AACM to Hold Interactive Healing Concerts in Bronzville

Deborah Bayliss | As of Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, Ernest Dawkins.
Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, Ernest Dawkins.

In an effort to help restore peace throughout Chicago’s violence-ridden neighborhoods, members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) will present interactive, after-school concerts to begin in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood next month.

“One of the tenets of AACM is that music has a spiritual, healing power,” says AACM chairman Ernest Dawkins. “We will take highly developed healing music into communities grappling with violence, possibly healing some of the wounds.”

A nonprofit collective of African American musicians and composers, the AACM was formed in 1965 to create an outlet for the development and performance of their music.

In recognition of the power of music to heal, the AACM continues its year-long 50th anniversary celebration with a focus on healing the scars left by violence in communities on the south side of Chicago.

Beginning Friday, July 17 and continuing weekly through Friday, Aug. 7, AACM presents its Street Beat, concert series.

Known for its innovative approach to creativity, the AACM is creating new works and projects to share their well-honed craft with new and younger audiences. The primary goal of Street Beat is to revitalize violence-scarred areas of the city with free public concerts and activities that provide youth with opportunities to build on their creativity through music.

Each concert will take a unique approach to an interactive music experience. The time and locations are as follows:

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Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians percussionist, Coco Elysses.

July 17 – 3:30 pm

Khari B’s Nu Vibe

Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies

700 E. Oakwood Blvd.

Comprised of spoken word musician Khari B, trumpeter/electronic musician Ben LaMar and others, the Nu Vibe project is an improvisational assembly intended to align inside vibrations with outside vibrations, pulling and pushing them into a flow that hopefully will stay with the audience and translate into higher consciousness.

July 24 – 3:00 pm

The AACM Exec’s Spiritual Healing

Metropolitan Apostolic Community Church

4100 S. King Drive

Ernest Dawkins, Taalib-Din Ziyad, Art Turk Burton and Ann Ward, leaders of AACM, will perform non-denominational spiritual healing music. Children will participate by playing small instruments and engaging in conversation.

July 31 – 3:00 pm

Coco Elysses Millennium Project

Black United Fund of Illinois

1809 E. 71st Street

An interactive performance designed to trigger healing energy and feelings of calm and peace. Featured artists are percussionist, Coco Elysses, John Foster III, Tasu Aoki, Kioto Aoki, Renee Baker and Lamar Gay.

Aug. 7 –3:30 pm

Saalik Ziyad’s Healing Heroes

True Rock Ministries

57 E. 16th street

A multi-disciplinary, interactive project based on comic book characters that heal. Characters will be developed with help from children in the audience, given their own authentic lives and an original sound track composed by the musicians. Critical thinking, storytelling, and art making will be part of the healing performance. Saalik Ziyad on vocals and FX, Jonathan Woods on FX, Khari Lemuel on cello, voice and flute with visual artist Rahmaan Statik Barnes.

Following each performance on-site video interviews will be conducted with audience members as a way to measure Street Beat’s impact. For more information, call (312) 834-3390 or visit www.aacmchicago.org.

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