Artist Bios
Poetry
Pierre Joris has moved between the US, Europe and North Africa for 45 years, publishing over 40 books of poetry, essays and translations. His most recent publication, out this year, is Poems for the Millennium, Volume Four: The University of California Book of North African Literature coedited with Habib Tengour from UCP. Other recent literary collaborations include Exile is My Trade: A Habib Tengour Reader, The Meridian: Final Version-Drafts-Materials, Paul Celan: Selections and Lightduress, also by Paul Celan and translated by Joris. Forthcoming in 2013 are Barzakh (Poems 2000-2012) from Black Widow Press and The Collected Poems of Paul Celan. Pierre Joris presently teaches poetry and poetics at the State University of New York, Albany.
Nicole Peyrafitte is a Pyrenean-born multidisciplinary artist whose videos, paintings, writings, singing and cooking are often integrated into multimedia stagings. Her work has been presented and/or performed in such venues as The Metropolitan Museum, The University of Bordeaux, Poets House NYC and Princeton University. Her latest projects include the documentary film Basil King: Mirage as producer and co-director (with Miles Joris- Peyrafitte), and Bi-Valve, a performance project that includes 17 texts, 14 paintings and 3 Videos and will be published by Stockport Flats Press spring 2013. She has also illustrated and created covers for a number of books by Pierre Joris. Her performance Remember-Reflect-Mark was documented in Emergency INDEX 2011 (Ugly Duckling Presse).
Bonny Finberg's fiction, poetry and photographs have been published in numerous literary journals and anthologies and are included in the NYU Fales Library archive of Downtown Writers. She writes for A Gathering of Tribes and Sensitive Skin Magazine and has published two chapbooks, How the Discovery of Sugar Produced the Romantic Era (Sisyphus Press, NY) and Déjà Vu (Corrupt Press, Paris). Her novel, Kali's Day, is forthcoming from Autonomedia/Unbearable Books. She is joining force with Sylvie Degiez to bring thrilling guests to the Chronocosmos series.
Music
Featured Musicians:
Van Manakas is a guitarist and composer, critically acclaimed by the musical press as one of the most versatile and respected guitarist in the country. Known for his expertise in indigenous guitar styles, he has tour with such artists as Gil Evans Orchstra, Paul Bley, Scott Cossu, Miraslav Vitous, The Nashville Mandolin Ensemble and Butch Baldassari across 5 continents. He has played on scores of recordings, from NYC to Nashville.
His recording with Rounder Records, Love Songs has received rave reviews as well as his American Guitar.
He is the recipient of an ASCAP award for his compositions. He has played guitar with Wayne Lopes since childhood.
"Van Manakas has something new and different to offer, unusually gripping instrumentals performed with exceptional grace and power by a very talented guitarist." – The New York Daily News
Wayne Lopes is a guitarist and composer who has been a presence on the NY music scene for decades. He has created the music for many art performances, dance pieces and plays and has played with The Human Arts Ensemble, Judith Malina and Hanon Reznikov of The Living Theater, Nico, Ken Little Hawk and Andy 3 Raven of Brothers of the Wind, and Perry Robinson. He is a founding member of the Gift of Eagle Orchestra with Van Manakas and Sylvie Degiez.
"A brilliant finger picker, there's a 'down home' quality to Wayne's work. While his playing at first appears very free and abstract, closer listening reveals a familiar interplay of melodies and patterns. His music is also not without the element of surprise. It always reveals something unexpected amongst something familiar, something that will linger in the mind of anyone who listens." – American Primitive Guitar
The Chronocosmos in-house band:
Gerald Achee (aka Gerry Drum) was born in the village of St. James, near Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Introduced to traditional Afro-Caribbean music at an early age, Achee started his artistic career as a limbo-dancer and later began to play djembe. In 1969 Gerald Achee founded the free improvisation percussion band Village Drums of Freedom (VDOF), now consisting of more than a hundred drummers all over the world, and an annual leading ensemble of the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival. In 2003 Gerald Achee and VDOF released the album Historic Travel: Cultural Rhythms. In 2009 he recorded an album Three Neighbours with Perry Robinson and Joel Chassan. And in the same year - Night Train For Lovers And Thieves with the Gypsy Groovz Orchestra, which was nominated to the Best World Music Album of 2009 by the BBC.
Angela Babin grew up in NYC surrounded by musician as the daughter of a pianist and classical composer. She was guitarist of the Ordinaires, and the Free Gotham Roots Orchestra to name but a few of her musical collaborations. A composer as well as a musician, Angela has been invited to perform in the 2012 4th Annual Composers Play Composers Marathon.
Sylvie Degiez is a composer, performer, teacher and organizer of musical art events. Her ensemble performances have been presented at venues in NYC (The Kitchen, Merce Cunningham Studio, 92YTribeca, Dance Theater Workshop, Bam Cafe and various clubs) and in Europe on occasion. Her work takes from philosophy and esoteric study in relation to music theory. One of the founding members of Cosmic Legends alongside Wayne Lopes, she has collaborated for many years with Angela Babin and Perry Robinson.