively with Max Roach while developing his own groundbreaking Saxophone Choir. A central figure in Philadelphia’s musical life for more than half a century, he has shaped generations of improvisers through performance and teaching. He is the recipient of a Pew Fellowship and the MidAtlantic “Living Legacy Award,” among many other honors.
- Odean Pope — tenor saxophone
- Craig McIver — drums
- Diane Monroe — violin
- Victor North — soprano saxophone
- Harold Smith — didgeridoo and percussion
- Nimrod Speaks — bass
*This performance will be preceded by a PROCESSIONAL/HISTORY TOUR that will start at 1:30pm at N. 8th St & Cecil B. Moore, led by Jennifer Kidwell