BELLOWS FALLS — Afrofuturist, oro-shamanic, Black gay poet and jazz bass clarinetist Toussaint St. Negritude is coming to Stage 33 Live, 33 Bridge Street, on Sunday, May 7, at 7 p.m.
Toussaint St. Negritude presents what organizers are calling “a dynamic solo performance of liberational truth-telling, collaboratively pairing the call of his poetry with the intuitive responses of the bass clarinet, and additional instrumentation.”
Along with the music and poetry, the former Poet Laureate of Belfast, Maine, further extends the experience visually with his own handmade hats and accompanying attire. “As is the tradition of all Black and queer artistry,” states a news release, “Toussaint St. Negritude summons the soul to be held, heard and seen.”
U.S. Poet Laureate Gwendolyn Brooks described his work as “full of sweet sounds and surprises.” Originally from San Francisco, Toussaint has lived and broadly thrived across the African Diaspora, from the sacred mountains of Haiti to the Coltrane District of North Philadelphia.
He, along with bassist Gahlord Dewald, is the leader of the band Jaguar Stereo, a free-form ensemble of his own poetry and improvisational jazz, and his works have been widely published and recorded for over 40 years.
On an alpine sanctuary facing east, Toussaint St. Negritude says he continues to thrive in the farthest elevations of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom.
Tickets are $10 in advance, or $15 at the door. There will be no opener; guests should plan on a timely arrival. There is limited seating, and the event will be recorded and filmed. More information can be found at stage33live.com.