Cincinnati, OH – April 22, 2019) — The Mobilization of Congo Square, a series of community gatherings and performances spearheaded by Napoleon Maddox and Kimberly Gory, culminate with a performance on May 12 as part of the Underworld Jazz Festival. The Mobilization of Congo Square is a People’s Liberty Project Grant that celebrates the historic significance of Congo Square in New Orleans, Louisiana, right here in Cincinnati, Ohio. Maddox and Gory initiated the Congo Square slogan “beautiful things happen when we get together.”

Maddox says, “When we sing, dance and celebrate our culture together, we are celebrating the inherent resistance in these acts as the enslaved Africans did in the 1800’s and are also underlining the importance of these sacred gatherings in the development of Jazz, Blues, Gospel and all American music.” The Mobilization of Congo Square is a key theme and unifying call for participation in the 2nd Annual Underworld Jazz Festival being held from May 11–25, 2019.

“This series and festival is especially important in these times, as it does not deny history, but acknowledges the challenges we have endured and celebrates both diversity and unity through the complex art of Black music,” says Napoleon Maddox, the Executive Director of the UnderWorld Jazz Festival and Project Grantee of The Mobilization of Congo Square.

The Mobilization of Congo Square community concerts began taking place all across Greater Cincinnati in late 2018 and are held in public spaces both indoors and outdoors, such as parks, schools, community centers & churches. …Congo Square’s performance at the Underworld Jazz Festival will be its biggest yet. The festival itself will feature musical collaborations between artists from Cincinnati, New York, Columbus, New Orleans, Atlanta and France. You can find The Mobilization of Congo Square’s performance throughout the duration of the festival in multiple venues.

About The Mobilization of Congo Square: The Mobilization of Congo Square will be a series of pop-up free jazz concerts in neighborhoods around Cincinnati. These performances will bring an underappreciated aspect of jazz to an underexposed audience, aiming to champion freedom of expression and possibility.

For more information on The Mobilization of Congo Square, please visit https://www.osnronin.com/festival