Real Art Ways

Founded in 1999 by the late Greg Tate and led by bassist Jared Michael Nickerson, the 14-piece Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber freely juggles a wide swath of the experimental soul-jazz-hip hop spectrum, reflecting the breadth of American music in the 21st century. The group honors its deepest inspirations, the first post-modernists of American music – Duke Ellington, Sun Ra, Parliament Funkadelic and The Art Ensemble of Chicago. Burnt Sugar will perform at Real Art Ways, outdoors. We will engage area musicians on a pre-concert visit 6 weeks prior to have band members work with local musicians, young and old, to expose them to Butch Morris’s conduction system, which is integral to the work. With WWUH and WNPR, we will record and post an interview with band members about the legacy of the iconic cultural critic Greg Tate and the 25 year history of Burnt Sugar. We will videotape the concert and add it to Real Art Ways' archives at the Hartford Public Library.