William Parker Matthew Shipp Reggie Workman Cooper Moore Glenn Spearman David S. Ware Kidd Jordan Jaki Byard Alan Silva Joseph Jarman Joe Morris Joe McPhee Peter Kowald

The Arts For Art produced VISION FESTIVAL XIII was June 10th to 15th, 2008 at NYC's Solo Velez Center. Congratulations to Patricia Nicholson-Parker and Arts for Art for thr Jazz Journalist Association Jazz Award selection as Events Producer of the Year, for the Vision Festival and RUCMA. This year the festival honored Edward "Kidd" Jordan with a full night of performances on Wednesday, June 11th dedicated to the lifetime achievements of this New Orleans jazz legend. The evening included a digital projection of 82 of my photos of Kidd. Please see the Vision Festival web page at www.visionfestival.org for information on continuing events. Vision Festival XII took place June 19 through June 24, 2007, at: the Angel Orensanz Foundation for the Arts in New York City. The festival featured a Lifetime Recognition of Bill Dixon and a Tribute to Leroy Jenkins. An exhibit of my photographs, A Photo Tribute to the Creative Improvised Music Masters, was included among the festival's visual art presentations. The Vision Festival has been the most significant American supporter of "avant-jazz" and a number of the photos were taken at previous festivals. . The 2006 festival honored Sam Rivers. Sam Rivers Studio Rivbea, 1973 Sam Rivers Washington, DC, 1990 In 2005, I exhibited a photo retrospective of the festival at last year's anniversary event. I photographed all but the first festival in 1996. The 2004 9th Vision Festival also included an exhibit of my photos dedicated to jazz bassists. The festival tribute was dedicated to Peter Kowald and Wilber Morris, two bassists who had passed on in 2003. The Festival took place at The Center at St. Patrick's Old Cathedral, May 25 through May 31, 2004. Michael at 2004 photo exhibit The 2003 8th Vision Festival also took place at the Center. It featured approximately 150 artists in 30 different performing groups over the six days of the Festival. The annual Memorial Day tribute concert was dedicated to the music of Jeanne Lee. The 2002 Vision Festival was longer and ran from May 23 to June 8. The Memorial Day concert was a celebration of the music of Don Cherry Tribute, including Dewey Redman, Pyramid Trio (Roy Campbell, William Parker, and Hamid Drake), Jayne Cortez, and Frank Lowe. Other artists on the very impressive 2002 schedule included Joseph Jarman, Milford Graves, Kidd Jordan, Fred Anderson, Billy Bang, Joe Morris, Jemeel Moondoc, Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, Ellen Christi, Matthew Shipp, Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra, Other Dimensions in Music, Oliver Lake, David S. Ware, Patricia Nichoson, Wadada Leo Smith, Karen Borca, Rob Brown, Christine Coppola, Doglas Ewart, Joelle Leandre, Peter Kowald, Daniel Carter, Marty Ehrlich, Sunny Murray, Sonny Simmons, Sabir Mateen, and many many more. Plus dancers, poets, and visual atists; all united in a "A Vision Against Violence". The festival is presented by Arts for Art, an artist initiated, artist run organization dedicated to building awareness and understanding of avant-garde jazz and related expressive movements, the aesthetic of which is based on a disciplined disregard for traditional boundaries. Principal activities are the presentation of cutting edge music and multi-discipline performances, the exhibition of visual arts installations, and the organization of outreach programs. All presentations bring the arts together, not only for the health and creativity of the artforms themselves, but for the audiences as well. The 2000 festival included a photo exhibit on "Avantjazz"- including my work. It was great participating! Click on the image for scehdules and information at the Vision Festival's web site. The Vision Festival has clearly been established as a premier presentation of creative music and art.