#makejazznotwar – Make Jazz Not War!

Hot Times 2023!

September 5, 2023September 5, 2023

Michael Vander Does #artmakescbus, #cbusmakesart, #makejazznotwar

Look! We’re back at Hot Times!! This coming Sunday, September 10, @ 12:30 pm. Yes, we’re back playing early Sunday afternoon!! Don’t miss Make Jazz Not War in our only scheduled performance this fall! If you haven’t heard us since we were The JazzPoetry Ensemble, you haven’t heard us. As Make Jazz Not War!, Roger...

Kidd Jordan memories

April 23, 2023April 23, 2023

Michael Vander Does #artmakescbus, #cbusmakesart, #makejazznotwar

Starting in 2012, Kidd Jordan came to Columbus to play with us every year through 2017. In 2014, he also played Columbus with the French American Peace Ensemble. In all, Kidd played more than two dozen shows in Columbus at Dick’s Den, Natalie’s, Copious Notes, Transit Arts, K2U, Shadowbox, and the Hot Times Festival. Not...

We’re Back On the Block!

January 22, 2023January 22, 2023

Michael Vander Does #artmakescbus, #cbusmakesart, #makejazznotwar

Our website is back! Technical issues, health, etc. conspired to make us miss important events and our holiday sale. The sale will now be a New Year’s sale. We changed our name, but we still have a fair amount of JazzPoetry Ensemble branded merchandise. We need to sell it so we can get new Make...

Being a Citizen Artist doesn’t get you a lot of gigs

May 28, 2022June 3, 2022

Michael Vander Does #artmakescbus, #cbusmakesart, #makejazznotwar

Make Jazz Not War! @ Comfest 2022 Saturday, June 25, 8:00 pm Goodale Street Stage Being a Citizen Artist doesn’t get you a lot of gigs. I can name most of them from Poets Against War to “Debbie Does Armageddon” at a ‘90s Hiroshima/Nagasaki memorial. In the last few years, being a Citizen Artist actually became a hindrance to getting gigs. Again. A lot of places stopped calling back. I understood. We didn’t stop. And now we’ve landed a great spot at Comfest! Our best festival spot ever! Saturday night @ 8:00. Now I’m not saying Citizen Artist content got us......

Greg Ward: We all do it for the love of doing it.

April 13, 2022April 13, 2022

Michael Vander Does #bootsie, #freakystyley, #kiddjordan, #makejazznotwar, #pfunk

Greg sent me this first draft for a post here on our Citizen Artist Notes & News page: I grew up on Motown, The Beatles, rock ‘n roll - then more esoteric rock, RnB, pop, And, then… the funk. Recorded, mixed and hung with several of my heroes along the way. Some truly surreal experiences. Lots of hard work and hard partying. I thrived – and survived. I thought I knew a bit about jazz – had a comfort level with the improv and the stretched envelopes. But, I had no idea. This was a different animal for me. The......