16TH Annual Lowell

Celebrates KEROUAC! Festival

Contact: Lawrence Carradini, Pres.

day - (617) 983-6468

eve - (978) 970-0755

A native of Lowell, Massachusetts, Jack Kerouac remains one of America's most influential and inspirational writers. On the Road, published in 1957, brought him immediate fame. He was proclaimed the Voice of the Beat Generation. The book remains a symbol of American restlessness, and the promise of the open road, but Kerouac's personal journey was a serious pursuit of an aesthetic life equal to his mystical visions of America's people and places as represented in this year's festival theme.

The 16th Annual Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! (LCK!) Festival; Kerouac and Nature, is produced and presented by Lowell Celebrates Kerouac!, Inc., currently chaired by Lawrence Carradini. Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! is a community-based non-profit organization, working with other cultural and community organizations centered or having a presence in Lowell.

This year's festival, October 2-5, features Kerouac oriented tours, open mics, a high school poetry competition, and the many special presentations that keep the LCK! Festival the premiere literary festival of its type celebrating the life and work of Jack Kerouac.

The 2003 Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! Festival welcomes back David Amram. Jack Kerouac's friend and original musical collaborator, David Amram, has been described by The Boston Globe as "the Renaissance man of American music."

His compositions include 100 orchestral/chamber works, including Giants of the Night,a flute concerto recently premiered by James Galway,inspired by Charlie Parker, Jack Kerouac, and Dizzy Gillespie. A long time friend of Lowell Celebrates Kerouac!, Amram plays French horn, piano, guitar, flutes and whistles, percussion, and folkloric instruments from 25 countries. Mr. Amram is the author of Offbeat: Collaborating With Kerouac (Thunder1s Mouth Press, 2002) and his autobiography, Vibrations, which was recently reissued in paperback by Thunder1s Mouth Press.

A major part of this year1s activities includes a free production of Joyce Johnson1s play based on her book of the same name, Door Wide Open, starring John Ventimiglia of The Soprano's, as Jack Kerouac. The production produced by actor Rip Torn, is directed by his son, Tony Torn. The play also features Amy Wright and Adira Amram as Joyce Johnson. The musical score was written and will be performed by David Amram.

The biennial Jack Kerouac Conference on Beat Literature chaired by Professor Hilary Holladay of U. Mass. Lowell (UML), this year coincides with the Annual Lowell Celebrates Kerouac Festival. The two organizations are cosponsoring several events. The first being the first of two showings of the Beat classic, Pull My Daisy, narrated by Jack Kerouac and featuring a score written by David Amram, who will comment on the film. LCK! is further sponsoring Mr. Amram to participate in a number of events throughout the festival weekend.

This year's conference keynote speaker, Regina Weinrich, will also participate in LCK!'s annual Commemorative at the Commemorative commenting on and reading from Kerouac1s haiku, a collection of which she recently edited for Viking/Penguin.

Regina Weinrich is the author of Kerouac's Spontaneous Poetics (Thunder's Mouth Press, 2002). She co-produced /directed the award-winning documentary Paul Bowles: The Complete Outsider (1993). An essayist and critic, her work has appeared in The Paris Review, The New York Times, Talk Magazine, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Entertainment Weekly, and Village Voice.

She is currently teaching at The School of Visual Arts in New York City.

LCK! is proud to announce it1s cosponsorship with UML of a talk on The On The Road Typescript Scroll; Fact, Fiction, Myth, regarding the early history of the scroll. This will feature Jim Canary, the head conservator at Indiana University's Lilly Library, home of the scroll manuscript of Kerouac's On the Road. For the next several years, Mr. Canary will be traveling with this fragile 120-foot document while it is on national tour.

A showing of Allen Ginsberg's photographs, included in the book Snapshot Poetics, will also be featured as part of the Jack Kerouac Conference on Beat Literature. Ed Adler will comment during an opening presentation held at the university and, be showing his exhibit of paintings at the Whistler House Museum of Art.

This year's festival will also include a performance by 60's sociopolitical music icon, John Sinclair and a showing of Kurt Hemmer's biographical performance video on poet Janine Pommy-Vega.

Saturday will also feature a Pan American Folk event in the evening that will include a tribute to Woody Guthrie, Bluegrass music, readings from Kerouac's writings in Mexico, and Franco-Canadian folk music including renowned musical guests, David Amram with acoustic bass player Norman Guilbeault and Soprano Marie-Claude Lamoureux, from Montreal, Canada.

