The Davis Jazz and Beat Festival will return for its 14th year
The John Natsoulas Gallery upholds the Beat Generation legacy through art, collaboration and spontaneity
By TALAR KESHISHIAN — arts@theaggie.org
On Oct. 23 and 24, the John Natsoulas Gallery will host their 14th annual Davis Jazz and Beat Festival. This weekend of multidisciplinary presentations, featuring live music, performance painting and poetry readings, is one of the most anticipated celebrations of art in Davis, according to gallery owner John Natsoulas.
Natsoulas spoke about how the festival honors the legacy of the Beat poets.
“The Beat Generation was a huge influence on me, because when I opened my gallery 40 years ago, the mission statement was collaboration,” Natsoulas said. “The Beats played music, they danced, they read poetry to music and they painted to music.”
The Beat Generation, a literary movement led by writers like Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, began in New York and migrated to San Francisco in the 1950s. At the heart of the movement was a sense of collaboration and community among the artists, whose counterculture lifestyle pushed boundaries, according to music director CJ Borges.
“The Beat Generation is where it all started and knowledge about it seems to be disappearing,” Borges said. “They are so inspiring because they really did go against the grain. It was not easy back then to be free and successful spontaneously and not fit into the mold.”
Spontaneity was a defining characteristic of the Beat poets, often expressed through poetic and artistic freestyling accompanied by jazz improvisation. Painter and performance artist Nancy Ostrovsky, who Natsoulas described as one of the most important figures in jazz improvisation, continues this legacy and will be performing at the festival on Oct. 24 at 7:15 p.m.
“She is coming and [you may] never see her again,” Natsoulas said. “This will probably be the last performance of hers on the West Coast.”
A highlight of this year’s festival will be a dance party on the gallery’s rooftop with DJ MoogWax, which will offer festivalgoers more than just music.
“I make these craft sodas from farmers' market fruit,” Borges said. “We’re going to do experimental drinks like nitro teas, sparkling sodas and really unique stuff that you can't get anywhere else.”
The festival’s vast range of performance styles adds to the diverse array of experiences awaiting festivalgoers.
Student jazz ensembles will perform alongside artists of various disciplines, exemplified by the collaboration between Davis Senior High School’s jazz band and painter Adam Forfang, who also teaches at the school.
“Then you have Sacramento State University [jazz band] performing with Terry Moore, a poet from Sacramento and Laura Hohlwein, a painter from Sacramento,” Natsoulas said. “So we're integrating everybody.”
CJ Borges discussed the process of bringing all of these artists together.
“I know a bunch of musicians because I've been playing in the scene and booking shows in general,” Borges said. “The fact that all this collaboration [is happening] between different age groups in the community, [including] Davis [Senior] High, the college groups, the adult groups and painters and poets.”
Other featured musical acts range from student groups to more well-developed musicians. Some are even nationally recognized, such as GEO Harpistry, a harpist from San Francisco, who has performed at the Super Bowl and Outside Lands.
“[GEO Harpistry] is probably the top jazz harpist in the country right now,” Natsoulas said. “She's our headliner.”
The festival will also spotlight more local groups of all ages, including a high-school student band from Sacramento.
“The Stolen Pockets are really good,” Borges said. “They play alternative R&B covers like Frank Ocean songs. They're still in high school, and they have a really cool set list.”
Live music and performance have the potential to bring people together. Through the Davis Jazz and Beat Festival, the John Natsoulas Gallery aims to uphold the spontaneous and collaborative spirit of the Beat poets while strengthening the local community.
The festival, which takes place on Oct. 23 and 24, is free to the public. For more information, including the event lineup and times, visit the John Natsoulas Gallery website and follow their Instagram @natsoulasgallery.
Written by: Talar Keshishian — arts@theaggie.org