MUSIC TALK: Nona Hendryx and Jamila Woods
with Ayana Contreras
May 22, 2022 12:30–2:30 pm
The Roundhouse at the DuSable Museum of African American History
About the Event
Between live performances in Nick Cave and Jack Cave's The Color Is, musicians Nona Hendryx and Jamila Woods sit down for a conversation moderated by author and DJ Ayana Contreras. The trio will reflect on the imprint Hendryx and Labelle's music made on a new generation of Black female vocalists and songwriters and discuss the musical home-away-from-home that Labelle found in Chicago during their touring years. Contreras brings her encyclopedic knowledge of Chicago music history to the discussion, providing context for these personal stories. Accompanied by piano and Contreras spinning vinyl records, Hendryx and Woods will riff on the songs that have shaped their lives and the undying spirit of Black creativity in Chicago.
MCA Music Talks pair powerhouse musicians with prolific artists, activists, writers, and thinkers to take on big ideas in art and culture. These intimate gatherings of performance and conversation reveal their art world anecdotes, shared ideas, and creative inspirations.
This project is organized by Tara Aisha Willis; Curator, Performance and Public Practice; with Laura Paige Kyber, Curatorial Assistant.