Also, as a part of the Pan American Folk event, there will be a door prize - a Jack Kerouac Bobblehead doll.

These are just some of the highlights of this years Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! Festival. For a complete listing of events or further information call 1-877-KEROUAC

or visit the LCK! Web Site at http://lckorg.tripod.com/ .

For more information on the Jack Kerouac Conference on Beat Literature contact Hilary Holladay at Hilary_Holladay@uml.edu or call 978/934-4195.

Sunday Sept. 28	PM 2:00 Festival Preview Event Patrick J. Mogan Cultural Center Voices from the Valley: A Gathering of Merrimack Valley Poets. Readings by poets from cities and towns in the region whose work evokes the life and landscape of the Merrimack Valley. Sponsored by the Flowering City Committee in partnership with Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! Inc. Mogan CulturalCtr., 50 French St.
Thursday Oct. 2	PM 2:00 Film Showing Pull My Daisy narrated by Jack Kerouac, featuring Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, David Amram, Larry Rivers, Dody Muller, others. David Amram to discuss & answer questions immediately afterwards. UML So. Campus, Wilder St. Cosponsored by KC1 and LCK! ---------- PM 3:00 Opening Reception, Snapshot Poetics Photographs by Allen Ginsberg (Ed Adler to provide commentary) the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, Jack Kerouac Conference on Beat Literature. UML So. Campus, University Gallery, 71 Wilder St. ---------- PM 4:00 Showing of Henry Ferrini's film Lowell Blues. Lowell National Historical Park (LNHP) Visitor Center, Market St. ---------- PM 7:00 "The On the Road Typescript Scroll: Fact, Fiction, Myth," Featured Presentation by Jim Canary (Indiana University), Matt Theado (Gardner-Webb University), Chair and Respondent: Jay McHale (SalemState College). UML So. Campus, O'Leary Library,Wilder St. Cosponsored by KC1 and LCK!
Friday Oct. 3	AM 9:30 Barbara Concannon-Crete High School Poetry Contest and Award Lowell High School, special guest - David Amram ---------- PM 2:00 U. Mass, Lowell, Jack Kerouac Conference on Beat Literature Regina Weinrich - keynote address UML So. Campus, O'Leary Library, Wilder St. ---------- PM 2:30 Hey Jack Kerouac downtown walking tour led by LNHP Ranger. Walking Tour - starts at LNHP Visitor Ctr. ---------- PM 4:00 Showing of Henry Ferrini's film Lowell Blues LNHP Visitor Ctr. ---------- PM 7:30 Joyce Johnson play Door Wide Open. Music by David Amram; starring John Ventimiglia (of The Soprano's), as Jack Kerouac! with Adira Amram as Joyce Johnson. Higher Ground Coffee House, 194 Middle St. Next to The Revolving Museum. ---------- PM 10:00 Ghosts of the Pawtucketville Night walk the Lowell evening with adolescent Jack's Dr. Sax; led by Roger Brunelle. For information, reservations, and tour meeting directions call - (978) 452-7966
Saturday Oct. 4	AM 9:30 Mystic Jack walking tour, led by Roger Brunelle. Jack's impressions of his brother as seen in Visions of Gerard. For information, reservations, and tour meeting directions call (978) 452-7966. ---------- AM 10:00 Book Signing, David Amram at Barnes & Noble, Downtown Lowell, 151 Merrimack St. ---------- AM 11:00 Commemorative at The Commemorative Regina Weinrich reading from JK Haiku collection. Jack Kerouac Park, Bridge St. ---------- PM 1:00 David Amram and friends, Cairo to Kerouac Pollard Memorial Library, Merrimack St. ---------- PM 2:30 Memere and Papere walking and trolly tour, LNHP Ranger. For information on any of the LNHP tours listed call: (978) 970-5000 ---------- PM 3:00 Pull My Daisy narrated by Jack Kerouac, featuring Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, David Amram, Larry Rivers, Dody Muller, others. David Amram will introduce and discuss/answer questions afterwards. Brush Gallery, Market St. ---------- PM 4:00 Showing of Henry Ferrini's film Lowell Blues LNHP Visitor Ctr. ---------- PM 4:30 Reading at the Rainbow sign up to read your own poem or a favorite of yours. The Rainbow Cafe 114 Cabot St. ---------- PM 5:00 Showing of Janine Pommy-Vega documentary, with Producer Kurt Hemmer. Brush Gallery, Market St. ---------- PM 7:30 Pan-American Folk Tribute; David Amram and his trio with Montreal's Master Musicians Norman Guilbeault on bass and Soprano Marie-Claude Lamoureux. Readings from Kerouac's writings in Mexico, A tribute to Woody Guthrie, Bluegrass by City Council. Evos, Middle St. $10 ---------- PM 9:30 FrankMorey opens the show, followed at 10:30 by Blues Afficianado-MC 5 John Sinclair with his band. The Old Court, . Middle St. $5
Sunday Oct. 5	AM 11:00 Jack on The Merrimack Boat Tour led by LNHP Ranger, $6 All other LNHP tours, free. Reserve by calling (978) 970-5000 ---------- PM 1:30 Amram Jam; The Higher Ground read your own poem or a favorite with the accompaniment of Jack's friend, David Amram. THG, 194 Middle St. ---------- PM 2:30 His First Road Riverwalk walking tour, led by LNHP Ranger. Meet at: Boott Cotton Mills Museum ---------- PM 4:00 Showing of Henry Ferrini's film Lowell Blues LNHP Visitor Ctr. ---------- Related Events Sunday Oct. 5 - Noon: First Annual Jack Kerouac 5K Road Race. Contact eleanoreli@aol.com for information. Ongoing Ed Adler painting exhibit, Pop Mythologies II: from Bellini to Fellini, September 24 - November 7 (Reception: Friday, October 10, 4 - 6 pm Whistler House Museumof Art, Parker Gallery, 243 Worthen St.) For more information call 1-877-KEROUAC, (978)970-0755 or email www.lcarradini@earthlink.net For more re., the Jack Kerouac Conference on Beat Literature1, contact Prof. Hilary Holladay at: Hilary_Holladay@uml.edu or, call (978)934-4195 or visit http://www.uml.edu/KerouacConference

