Ahamefule J. Oluo

Last updated

Ahamefule J. Oluo
Born Denton, Texas, US
Genres Jazz
Occupation(s)Trumpeter, musician, writer, comedian
InstrumentsTrumpet

Ahamefule J. Oluo is an American musician, [1] trumpeter, [2] [3] composer, [2] stand-up comedian, and writer. [4] He was the first artist-in-residence at Town Hall Seattle. [5]

Contents

Career

As a trumpeter, Oluo has performed or recorded with numerous prominent musicians and groups, including Das Racist, John Zorn, Hey Marseilles, Wayne Horvitz, Macklemore, and Julian Priester. [6] He is a member of jazz quartet Industrial Revelation, [7] winner of a 2014 Stranger Genius Award. [8] The other members of Industrial Revelation are D'Vonne Lewis (drums), Evan Flory-Barnes (bass), and Josh Rawlings (keyboards). [9]

In 2012, Oluo was selected as Town Hall Seattle's first-ever artist-in-residence. [10] During his time as the artist-in-residence, he created an experimental autobiographical pop opera, "Now I'm Fine," about the year his father died. [11] The full-length opera (co-written with Lindy West) debuted in December 2014, at On the Boards theater, complete with a 17-piece orchestra, and received positive reviews. [12] Seattle Times critic Misha Berson said Oluo possibly created "a new art form" by combining his own big-band jazz pieces with a blend of standup comedy and memoir. [2] The piece went on to New York City's Public Theater in January 2016 as part of the Under the Radar Festival [7] [13] and was also staged at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland in February 2017. [14] The New York Times reviewed the Public Theater run of "Now I'm Fine," saying that Oluo expanded the format of the "standard, modest, one-man confessional show" to "dizzying proportions" and described the score as "modernist jazz [that] leans toward solemnity, suggesting a New Orleans funeral march." [15]

The film Thin Skin, starring Oluo and based on his off-Broadway play Now, I'm Fine and his This American Life episode "The Wedding Crasher" was scheduled for release in 2020, [16] but apparently that did not happen,[ citation needed ] and the film is being released streaming and for showings in Seattle, Los Angeles, and New York City November 2023. [17] [18] Oluo wrote the film's script with Lindy West and Charles Mudede. [18] Mudede directed; Oluo's sister Ijeoma Oluo appears in the film as herself. [17]

As a comedian, he has collaborated closely with Hari Kondabolu, who described him in 2010 as "my great friend and writing partner." [19]

Personal life

Oluo is biracial; his father is a black immigrant from Nigeria and his mother is a white woman from Kansas. [20]

Oluo married writer Lindy West on July 11, 2015. [21] He and West practice polyamory. [22]

His older sister is writer and activist Ijeoma Oluo. [5]

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References

  1. ↑ Davila, Florangela (December 1, 2014). "New Pop Opera By Oluo of Industrial Revelation Opening in Seattle". KPLU-FM . Archived from the original on July 2, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Berson, Misha (December 6, 2014). "Ahamefule J. Oluo: A true talent emerges at OtB". The Seattle Times . Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  3. ↑ Sillman, Marcie (December 4, 2014). "The Miserable Year That Inspired Ahamefule Oluo's 'Now I'm Fine'". KUOW-FM .
  4. ↑ Oluo, Ahamefule J. (November 24, 2014). "Technically Christmas". City Arts. Archived from the original on November 26, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. 1 2 "Ijeoma and Ahamefule Oluo in Conversation". Town Hall Seattle. June 29, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  6. ↑ Mudede, Charles (August 28, 2013). "Horns of Sorrow". The Stranger . Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  7. 1 2 "Ahamefule J. Oluo: Now I'm Fine". The Public Theater . Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  8. ↑ "The Stranger Genius Awards: The Event". The Stranger . 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  9. ↑ Mudede, Charles (2016). "Industrial Revelation". The Stranger . Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  10. ↑ "TOWN HALL: Our NEW Artist/Scholar-In-Residence!". hosted.verticalresponse.com. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  11. ↑ Sillman, Marcie. "The Miserable Year That Inspired Ahamefule Oluo's 'Now I'm Fine'" . Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  12. ↑ "When The Biggest Success Is Refusing To Ever Quit". UPROXX. November 4, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  13. ↑ Brantley, Ben (January 17, 2016). "Review: 'Now I'm Fine,' Ahamefule J. Oluo's Take on Himself". The New York Times . Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  14. ↑ Schweich, Emily (February 18, 2017). "Review: Ahamefule J. Oluo's 'Now I'm Fine' at The Clarice". DC Metro Theater Arts. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  15. ↑ Brantley, Ben (2016). "Review: 'Now I'm Fine,' Ahamefule J. Oluo's Take on Himself". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Thin Skin". Thin Skin. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  17. 1 2 "Stranger Suggests: Thin Skin, Old Man of the Woods, Seattle Turkish Film Festival, Alva Noë, Gaza Fights for Freedom". The Stranger . Seattle. November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  18. 1 2 "Thin Skin". Thin Skin. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  19. ↑ Kondabolu, Hari (December 13, 2010). "December Shows in the Pacific Northwest". harikondabolu.com. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  20. ↑ Oluo, Ahamefule J. (July 6, 2011). "My Father Is an African Immigrant and My Mother Is a White Girl from Kansas and I Am Not the President of the United States Or, How to Disappoint Your Absent Father in 20 Words or Less". The Stranger .
  21. ↑ West, Lindy (July 21, 2015). "My wedding was perfect – and I was fat as hell the whole time". The Guardian .
  22. ↑ Polyamory Is Not Too Good To Be True: Lindy, Roya, & Aham On The Best Relationship Of Their Lives , retrieved July 3, 2023
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