'Ask Your Mama' features voice, jazz and imagery

The performance features Hughes’ 800-line poem, “Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods for Jazz,” which explores the blacks’ struggle for artistic and social freedom. Hughes, who often recited his works with jazz playing in the background, wrote the poem in 1961 with music accompaniment in mind.

McCurdy and Wright’s presentation, which debuted in 1994 as the first fully orchestrated performance of the poem since Hughes had written it, is described as “a multimedia performance involving spoken word artist, jazz quartet and a slide presentation of images from the Harlem Renaissance. All of these components occur simultaneously.”

Wright reads the 12-part poem while the Ron McCurdy Quartet further sets the tone with jazz music. All the while, photographs and artwork are projected to large screens.

Hughes, who was raised in Lawrence, Kan., and earned a degree from Pennsylvania’s Lincoln University, is closely associated with the Harlem Renaissance, a period of artistic expression that emerged from the New York City community of Harlem during the 1920s.

The Langston Hughes Project is being presented as part of Chadron State’s Galaxy Series of fine arts events. Tickets reserved in advance are $10 for adults, $6 for children and seniors, and free for Chadron State College students and employees. All tickets at the door will be $11.

Tickets may be reserved by calling the Memorial Hall Box Office at (308) 432-6360 from 2-6 p.m. Monday-Friday. During other times, people may leave a message with their phone number on the box office answering machine. Calls will be returned as soon as possible.