CAP UCLA Hosts Two Nights of Deep-Rooted Storytelling at The Nimoy

UCLA's Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA) will present two nights of deep-rooted storytelling through music and poetry at The Nimoy with Martha Redbone Roots Project on Friday, February 9 followed by the continuation of the Poetry Uncut series: Part II as J. Ivy hosts performances by Ursula Rucker and Abiodun Oyewole on Saturday, February 10. Tickets are available now at cap.ucla.edu, by phone 310-825-2101 or at the UCLA Central Ticket Office. 

Afro-Indigenous vocalist, songwriter, composer and educator Martha Redbone performs on Friday, February 9 at 8 pm for an evening of folk, blues and gospel. Redbone is known for music inspired by her childhood in Harlan County, Kentucky infused with the eclectic grit of Brooklyn, New York. The performance will be filled with songs that tell the story of her life experience as a Southeastern Cherokee/Choctaw Native, Black woman and mother with the purpose of giving voice to issues of social justice, bridging traditions from past to present, connecting cultures and celebrating the human spirit.

For her live shows, Redbone draws from her album The Garden of Love - Songs of William Blake, which fuses Redbone's voice and Blake's poetry for a combination of blues, bluegrass, soul and traditional Southeastern Woodlands. The work was produced by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band founder and Grammy winner John McEuen. Her debut album Home of the Brave was recognized as a “stunning album” by “the kind of woman who sets trends” (Billboard) and garnered positive critical attention, while her sophomore album Skintalk was described as the soulful sound of “Earth, Wind and Fire on the Rez” (Native Peoples Magazine) and took her music to Europe and the Far East. From grassroots beginnings at powwows across Indian Country and in the underground clubs of NYC to nationally recognized acclaim, Redbone broadens the boundaries of American Roots music.

On Saturday, February 10 at 8 pm Poetry Uncut, a four-part series of curated poetry and music, continues with Poetry Uncut: Part II as Grammy Award-winning artist J. Ivy hosts an evening featuring performances by poet, activist and Pew Fellow Ursula Rucker along with founding member of the legendary Harlem-based Last Poets, Abiodun Oyewole. The series will continue with additional artists presented by Ivy on February 17 and culminate in a final poetry jam on April 6. Ivy is well recognized for his appearances on HBO's Def Poetry Jam and his feature with Jay-Z on Kanye West's Grammy-winning album The College Dropout. He was also instrumental in advocating for the Grammy Awards to add a new category dedicated to Poets and Spoken Word Artists worldwide and, in 2022, the Recording Academy finally created a new category for “Best Spoken Word Poetry Album.” Following this, Ivy received his second Grammy nomination and his first Grammy Award for his Spoken Word Poetry album, The Poet Who Sat By The Door. Ivy's recent works include his third book, Dear Father: Breaking the Cycle of Pain and albums The Poet Who Sat By The Door and CATCHING DREAMS: Live at Fort Knox Chicago, which was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Spoken Word Album category.

Ursula Rucker has a longstanding history in the global music and poetry scene and has spent nearly three decades utilizing prose and imagery to engage and inspire her audience. She is known for her performance on HBO's Def Poetry Jam as well as several solo albums with wide-ranging musical diversity including Supa Sista, Silver Or Lead, Ma'at Mama, Ruckus Soundsysdom, She Said and No Stranger Here. In 2022, Rucker had the distinct honor of being selected for the Philadelphia Cultural Treasures Fellowship in recognition of her continued commitment to the advancement of art and artist advocacy.

Abiodun Oyewole is a poet, author, teacher and founding member of the American music and spoken word group, The Last Poets, which laid the groundwork for the emergence of hip-hop. During the course of his 50 year career, Oyewole is one of several poets credited for liberating American poetry by creating open, vocal, spontaneous, energetic and uncensored vernacular verse. He has dedicated his craft to speaking out about the dangers of poverty and racism and uplifting his people. Oyewole is known for his albums created with The Last Poets including Holy Terror, The Time Has Come, Understand What Black Is and Transcending Toxic Times along with his poetry collections The Beauty of Being and Naked.

The CAP UCLA winter programs continue on Thursday, February 15 and Friday, February 16 with India Carney and Saturday, February 17 with Poetry Uncut: Part III: J.Ivy hosts Def Sound and Sunni Patterson.

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