Ortet performs “Indiana is a Beautiful Place to Cry Into”
Renowned poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who died in February 2021 at age 101, gave one reading in Indiana, in 2000. He wrote a poem in his hotel room he delivered at the reading: “Don’t Cry for Me Indiana,” a statement on consumerism and monoculture. Poet Tony Brewer was in the audience 21 years ago and that night wrote a reimagining of Ferlinghetti’s visit to the Hoosier state: “Indiana Cries for You Every God Damn Night, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Don’t You Forget It.” Urban Deer will perform live accompaniment for the braiding of these poems. The title is inspired by one of Ferlinghetti’s best-known works: “The world is a beautiful place.”
Ortet is Marty Belcher (saxophones, Line 6), Tony Brewer (foley, vox), Joan Hawkins (vox), Norbert Herber (electroinics), Chris Rall (turntables, piano), Joe MF Stone (drums). The group combines ambient field recordings and spoken word samples with an improvisational musical sound bed, exploring the edges of music, culture, and location. Their album Paris Suite (2017) by Marty Belcher was composed around decontextualized audio recorded at various locations in Paris.