MUSIC

New York City-based cellist, vocalist and composer Jody Redhage (www.jodyredhage.com) and her band Fire in July will perform at Boston’s Kaji Aso Studio (www.kajiasostudio.com) on Friday, July 23, 2010, at 8 pm. Admission is $10. Kaji Aso Studio is located at 40 Saint Stephen Street in Boston. Phone is (617) 247-1719. Fire in July is comprised of Jody Redhage, voice & cello; Daisy Press, voice; Alan Ferber, trombone; and Tom Beckham, vibraphone. At this concert, the band will premiere Redhage’s new song cycle "The Spirit of the Garden," using poetry that explores the nexus of spirituality and nature. The lyrics are from poets from all over the world: French, Japanese, American, and Middle Eastern—all different traditions that celebrate gardens as an artistic medium and a source for spiritual reflection and inspiration. Kaji Aso Studio itself has been a large source of inspiration behind the song cycle, as Fire in July performed at the Studio in July 2009 and became familiar with the art institute’s philosophy and worldview. The Studio’s mission statement includes the statements, “The value of nature is stressed as an inspirational and endless source of material,” and “Art does not come from art…art comes from life.” The evening offers audience members a chance to experience nature’s inspiration as expressed through music, poetry, the visual arts (painting and watercolor) and through gardening. Before and after the concert the audience is invited to visit Kaji Aso's own Japanese garden behind the studio and view the paintings and watercolors in the studio’s galleries. Several of the studio’s experts on Haiku will be in attendance and available to discuss their creative processes with the audience.