Ben Tyree

Harlem will host the inaugural Gregory “Ionman” Tate Day, a celebration of the visionary writer, bandleader, and cultural theorist whose work reshaped Black music and thought. The day features a major new public artwork by acclaimed artist Brett Cook as well as live performances and conductions from Melvin Gibbs for Honk NYC!, Vernon Reid and Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber (BSAC), the ensemble Tate founded. Public Art Unveiling & Performances Date: Sunday, October 19, 2025 Location: St. Nicholas Park The unveiling of Brett Cook’s Greg Tate Horus in Harlem (St. Nicholas Ave. between 133rd & 134th Street) A two-set BSAC performance on the James Baldwin Lawn (St. Nicholas Ave. & 135th Street) Time: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM ———St. Nicholas Avenue btw 133rd St./134th St. 12:00 PM — Melvin Gibbs with Black Fire Percussion & BSAC Horns –performance part of HONK! The Vote 2025: A Mobile Pop-Up Processional 12:30 PM — Brett Cook’s Greg Tate Horus unveiling; and a 23rd Century Great Day in Harlem Photo Shoot At James Baldwin Lawn ( St. Nicholas Avenue & 135th St.) 1:10 PM — Flyboy in the Buttermilk Conductions w LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs/Carl Hancock Rux/Felicia Cade/Paul r. Harding, Sharriff Simmons & BSAC 3:00 PM — BSAC Brett Cook/Greg Tate Horus Improv conducted by Vernon ReidHighlights Include: Brett Cook’s Greg Tate Horus in Harlem A new public artwork commissioned through NYC Parks’ Art in the Parks program, inspired by Cook’s original drawing, debuts this November in The Studio Museum in Harlem’s Artist-in-Residence Alumni Installation (Cook, 97-’98 cohort). This marks Cook’s first public art installation in New York in more than two decades and honors Tate’s enduring influence on culture, art, and community. Melvin Gibb Performance Featuring Melvin Gibbs with Black Fire Percussion and the BSAC Horns. Presented in partnership with Honk! the Vote 2025, the afternoon features mobile and processional performances. BSAC Horus in Harlem Conduction #1 LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs, Carl Hancock Rux, Felicia Cade, Sharriff Simmons, and Paul r. Harding will recite and reimagine text from Tate’s Flyboy in the Buttermilk Volumes One & Two while immersed in off-the-top-of-the-dome conductions created by BSAC. BSAC Horus in Harlem Conduction #2 A one-time supersonic experience as legendary guitarist Vernon Reid conducts BSAC. Burn Sugar The Arkestra Chamber (BSAC) ~ Greg Tate Horus Edition Featuring: Vernon Reid – Conduction Mikel Mwalimu-Banks – Vocals/Conduction/Freek-a-Phone Bruce Mack – Vocals/Conduction/Synth/Keyboards Lewis Flip Barnes – Trumpet Avram Fefer – Alto Sax V. Jeffrey Smith – Tenor Sax “Moist” Paula Henderson – Bari Sax Dave “Smoota” Smith – Trombone Ben Tyree – Electric Guitar Thom Loubet – Electric Guitar Shawn Banks – Congas/Percussion Maximina Juson – Electric Bass LaFrae Sci – Trap Drums/Electronics Jared Michael Nickerson – Electric Bubble Bass Quote from Brett “Greg Tate Day is a celebration, catalyzed by Harlem public art iconography from the past, to honor one of Harlem’s finest residents in the present, to magnify Harlem’s cultural echo into the future. As Greg was an ever-expanding expression of syntax, syncopation, and synthesis, celebrating him as one of America’s cultural luminaries reminds us of his legacy, and of boundless belonging for ourselves.” Quote from Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber “As always, Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber (BSAC) gives tribute to our founder Gregory Stephen ‘Ionman’ Tate (1957-2021) for creating what “GT” fondly dubbed “a territory band, a neo-tribal thang, a community hang, a society music guild aspiring to the condition of all that is molten, glacial, racial, spatial, oceanic, mythic, antiphonal and telepathic.” In 2025, BSAC celebrates twenty-six years of “never playing anything the same way once.” Quote from Black Rock Coalition “The reason the BRC is still able to stand as a grassroots organization 40 years later is because of the roots Greg helped set for us in 1985–shortly after he’d moved to Harlem. Greg gave us so much, and we’re extremely grateful that Brett is making space for Greg to keep looking out for us in the