With words penned in 1960 by Langston Hughes that still resonate as if written by a lyricist today, amplified by a cast including orchestra, opera, jazz vocals, spoken word, archival audio samples, and video, Ask Your Mama is the single epic, multi-media jazz/symphonic composition that will mark our 30th anniversary MLK Tribute concert. Don’t miss your chance to hear this Grammy® award-winning masterpiece (played live only 3 times in its history) in its full glory!
Explore our digital guide and discover the artists behind the music of this epic work presented for our 30th annual MLK Tribute Concert.
Explore our digital guide and discover the artists behind the music of this epic work presented for our 30th annual MLK Tribute Concert.
COMPOSERS | GUEST ARTISTS | LISTEN | BRIDGE |
LAURA KARPMAN (b.1959)
A native of Los Angeles, Laura Karpman began composing music at seven years old. Her lifelong obsession with jazz began early on as well when at age 11 she started memorizing Ella Fitzgerald’s scat solos. A four-time Emmy winning composer and composer of the Grammy-winning album ASK YOUR MAMA,, Karpman maintains a vibrant career in film, television, videogame and concert music.
Commissioned by Carnegie Hall, Karpman stumbled onto this little-known epic poem called Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods for Jazz by poet laureate of the Harlem Renaissance while going through a bookstore. Collaborating with soprano Jessye Norman and The Roots, Hughes words were brought to life in this multimedia opera which received its sold-out premiere at Carnegie Hall in March 2009, its West Coast premiere at The Hollywood Bowl, was revived at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, and will soon receive its Midwest Premiere by the Chicago Sinfonietta at Symphony Center(!).
A native of Los Angeles, Laura Karpman began composing music at seven years old. Her lifelong obsession with jazz began early on as well when at age 11 she started memorizing Ella Fitzgerald’s scat solos. A four-time Emmy winning composer and composer of the Grammy-winning album ASK YOUR MAMA,, Karpman maintains a vibrant career in film, television, videogame and concert music.
Commissioned by Carnegie Hall, Karpman stumbled onto this little-known epic poem called Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods for Jazz by poet laureate of the Harlem Renaissance while going through a bookstore. Collaborating with soprano Jessye Norman and The Roots, Hughes words were brought to life in this multimedia opera which received its sold-out premiere at Carnegie Hall in March 2009, its West Coast premiere at The Hollywood Bowl, was revived at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, and will soon receive its Midwest Premiere by the Chicago Sinfonietta at Symphony Center(!).
LANGSTON HUGHES (1902-1967)
Known for his insightful and colorful portrayals of black life in America from the twenties through the sixties, Langston Hughes wrote novels, short stories, plays, as well as poetry. Hughes is also known for his engagement with the world of jazz and the influence it had on his writing.
Hughes life and work were enormously important in shaping the artistic contributions of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920's. Hughes refused to differentiate between his personal experience and the common experience of black America. He wanted to tell the stories of his people in ways that reflected their actual culture, including both their suffering and their love of music, laughter, and language itself.
Known for his insightful and colorful portrayals of black life in America from the twenties through the sixties, Langston Hughes wrote novels, short stories, plays, as well as poetry. Hughes is also known for his engagement with the world of jazz and the influence it had on his writing.
Hughes life and work were enormously important in shaping the artistic contributions of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920's. Hughes refused to differentiate between his personal experience and the common experience of black America. He wanted to tell the stories of his people in ways that reflected their actual culture, including both their suffering and their love of music, laughter, and language itself.
"This poem was written in segments beginning at the Newport Jazz Festival. And I suppose that is why, as I wrote most of it, I could hear jazz music behind it. And so when I gave the first reading of some segments of this poem, they were read to jazz. However, the poem may be read with or without music, of course. But for the benefit of those who might like to hear the music that I heard in my mind as I wrote 'Ask Your Mama,' along the margin of the book there are little musical notations."
