Melvin Gibbs, Ben Lamar-Gay, Warren Trae Crudup, Leslie Parker, et Paul Wilson Bae

The first event in bassist, composer and writer Melvin Gibbs’ multi-part residency with FourOneOne, Geechee Reclamation uses music and dance to affirm the Gullah-Geechee people’s indelible contribution to American culture and music, which goes way beyond a “folkloric footnote.” Using electronics, archival recordings and an exceptional group of performers—dancer/choreographer Leslie Parker, multi-instrumentalist Ben LaMar Gay along with keyboardist Paul Wilson Bae, drummer Warren “Trae” Crudup III, and Gibbs on electric bass and electronics—Geechee Reclamation brings together the often overlooked origins of George Gershwin’s famous “folk opera” with Gibbs’ own family history.