Saturday, April 22, 2023 - 7:00pm - 9:00pm

In celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month, join us for an evening of spoken word poetry and Jazz on April 22nd, 7:00 – 9:00 pm. Presenting poet and artist Bernard Collins and the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble, with surprise guests!

An adventurous jazz outfit that has been playing around Philadelphia since its formation in 1979, the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble was founded by Warren Oree, an acoustic bassist, producer, and composer who continues to lead the band. Eclectic and far from predictable, the Ensemble has embraced a variety of acoustic and electric jazz styles (often combining them with African and Middle Eastern music).

Bernard Collins is a proud South Philadelphia native who now resides in Lawnside, NJ. Since the early nineties, he has written and performed his poetry with various musicians, choreographers, and dancers. The humorous style he often employs harkens back to the “Toasting” traditions of African American culture seen in poems like the Signifying Monkey or Shine. Bernard Collins is also a talented visual artist with a BFA from Temple University Tyler School of Art and an MFA from the University of Pennsylvania.