- Langston Hughes
- Langston Hughes
NNEENNA FREELON
Six-time GRAMMY® Award nominee Nnenna Freelon has earned a well-deserved reputation as a compelling and captivating live performer. Recently, Nnenna triumphed in composer Laura Karpman’s undertaking of Langston Hughes’ “Ask Your Mama” at The Apollo Theater and at an astounding the Hollywood Bowl concert. Throughout her career she has toured with Ray Charles, as well as many other greatest jazz artists including Ellis Marsalis, Al Jarreau, George Benson, and others.
Born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Freelon received her undergraduate degree from Simmons College in Boston. Her parents and singing in the church gave the singer her first exposure to the arts – especially to the art of jazz.
Six-time GRAMMY® Award nominee Nnenna Freelon has earned a well-deserved reputation as a compelling and captivating live performer. Recently, Nnenna triumphed in composer Laura Karpman’s undertaking of Langston Hughes’ “Ask Your Mama” at The Apollo Theater and at an astounding the Hollywood Bowl concert. Throughout her career she has toured with Ray Charles, as well as many other greatest jazz artists including Ellis Marsalis, Al Jarreau, George Benson, and others.
Born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Freelon received her undergraduate degree from Simmons College in Boston. Her parents and singing in the church gave the singer her first exposure to the arts – especially to the art of jazz.
JANAI BRUGGER
The 2016 winner of the Marian Anderson Vocal Award Brugger and identified by Opera News as one of their top 25 “brilliant young artists” (October 2015 issue), Janai Brugger makes several US concert appearances during the season, along with various recital performances. Recent highlights include the role of Pamina Die Zauberflote in which she made her UK debut at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden to great acclaim.
A native of Chicago, Brugger obtained her Master’s degree from the University of Michigan, where she studied with the late Shirley Verrett. She received her Bachelor’s degree from DePaul University where she studied with Elsa Charlston.
The 2016 winner of the Marian Anderson Vocal Award Brugger and identified by Opera News as one of their top 25 “brilliant young artists” (October 2015 issue), Janai Brugger makes several US concert appearances during the season, along with various recital performances. Recent highlights include the role of Pamina Die Zauberflote in which she made her UK debut at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden to great acclaim.
A native of Chicago, Brugger obtained her Master’s degree from the University of Michigan, where she studied with the late Shirley Verrett. She received her Bachelor’s degree from DePaul University where she studied with Elsa Charlston.
DE'ADRE AZIZA
Tony nominated De’Adre Aziza made her Broadway debut in the 2008 production of Passing Strange. Since that time, De’Adre has also appeared in the Broadway musicals Women On The Verge of A Nervous Breakdown, and A Night With Janis Joplin. She has continued her career in theater by working with the prestigious Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and Yale Rep where she is a Beinecke fellow. De'Adre has also made her mark in the world of jazz, having performed with Roy Ayers and Nnenna Freelon.
Tony nominated De’Adre Aziza made her Broadway debut in the 2008 production of Passing Strange. Since that time, De’Adre has also appeared in the Broadway musicals Women On The Verge of A Nervous Breakdown, and A Night With Janis Joplin. She has continued her career in theater by working with the prestigious Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and Yale Rep where she is a Beinecke fellow. De'Adre has also made her mark in the world of jazz, having performed with Roy Ayers and Nnenna Freelon.
KEE STEIN
Kee Stein is a youth poet of Chicago's northwest side, a former competitor in Louder Than A Bomb, and a member of YCA's 2017 Bomb Squad program. Her work is an exploration into the worlds that cradle her: Womynhood, Blackness, Queerness...Kee's bars are instigations aimed to combat surface level thinking- and Donald Trump. She's fierce with a pen, loud with a mic, and unafraid to take up space.
Kee Stein is a youth poet of Chicago's northwest side, a former competitor in Louder Than A Bomb, and a member of YCA's 2017 Bomb Squad program. Her work is an exploration into the worlds that cradle her: Womynhood, Blackness, Queerness...Kee's bars are instigations aimed to combat surface level thinking- and Donald Trump. She's fierce with a pen, loud with a mic, and unafraid to take up space.