PULL MY DAISY

Story by David Amram

"Pull My Daisy" has been described as

"The Anthem Of The Beat Generation". To Jack and me it was a point of departure, to encourage future generations to express themselves, to take a chance, and to dare to dream.

This recording honors the classics we used to play that are still with us. Jazz is increasingly a galvanizing force, embracing spontaneity, celebrating music, life and the community we share.

This recording was taken from performaces at the Musikfest in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania during the summers of 1988 and 1989. It showcases the brilliance and creativity of guitarist Vic Juris; master bassist Victor Venegas; virtuoso drummer Akiro Tana; and Paquito de Rivera, my old friend and collaborator since our historic concert in Havana, Cuba in 1977 with Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz and Earl Hines.

"Pull My Daisy" was written, with lyrics by Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady and Allen Ginsberg, in 1959. After the first two choruses, I improvised all the lyrics on the spot during the concert. This was done all the time, especially in the 50's when I played with or backed up Jack, Lord Buckley, Dizzy and countless others. Jack loved and respected jazz as a growing, classic art form. He was a true friend who shared his success and gave encouragement to the army of scuffling artists during his hey-day, after "On The Road" made him a world renowned author. He would be happy to know that his books, and the music he championed, are now part of the world culture.

Q & A following the Joyce Johnson Play "Door Wide Open" Starring John Ventimiglia (of The Soprano's), as Jack Kerouac! Music by David Amram	Kimmie The Beat Museum's Jerry Cimino David Amram Red Hot's Melissa Rose
At the Rainbow Cafe' poetry readings David Amram Jerry Cimino with Red Hot's Nancy & Annette	Tribute to Woodie Guthrie with David Amram & friends
Red Hot's Melissa Rose and John Ventimiglia of The Soprano's

Jack Kerouac, Joyce Glassman Johnson, New York	"Offbeat, Collaborating with Kerouac" written by David Amram. Thundermouth Press
Original flyer for first jazz/poetry reading, New York "On The Road" Commemorative Lowell MA, 2002	Birthplace of Jack Kerouac Lowell MA, 2002 The resting place of Jack Kerouac Lowell MA Visit to the Jack Kerouac Commemorative Lowell MA, 2002	David Amram & Nancy Lewis at the Rainbow Cafe Lowell Celebrates Kerouac Lowell, MA Oct. 2002 David Amram and Filmmaker Chuck Workman (The Source), at the Rainbow Cafe Lowell Celebrates Kerouac, Oct. 2002 The gang pays tribute to Jack. Lowell Celebrates Kerouac, Oct. 2002