Harlem, New York - In a remote location in Harlem, a merging of two art forms were presented in a one-day show that mirrored the "POW" and "BANG" of a Max Roach set.  Curated by Vanessa Gonzalez and Dominic Salerno, Comic Meets Jazz not only included comic book art by six artists, but it also featured live music by the talented sounds of the Ray Martinez Legacy.

At one side of the spectrum, visual artists from the Bronx and Manhattan began the event with an artist talk, discussing each of their views on their participation, individual relation to and conceivable future in the comic book industry.  Ideas supporting the creation and self-publishing efforts of independent comics were a hot topic and encouraged others to take a chance.

Notable artist Delia Gable's pencilled illustrations were full of beautiful depictions of strong female characters featured in Mike Whittenberger's graphic novel A Ninja Named Stan.  Gable's characters are voluptuous and sexy similar to the painted figures created by Japanese toymakers.  Artists James E. Rodriguez and Michelle St. Martin of Novastar Studios shared their work from The Chronicles of Sara which is published both in English and Spanish.  St. Martin also presented panels from her upcoming horror story Mutatia.

Patrons were able to view the artwork displayed around the space and the individual artist's portfolios at the tabled area. They could even purchase some of the artist's published comics as well as question them about their work in general.  Being able to view the original artwork of the comic book artists allows the viewer to see its evolution and to get questions answered regarding technique, style and conception of their ideas.

On the other end of the spectrum was Ray Martinez, a well-known bassist and composer that has performed with a variety of legendary Salseros such as Tito Puente, Celia Cruz and Ray Barretto, just to name a few.  Born in the Dominican Republic, Martinez began the Ray Martinez Legacy to merge the sounds of Africa and the African Diaspora fusing Jazz, Funk, Blues and Carribean Folk music into something fresh and innovative.  And, this is the music he shared with the patrons of this exhibition.  It was chock full of organic rhythms and sounds reminiscent of what some have come to know as latin fusion jazz--music that is powerful and engrossing in every way.

It was an excellent combination of media that should've been extended for more than a day to allow for a larger patronage.  But, from what I've been told another similar event may be COMING SOON to the Bronx, so keep your eyes and ears open for the Next Issue!!!

Partipating artists included:  Delia Gable, Ray Felix, Michelle St. Martin, Xavier Figueroa, James E. Rodriguez, Dominic Salerno and the Ray Martinez Legacy - Ray Martinez, Hector Martignon, Bobby Sanabria, FrankFontaine, Dave Rimelis, Mauricio Herrera.

By S. Inocencio

Contributing writer