neighborhood he loved.” LaRonda Davis, President, Black Rock Coalition Quote from Civics Is Sexy “Greg Tate shaped how we think about Black culture, art, and music. Greg Tate Day is both a celebration and a homecoming—a way to honor his brilliance with the community he inspired,” said Freedome Bradley-Ballentine, Chief of Strategy and Impact, Civics Is Sexy, and one of the event’s organizers. “Tate spoke about how art can change society, and artists as civic provocateurs. I know Greg is with us and pulling the strings from parts unknown, and it’s a great honor to be a part of this inaugural event.” Greg Tate Day is supported by Brett Cook, Civics Is Sexy, Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber, The Black Rock Coalition, and NYC Department of Parks & Recreation. ABOUT Brett Cook is a renowned interdisciplinary artist, educator, and cultural strategist who uses large-scale mixed media installations to tell stories of community, transformation, and inner and outer belonging. His work is deeply rooted in four decades of experience as a teacher across various age groups and disciplines, as well as a lifelong mindfulness practitioner. He uses an original inquiry-based approach to design art that embodies the complexity of loving communities. His public projects typically involve community workshops featuring liberation pedagogy and contemplative strategies along with music, performance, and food to create spaces that exist at the intersection of art making, daily life, and healing. In recognition of a history of socially relevant, community-engaged projects, he was selected as cultural ambassador to Nigeria as part of the US Department of State’s smARTpower Initiative. He has received numerous awards, including a United States Artists/Rainin Fellowship, the Lehman Brady Professorship at Duke and the University of North Carolina, and the Richard C Diebenkorn Fellowship at the San Francisco Art Institute. His work is in numerous collections, including the Smithsonian/National Portrait Gallery, the Walker Art Center, and the Studio Museum of Harlem. He is trustee emeritus of A Blade of Grass, an arts nonprofit dedicated to social engagement, and was ordained into the Order of Interbeing in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, a global spiritual leader, peace activist, and founder of the Engaged Buddhism movement. Maximina Juson is an award-winning filmmaker, musician, and creative producer whose work bridges art, politics, and culture. The founder of HUMovies and Civics Is Sexy, Juson creates film and media experiences that make civic engagement feel as vital and dynamic as the music that drives her. Her PBS/Independent Lens documentary One Person, One Vote? examined the origins of the Electoral College and premiered to critical acclaim, earning coverage from The Daily Show, Forbes, and Deadline. A lifelong musician and bassist, Juson has performed with artists such as Caron Wheeler, Natalie Merchant, Kelis, and Saul Williams. She appears on BSAC’s debut release Blood on the Leaf—which features Greg Tate’s compositions from his pre-BSAC group Moomtez—as well as That Depends on What You Know, Vol. 1. She brings that same rhythm, resistance, and improvisational spirit to her cinematic storytelling. Through projects like A Raw Love Story and The People’s Party: A Festival for Art + Action, she continues to fuse sound and story as tools of cultural power, creating work that invites participation and collective reflection. Civics Is Sexy is a cultural movement and multimedia initiative reimagining civic engagement through the power of art, storytelling, and community. Founded by filmmaker and creative strategist Maximina Juson, the project fuses pop culture with civic education to make democracy accessible, engaging, and relevant to a new generation. Through immersive experiences, short films, social media campaigns, and live events like The People’s Party: A Festival for Art + Action, Civics Is Sexy builds collective civic power by transforming how people learn, connect, and participate in public life. With its mix of creativity, humor, and heart, Civics Is Sexy invites everyone—from students to seasoned voters—to “level up their civic chops” and rediscover democracy as something not only necessary, but exciting and possible.