Ask Your Mama!

On March 16th the Langston Hughes 12 part poem comes to life at Carnegie Hall. Hughes published his 12 part poem, “Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods for Jazz,” in 1960 after returning from the Newport Jazz Festival. It is believed that this festival had a major influence on Hughes in that he included instructions for an accompanying band in the margins of his 12 part poem. With themes concentrated on the Civil Rights Movement, the Harlem renaissance and the roles of Black musicians in Jazz this peicec of work is truly a remarkable multimedia experience.

Internationally renowned opera singer Jessye Norman and hip-hop band the Roots contribute to an interpretation of the poems by Emmy Award-winning composer Laura Karpman. Thanks to the Langton Hughes’ estate, you can read the text of the 12 poems on WNYC.org

Clicking on the above highlighted links will take you to the Carnegie Hall website and the NPR site to read Hughes poems!