PATRICIA FRAZIER
African American Poet, Filmmaker and activist Patricia Frazier was raised in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood. Influenced by the mentors she has growing up such as Fatimah Asghar, Jamila Woods, Regina Berg, and Mama Brenda, her writing aims to highlight the intersections of the multifaceted identities Black women have. Much of her work focuses on exploring environmentalism, sexual fluidity, and black womanism.She was a two-time finalist in Louder Than a Bomb Team finals in 2014 and 2017, and the 2016 Louder Than a Bomb Jordan Slam winner along with Arielle Appleberry. Her work appears in the National Creative Commons 2014 Poetry Anthology, and Women's ENews. She has performed on stages such as the Allstate Arena and Playhouse theatre and appeared on the same stages as Chance the Rapper, Macklemore, and Ciara. Her poem "I am Windy City" is to be featured in Northwestern University Press's forthcoming Book "The End of Chiraq."Frazier is an activist, primarily focused on Black Lives Matter and reproductive freedoms. Her activist lineage includes Assata Shakur, Page May, Bella Bahhs, and Angela Davis. She is a member of the organization Assata's daughters where she volunteers in lower income neighborhoods in Chicago, and works as a youth mentor.This spring she will be completing her senior year at Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep where she is captain of her poetry team and a member of the Student Ambassadors.She will attend Columbia College Chicago in the fall of 2017 to study film and creative writing. You can find out more about her work as an aspiring activist and watch some of her films and more funny videos on her YouTube "The Art Of”.
African American Poet, Filmmaker and activist Patricia Frazier was raised in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood. Influenced by the mentors she has growing up such as Fatimah Asghar, Jamila Woods, Regina Berg, and Mama Brenda, her writing aims to highlight the intersections of the multifaceted identities Black women have. Much of her work focuses on exploring environmentalism, sexual fluidity, and black womanism.She was a two-time finalist in Louder Than a Bomb Team finals in 2014 and 2017, and the 2016 Louder Than a Bomb Jordan Slam winner along with Arielle Appleberry. Her work appears in the National Creative Commons 2014 Poetry Anthology, and Women's ENews. She has performed on stages such as the Allstate Arena and Playhouse theatre and appeared on the same stages as Chance the Rapper, Macklemore, and Ciara. Her poem "I am Windy City" is to be featured in Northwestern University Press's forthcoming Book "The End of Chiraq."Frazier is an activist, primarily focused on Black Lives Matter and reproductive freedoms. Her activist lineage includes Assata Shakur, Page May, Bella Bahhs, and Angela Davis. She is a member of the organization Assata's daughters where she volunteers in lower income neighborhoods in Chicago, and works as a youth mentor.This spring she will be completing her senior year at Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep where she is captain of her poetry team and a member of the Student Ambassadors.She will attend Columbia College Chicago in the fall of 2017 to study film and creative writing. You can find out more about her work as an aspiring activist and watch some of her films and more funny videos on her YouTube "The Art Of”.
Here is a look inside the opening page of Langston Hughes Ask Your Mama with his first notations of his musical direction for the poem, encouraging "spontaneous jazz improvisation'.
"Hesitation Blues" is defined as the leit motif, or reoccruing theme, with "Shave and a Haircut" as a secondary musical figure to follow each "Ask Your Mama"
Say "Shave and a Haircut" aloud and see if you can recognize the tune! Click play to hear if you got it! →
"All of these names, all of this music that Langston Hughes heard in Harlem at the time, the newer immigrants from Latin America and people coming to this country from Africa that were making their music that he was hearing," [...] "All of this is indicated in the margins of the poem. And all of this Laura has been able to bring to this piece."
Jessye Norman
ASK YOUR MAMA was recorded with The San Francisco Ballet Orchestra conducted by George Manahan and released in 2015.
This recording went on to receive three Grammy nominations, winning for BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, CLASSICAL and Producer of the Year, Classical, Judith Sherman (ASK YOUR MAMA)
