Jomama Jones to Present Work-in-Progress BLACK LIGHT at Joe's Pub for Under the Radar

As part of New York Voices, Joe's Pub at The Public presents Jomama Jones's Black Light, a work-in-progress created by Daniel Alexander Jones, featuring songs co-composed with longtime collaborator Bobby Halvorson and musical direction by pianist Samora Pinderhughes.

Jones performs the show as his alter ego, Jomama Jones, with additional vocals by Helga Davis and Jonathan Gonzalez, plus special guests. This presentation is presented as part of The Public Theater's Under the Radar Festival in Under the Radar + Joe's Pub: In Concert, a collaborative series re-engineering the intersection of music and theater.

Performances of Black Light will run January 3, 5 and 8 at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater (425 Lafayette, NYC). The series also includes performances by the band PWR BTTM (January 7 & 12) and two new shows from Champagne Jerry featuring Neal Medlyn and Erin Markey, respectively: In the Champagne Room (January 8) and Erin Markey: Boner Killer (January 4, 6 & 10).

Tickets for all Under the Radar + Joe's Pub: In Concert performances and APAP showcases (see full slate below) are available now online, via phone (212.967.7555) or in-person at The Public's Box Taub Office.

Described by Backstage Magazine as "a theatrical original", Jomama Jones uses her distinct blend of song, story, humor and conversation to create intimate and charged evenings. Black Light, which features all original songs, many from Jomama's forthcoming double album Flowering (January 1, 2017), explores the hopes and fears, the signs and signifiers found in the darkest parts of night as we all move toward an uncertain dawn. Fresh on the heels of the critically acclaimed show Duat, at Soho Rep, which The New York Times called "a sui generis performance piece," Jomama speaks to the moment we are in and asks us all to look to the future, together.

On Jones, Shanta Thake, Director of Joe's Pub, said, "We are seeing an artist at the height of his career creating new work with a vibrancy of material and urgency of purpose. Daniel, channeling Jomama, is an artist who cuts to the core in ways that are both transformational and transcendent."

Also in January, Joe's Pub again takes part in the annual Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) conference by presenting a slate of showcases over five days (January 6-10), featuring artists like Joan Osborne, Martin Sexton, Pedrito Martinez, The Steel Wheels and more.

APAP programming includes:

Thursday, January 5:

9:30PM - Justin VivIan Bond Shows Up / UTR After-Party - Tickets on sale December 27

Friday, January 6:

7:30PM - Time for Three

9:30PM - Joan Osborne: The Songs of Bob Dylan

Saturday, January 7:

7:00PM - Martin Sexton

9:30PM - Pedrito Martinez Group

Monday, January 9:

7:00PM - The Steel Wheels / Parsonsfield

9:30PM - Quetzal / Betty Bonifassi / Maarja Nuut

Tuesday, January 10:

6:30PM - French Quarter: Jazz in NYC, featuring Raphaël Imbert, Lou Tavano & Imany

Daniel Alexander Jones makes live art. He has dissolved boundaries and explored radical presence for over 20 years through his dynamic, interdisciplinary practice. His body of work is unified by its consistent regard for human complexity, its commitment to kindness and generosity at its core, and by its faith in the power of live art to foster empathic communication. Jones's work is best described as Afromysticism. A significant contributor to the development of the Theatrical Jazz Aesthetic, Jones employs collaboration, risk and spontaneity in the crafting and presentation of his work.

Jones is known for his alter ego, Jomama Jones, a legendary performer, who made her triumphant comeback to recording and the stage in 2010, after having left the USA in the mid-1980s for personal and political reasons. She lives between Switzerland and NYC and LA and raises goats. Jomama was created in collaboration with Bobby Halvorson, is known for the hit show Radiate, which premiered at Soho Rep and has played nationwide. The most recent Jomama Jones show, Duat, ran at Soho Rep in 2016 - to rave reviews. Jones was named a recipient of the Doris Duke Artist Award in 2015, received the Alpert Award in the Arts, and was an inaugural Creative Capital Artist.

