Poetry and Jazz have been longtime friends. In this video, Dimitri Reyes opens for the Abe Speller Jazz Trio, accompanied by band leader Abe Speller to a sold out crowd at the Croft Farm Arts Center in Cherry Hill, NJ.
Los Bravos Del Sabor is a jibaro quartet based in NJ but all have roots in Puerto Rico. Though they are still gigging musicians, their main purposes these days are being cultural bearers for a musical genre that is over 100 years old. The music of the campo countrysides are the motifs of many popular Latin music today. It was an honor to practice and play with them during Hispanic Heritage Month in partnership with The NJ Hispanic Research and Information Center.
Childhood friends that lost touch and recently connected after growing into their artistry in the city of Newark, New Jersey: Est. 2005~2006. Dancer/filmographer Ray Ruiz, producer Hector Ruiz, and poet/storyteller Dimitri Reyes bring their talents together to recreate a small piece of Summer Avenue, a street in their neighborhood. Community. Love. Learning. Life.
This poem is the cornerstone of Reyes’ book of mythological poetry, Papi Pichón. This was the first poem that explored the concept of the mythological figurehead and was filmed in downtown Newark, just blocks away from where the poem was first penned at the Newark Public Library.
A mini documentary traversing the streets of Newark with poet, Dimitri Reyes. Poems performed were on site of the locations where these works were first inspired & concieved.
Purchase Every First & Fifteenth here.
“This Kind of Love” is a poem in response to domestic violence and speaks against the acceptance of violence and toxicity within relationships. This poem is in the “Bop” form, which was invented by poet Afaa Michael Weaver while attending
Cave Canem in the 1990’s.
“Detox The Ghetto” was a piece created and composed under the auspices of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in partnership with Rutgers- Newark and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. The professional musicians accompanying Dimitri Reyes are Jarrett Walser (drums), Brandon McCune (Organ, Bass, Piano), and Mark Gross (alto sax).
Dimitri Reyes performs a special set at the Lincoln Park Music Festival recorded privately at the Cryout Cave in Newark, New Jersey.
“Comments from a Roadside Altar” was recorded and produced under the supervision of Arts By the People and the Sam Spiegel Film & Television School in Jerusalem.
“We’re Still Wailers” was a piece created and composed under the auspices of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in partnership with Rutgers- Newark and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. The professional musicians accompanying Dimitri Reyes are Jarrett Walser (drums) and Mark Gross (alto sax).
The poems “Mother Botánica” and “Spray Cans Like Bread” were performed as a part of the DreamPlay Sessions performance series by DreamPlay TV, a locally-inspired, cinematic storytelling network, featuring original series, micro-docs, films, and more. Proud to beta launch in Newark, NJ.