There’s a heartstopping moment in “for sonia,” Aja Monet’s ruminative elegy for the revolutionary poet Sonia Sanchez, when she recalls uttering the word “poetry” at a community organizing meeting, only to be met with flustered refusal. “Who’s got time for poems when the world’s on fire?” she asks, either quoting a naysayer or posing the question to herself. The answer, of course, lies in the poems themselves — especially as Monet embodies and delivers them in partnership with a corps of intuitive improvisers. We sat down with her in New York the morning after her 2025 Winter Jazzfest performance, to talk about poetic practice, political necessity, musical imperatives — and the fires that were literally consuming her adopted city of Los Angeles. Don’t miss some deep truths from one of our most committed truth-tellers.

For Further Reference:


NPR: Words, sounds and the art of listening with Aja Monet


NPR: Aja Monet: Tiny Desk Concert


NYT: Aja Monet, a Musical Poet of Love

There&rsquo;s a heartstopping moment in &ldquo;for sonia,&rdquo; Aja Monet&rsquo;s ruminative elegy for the revolutionary poet Sonia Sanchez, when she recalls uttering the word &ldquo;poetry&rdquo; at a community organizing meeting, only to be met with flustered refusal. &ldquo;Who&rsquo;s got time for poems when the world&rsquo;s on fire?&rdquo; she asks, either quoting a naysayer or posing the question to herself. The answer, of course, lies in the poems themselves &mdash; especially as Monet embodies and delivers them in partnership with a corps of intuitive improvisers. We sat down with her in New York the morning after her 2025 Winter Jazzfest performance, to talk about poetic practice, political necessity, musical imperatives &mdash; and the fires that were literally consuming her adopted city of Los Angeles. Don&rsquo;t miss some deep truths from one of our most committed truth-tellers.
For Further Reference:
<ul>
<li>
NPR: <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/09/26/nx-s1-5119760/aja-monet-lara-downes">Words, sounds and the art of listening with Aja Monet</a>
</li>
<li>
NPR: <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/12/01/1215359803/aja-monet-tiny-desk-concert">Aja Monet: Tiny Desk Concert</a>
</li>
<li>
NYT: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/08/arts/music/aja-monet-when-the-poems-do-what-they-do.html">Aja Monet, a Musical Poet of Love</a>
</li>
</ul>

WRTI and JazzDanmark present DANGEROUS SOUNDS--a podcast series in 8 episodes taking listeners on a historical journey of jazz in Denmark.  Starting back in the early 1920s when jazz first arrived on its shores from America, leading up to the time in the ‘50s and ‘60s when the small state of Denmark became a world center for jazz, the series explores the impact that shaped society and the music we listen to today.

WRTI and JazzDanmark present DANGEROUS SOUNDS--a podcast series in 8 episodes taking listeners on a historical journey of jazz in Denmark.&nbsp; Starting back in the early 1920s when jazz first arrived on its shores from America, leading up to the time in the &lsquo;50s and &lsquo;60s when the small state of Denmark became a world center for jazz, the series explores the impact that shaped society and the music we listen to today.

DANGEROUS SOUNDS: Danish Jazz in 8 Stories

DANGEROUS SOUNDS is a podcast series in 8 episodes taking listeners on a historical journey of jazz in Denmark—starting back in the early 1920s when jazz first arrived on its shores from America, and banjos and saxophones were a threat to the bourgeoisie, leading up to the time in the ‘50s and ‘60s when the small state of Denmark became a world center for jazz. The series explores how jazz has impacted and shaped society and the music we listen to today.

DANGEROUS SOUNDS is a podcast series in 8 episodes taking listeners on a historical journey of jazz in Denmark&mdash;starting back in the early 1920s when jazz first arrived on its shores from America, and banjos and saxophones were a threat to the bourgeoisie, leading up to the time in the &lsquo;50s and &lsquo;60s when the small state of Denmark became a world center for jazz. The series explores how jazz has impacted and shaped society and the music we listen to today.

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