In collaboration with the Unbound Book Festival, Dismal Niche, an artist-operated programming organization in Columbia, hosted a free-jazz trio performance on Saturday, April 19.

The jazz trio consisted of renowned poet K. Curtis Lyle, double bassist Damon Smith and violinist Alex Cunningham. The group performed two sets, “The Collected Poem for Blind Lemon Jefferson” and “Koto Blue Blood,” both sets of poems written by Lyle.

The term “free jazz” refers to an improvised, experimental type of jazz, associated with the absence of set chord and time patterns. This was a definition I was not aware of, but quickly grew familiar with as the show progressed.

Lyle began the first set with a poem he read without any jazz accompaniment. He dedicated this piece to an old friend from his hometown of Los Angeles, who recently passed away. In the silent room, the emotion in Lyle’s voice was apparent, resonating in the heads of his listeners. Lyle’s line delivery held so much power over his audience, that I found myself hanging on to his last words before a pause, waiting for the next line. He knew exactly when to raise his voice to a shout that echoed around the space, soften it to a quiet whisper or sing a line or two when he felt necessary.

When Smith and Cunningham joined Lyle, they became enraptured with their instruments, exploring the different sounds they could create.

Smith retrieved all kinds of mediums from a side table to use, some of the most notable were a necklace of soda caps, a yellow chain and a drumstick. Smith used these pieces to create unusual sounds on his bass, ranging from simply draping the soda caps over the bridge to threading two bows through the strings and hitting them. My personal favorite motion was when he began grounding his bow into the bass to create a creaking, breaking sound, although I did get nervous that the instrument would splinter.

Cunningham stuck to slightly more traditional mediums in his violin, switching between arco (playing with the bow) and pizzicato (plucking the strings). However, he did incorporate a paper towel into his music, either by simply rubbing it over the strings, or playing his bow over the paper towel over the strings.

While this performance was not what I had in mind when I walked into the poetry reading, I walked out with a newfound understanding of the broad scope of art. It was a reminder that stepping outside of your standard definition of art is worthwhile and essential to understanding its full range and effect.

Edited by Alyssa Royston | aroyston@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater.com
Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com