The Shakers n’ Bakers is New York-based ensemble that performs reinterpretations of Shaker “vision” songs (also known as “gift” songs). Received in states of ecstatic inspiration by young women of the Shaker religious community during the years 1837 to 1850, the Shakers attributed the songs to divine sources, ranging from African and Native American spirits to historical figures such as Mother Ann Lee (founder of the movement), Christopher Columbus and George Washington. Some of the songs are in English; others are in unique languages of trance inspiration. The group--featuring the vocalists Mary LaRose and Miles Griffith - is led by the saxophonist Jeff Lederer, who transcribed many of the songs from manuscripts found in Shaker archives and re-imagined them in forms transcending the boundaries of free jazz, minimalism, calypso and pop. The musicians are leading lights in New York’s improvisation scene and the genre-defying results will, as Emily Dickinson said of true poetry, “take the top of your head off.”

ALOUD is presented by The Library Foundation of Los Angeles