Welcome to PoemAlley, Stamford, Connecticut's eclectic venue for poets, poetry reading and discussion! Open to anyone living in Fairfield County and the surrounding area, we meet Tuesday nights at 7:30 pm at Curley's Diner on 62 Park Place (behind Target) . Come contribute, get something to eat, or simply listen!
This evening PoemAlley will celebrate the lives and memories
of Stamford resident Ella (Daisy) “Diva” Evans and Eddie Wright in front of Curley’s
Diner. Close friends and fellow participants at Tuesdays at Curley’s, Diva died
on July 13, mere weeks after Eddie, who had been struggling with lung cancer.
Eddie Wright
They were devoted members of Mt. Nebo Full Gospel Church in
Bridgeport, as well as of a congregation in Norwalk, where Eddie lived. We are
honored they found in the PA community an outlet for their experiences,
observations and convictions, expressed through a range of pieces by turns picaresque, nurturing and profound.
In particular, Eddie’s output took the form of ongoing
personal conversations with God, related in the form of a series of journal
entries, which he shared with PoemAlley almost every week (even through his
health crisis), captivating both for their sly humor and inclusive, meditative
appeal (not surprisingly, Eddie, who passed on June 13, had also presented
sermons in church on occasion).
This special memorial gathering will begin in Columbus Park
at 7:30 pm and include the singing of “Amazing Grace”:
Tomorrow’s “A Day of Contemporary Music” at the DoubleTree Hotel
in Norwalk will feature Debbie Hawkins, Rachel Carruthers, Steve DeTroy and nearly 20 other jazz performers over the course of six hours of live music, beginning at noon. Organized by musician and enthusiastic PoemAlley member Neddy Smith, this festival is held in
support of the local food bank (be sure to bring a non-perishable item along
with a suggested donation of $15).
Born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, Neddy grew up immersed in the
music of Motown, James Brown, Aretha Franklin and the Montego Bay Boys & Girls Club, among many other influences.
Falling deeply in love with Funk, Jazz and Latin grooves, as well as regional Jamaican
music, Neddy began working professionally in the 1970s with numerous acts prior
to heading The Banana Boat Club with
singing sensations Alvin J. Brown and Sweeney Williams and went on to study
with acclaimed pianist and Julliard graduate, the late Cecil Lloyd, to whom Neddy
credits advancing his education in Jazz--especially in regard to musical theory,
arrangement and composition.
Neddy Smith jamming with friends
Subsequent tutelage under renowned guitarist Ernest
Ranglin ingrained in Neddy the value of stretching bass performance to its creative
limits at a young age—an infectiously creative ethos he has translated into all
his later endeavors, spanning music instruction, live programming and broadcast
graphics, as well as the original songs compiled in 2008's Turnaround. The pulsing reggae/rock foundation of “Walking Talking (with my friends on the street)” makes the song a particular highlight of the album. Here’s the original unreleased 1987 video version, performed
by Neddy with his band Transwave...
... and below, a clip from Steve DeTroy (performing with his band), one of the 17 artists contributing their musical passion to the charity event:
Find out about Neddy’s new album in the works, Bursting Out, along with his other activities and services, at NedGJean International. When:
