Wed 11/8 @ 7:30PM
Cleveland native Keith LaMar is a poet, writer and activist. He’s also a resident of Ohio State Penitentiary’s death row for a crime he says he did not commit.
In 2022 he released his debut album Freedom First, produced by Catalan pianist Albert Marquès, and he’s “toured” the U.S., Europe, and Chile performing it — without leaving his cell. The performances feature international jazz musicians providing the music while LaMar recites his poetry live via phone and video.
John Coltrane saved my life,” says LaMar. “Had it not been for A Love Supreme, I’m sure I would have lost myself. I listened to it every day, and it rewired something in me, changed the circuitry of my brain and opened me up in a way that allowed me to view things (most especially myself) through a broader lens. I needed that, to free my mind, in order to keep living and breathing.”
LaMar and friends will be performing at the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Gartner Auditorium. They include Marquès, along with three of the local jazz scene’s younger stars: drummer Zaire Darden, bassist Jordan McBride and alto sax player Chris Coles. Profits from the concert will go to the nonprofit group Justice for Keith LaMar, which is dedicated to repairing the damage from wrongful convictions.
Get tickets here.