Black Science Fiction’s 2024 Juneteenth show is rooted in solidarity as we celebrate the long history of resistance across borders. In the spirit of pan-Africanism, this gathering pays homage to those who lost their lives in the 1976 Soweto Uprising on June 16th in Johannesburg, South Africa. We are equally celebrating the day that enslaved Africans in the U.S. were finally emancipated on June 19th, 1865. This gathering represents a convergence of cultures and all that we've survived to be here today. This Juneteenth offering is carefully curated through the transformative mediums of sound and ritual as we bring together The Brother Moves On and the Isaiah Collier duo. It is our deepest pleasure to intentionally connect with our kin on the African continent facilitating the exchange of both collective and individual narratives. Amandla!

Black Science Fiction attendees get free entry to our Season 9 Closing Party at Gabriela (90 Wythe Ave) after the performance! Just show your wristband at the door and enjoy sets from local djs Bookworms, cry$cross, and Devoye!

‍This performance is made possible with support from Prose.

At Prose, we believe in the power of personalized care, tailored specifically to your unique hair and skin needs, goals, and lifestyle. Say goodbye to generic beauty standards - with Prose, it's all about celebrating the individual.

Our commitment goes beyond just creating custom products. We prioritize making a positive impact on both people and the planet. That's why we proudly support our diverse community members by using our platform to amplify their voices. Our Black employee resource group, BEST @ Prose (Black Excellence Standing Together), creates a nurturing environment where Black identities are honored and celebrated in the workplace.

Collaborating with creatives and entrepreneurs alike we strive to amplify the voices and talents of Black visionaries who are driving positive change in their industries. We are proud to partner with National Sawdust for this Juneteenth concert. Together, we're building a more inclusive and vibrant future, one where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued.

About Black Science Fiction

Black Science Fiction is a Black-led creative experiment dedicated to the preservation of Black imagination. Black Science Fiction is committed to amplifying the voices of Black and brown artists pushing boundaries in film, sound, and performance.

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About The Brother Moves On

The Brother Moves On (TBMO) is a South African performance art ensemble based in Johannesburg, Gauteng. The group was founded somewhere between the years 2008 and 2010 by broad-based artist Nkululeko Mthembu and his brother Siyabonga Mthembu. Beginning as a loose art collective including graphic and performance artists, TBMO is most widely recognised as a band fronted by Siyabonga Mthembu as lead vocalist, with Zelizwe Mthembu on lead guitar, Ayanda Zalekile on bass and Simphiwe Tshabalala on drums. This core group is regularly joined by a shifting cohort of collaborators and members from various disciplines.

The Brother Moves On is known for their multi-disciplinary live shows described as "tradition-trouncing trans-Atlantic Afro-centric futuristically ancient fusion" in which core members and invited performers take on various roles combining story telling, theatre, drawing, video installation and other experimental media. The current ensemble includes Siyabonga Mthembu, Zelizwe Mthembu, Ayanda Zalekile), Simphiwe Tshabalala, Mthunzi Mvubu (alto saxophone), Mohammed Dawjee (tenor saxophone).[ The band also regularly features a variety of musicians from Johannesburg live music scene such as Itai Hakim from poetry duo Children of the Wind, Malcolm Jiyane from the Malcolm Jiyane tree-oh and Solethu Madasa from the Solethu Madasa quintet.

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About Isaiah Collier

Born and raised on Chicago’s Southside, multi-instrumentalist Isaiah Collier has been surrounded by music his entire life.  His father a piano player and mother a vocalist, these were the first instruments that Isaiah learned.  At the age of 11 he followed in his older brothers footsteps and picked up the saxophone, under the guidance of Julian Champion.  Isaiah began performing as a young teenager in small clubs and lounges with his siblings, throughout the city with his parents standing by in support.  In those beginning years he would meet many of his mentors that would help him develop his technique and knowledge of the history of the music, which is a key aspect to not only his sound but his passion for the music he presents. Collier's sound and approach is drawn from the influences of other masters saxophonists such as John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Gene Ammons, as well as two of his mentor Roscoe Mitchell, and, Ari Brown.

Since his teenage years Collier’s musical gift has put him in rare spaces including performances at the White House with the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz.  While part of the Monk Institute, Isaiah would record with the legendary Rudy Van Gelder at his studio with the Peer to Peer Jazz All-Star Quintet in 2016. Isaiah would return to the studio some years later in 2020 to record Cosmic Transitions(2021) with his Quartet, Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few.  This record released through independent label Division 81, would receive a rare 5 star review from Downbeat Magazine.

In 2022 Isaiah would go on the record a critically acclaimed duo project I AM Beyond with Drummer Michael Shekwoaga Ode. This record showcases Collier’s versatile and ablity to connect Free Jazz, with Modal, Funk and world sounds. 

To further showcase is understanding of music as a universal language Collier recorded Parallel Universe(2023) working with LA-based Vocalist Jimetta Rose. The album showcases his skills as a composer and arranger.  Parallel Universe finds Isaiah embracing his Multil-Instrumentalist skillset as he flows effortlessly from Keyboards, Flute, Sax, percussion, and vocals.  

Collier has shared the stage with many musicians both locally and internationally. With Artists such as Chance The Rapper, Lewis Nash, Waddada Leo Smith III, Antonio Hart, Junius Paul, James Carter, Rene Marie, Carl Allen, Paul Rogers, Bennie Maupin, Rudy Van Gelder, Angel Bat Dawid and many more.

In addition to Collier playing at Venues and festivals from notable places such as The Jazz Showcase, Dizzy's Club Coca Cola, Lithuania Jazz Festival, The White House, Chicago Jazz Festival, New York Winter Jazz Festival, The Hyde Park Jazz Festivals, Sons D'hiver Festival(Paris), The Logan Center, Frankfurt Jazz Festival, Berlin Jazz Festival, The Harris Theatre, U.S Embassy(Paraguay) as well as many other venues around the world in recent years. 

Collier is also a former fellow of the prestigious Dave Brubeck Institute Stockton, Ca.

His most well-known work is with his group "Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few". Their most recent project "The Unapologetic Negro" (2019) and their first release "Return of The Black Emperor" (2017). In addition to receiving a Five Star Review from Downbeat Magazine on his new project "Cosmic Transitions", recorded at The Legendary Rudy Van Gelder's Studio 2021), I AM Beyond 2022, Parallel Universe (2023)

At only 25 years old Collier has made many waves in the world of Music and is loaded with many new musical offerings for the years to come.  

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About Imani Dennison

Photo by Esther Faciane

Imani Dennison, she/they, is a multidisciplinary lens based artist and curator based in Brooklyn, NY by way of Louisville, Kentucky. Imani graduated from Howard University where they studied Political Science and Photography. Imani’s work interrogates histories of Black culture in the South and African diaspora, usually centered in folklore, fantasy, and oral histories. Imani is head Curator and Programmer at Black Science Fiction Black Science Fiction is a Black led creative experiment dedicated to the preservation of Black imagination. Imani is a part of the 2022 Tribeca Queen Collective Directing Program where they are in production on their experimental documentary about the impacts of the and erasure dismantlement of Black midwives in the American South.