The Music of Kentifrica

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to sit in on the very beginning of a rehearsal for Made in L.A. artist Kenyatta A. C. Hinkle’s “Kentifrica Is: An Ethnomusicology Performance,” which will be held tonight (June 14) at 7:30 p.m. at the Hammer, and performed once more on August 2 at the Barnsdall Gallery Theater.

I left before the full run through of the performance, since I didn’t want to miss out on the full effect of seeing it tonight, but watching this group set up has made me even more excited to see it. Kentifrica Is draws from Hinkle’s larger ethnographic project, Kentifrica, in which she explores the “creation of a continent where the history of Kentucky and the ancestral heritage of West Africa converge.”

This performance will be by Hinkle and ethnomusicologists studying Kentifrican musical forms; it is presented in collaboration with performer and composer Kevin Robinson as well as instrument maker Eugene Moon. One of the most interesting parts of the rehearsal was catching a glimpse of some of Hinkle’s original instruments, both on stage and in action:

I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a few preliminary costume ideas, as well as hear the instruments in action—and can’t wait to see the show when it comes together.

You can see the entire performance tonight (6/14) at 7:30 pm at the Hammer, or on August 2 at 7:30 pm at the Barnsdall Gallery Theater; admission is free!

–Salonee Bhaman, Communications & Public Engagement Getty Multicultural Intern

Filed under: Behind the Scenes, Events