Black Light is part of New York Voices, the artist commissioning program of Joe's Pub at The Public, made possible, in part, by generous funding by the National Endowment for the Arts.

New York Voices is the artist commissioning program of Joe's Pub at The Public. As part of The Public's long history of cultivating the country's most celebrated artists, the program supports the creation of new works by critically-acclaimed musicians and performers. Encouraging artists to explore their own storytelling, narratives and songwriting, New York Voices includes a development workshop with The Public's artistic staff as well as practical resources like rehearsal space, time and financial backing. Each commission culminates with a run of live shows on the Joe's Pub stage. New York Voices has experienced great success in helping artists connect with their contemporaries and reach wider audiences - many of the program's works have gone on to tour nationally and internationally. Commissioned artists include Abigail Washburn, Bridget Everett, Noche Flamenca, Toshi Reagon, Lady Rizo, Allen Toussaint, Angelique Kidjo, Dawn Landes, Martha Redbone, Justin VivIan Bond, Kenny Mellman and Ethan Lipton. Everett's Rock Bottom and Lipton's No Place To Go both won Obie Awards.

For tickets, go online at joespub.com, call 10AM-7:00PM daily at 212-967-7555, or visit in person at The Public Theater Box Office, 425 Lafayette Street, NYC (Opens daily at 2PM). There is a $12 food / two (2) drink minimum per person per show, unless otherwise noted.

Named for Public Theater founder Joe Papp, Joe's Pub at The Public opened in 1998 and plays a vital role in The Public's mission of supporting young artists while providing established artists with an intimate space to perform and develop new work. Joe's Pub presents the best in live music and performance nightly, continuing its commitment to diversity, production values, community and artistic freedom. The organization also offers unique opportunities like New York Voices, an artist commissioning program that provides musicians the resources and tools needed to develop original theater works. Commissioned artists have included Ethan Lipton, Toshi Reagon, Bridget Everett, Allen Toussaint and more. In 2011, the Pub received a top-to-bottom renovation, leading to improved sightlines, expanded seating capacity and a new menu from acclaimed Chef Andrew Carmellini. With its intimate atmosphere and superior acoustics, Joe's Pub presents talent from all over the world as part of The Public's programming downtown at its Astor Place home, hosting approximately 800 shows and serving over 100,000 audience members annually.

The Public Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham, is the only theater in New York that produces Shakespeare, the classics, musicals, contemporary and experimental pieces in equal measure. Celebrating his 10th anniversary season at The Public, Eustis has created new community-based initiatives designed to engage audiences like Public Lab, Public Studio, Public Forum, Public Works, and a remount of the Mobile Unit. The Public continues the work of its visionary founder, Joe Papp, by acting as an advocate for the theater as an essential cultural force, and leading and framing dialogue on some of the most important issues of our day. Creating theater for one of the largest and most diverse audience bases in New York City for nearly 60 years, today the Company engages audiences in a variety of venues-including its landmark downtown home at Astor Place, which houses five theaters and Joe's Pub; the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, home to free Shakespeare in the Park; and the Mobile Unit, which tours Shakespearean productions for underserved audiences throughout New York City's five boroughs. The Public's wide range of programming includes free Shakespeare in the Park, the bedrock of the Company's dedication to making theater accessible to all; Public Works, an expanding initiative that is designed to cultivate new connections and new models of engagement with artists, audiences and the community each year; and audience and artist development initiatives that range from Emerging Writers Group to the Public Forum series. The Public is located on property owned by the City of New York and receives annual support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; and in October 2012, the landmark building downtown at Astor Place was revitalized to physically manifest the Company's core mission of sparking new dialogues and increasing accessibility for artists and audiences, by dramatically opening up the building to the street and community, and transforming the lobby into a public piazza for artists, students, and audiences. The Public is currently represented on Broadway by the Tony Award-winning acclaimed American musical Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and in Spring 2017, Lynn Nottage's acclaimed new play Sweat.. The Public has received 59 Tony Awards, 168 Obie Awards, 53 Drama Desk Awards, 54 Lortel Awards, 32 Outer Critics Circle Awards, 13 New York Drama Critics Awards, and five Pulitzer Prizes.

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