Irritable Tribe of Poets

A collective of performing poets and instrumentalists based in Tampa, FL, is an improvisation-oriented ensemble, actively mixing jazz, rock, funk and world-music textures with sundry styles of poetry. The group has performed two Dali homage concerts at the Salvador Dali Museum for the 100th Centennial of Dali, quarterly themed concerts at Viva La Frida, WMNF's Tropical Heatwave (2001, 2003, 2004), Skipper's Smokehouse, the Orpheum, various colleges and universities and played the last Thursday of every month at King Corona Cigars in Ybor City for a year and a half.

The group has performed two Dali homage concerts at the Salvador Dali Museum for the 100th Centennial of Dali, quarterly themed concerts at Viva La Frida, WMNF's Tropical Heatwave (2001, 2003, 2004), Skipper's Smokehouse, the Orpheum, various colleges and universities and played the last Thursday of every month at King Corona Cigars in Ybor City for a year and a half.

Recordings include: Kahlo, a cd of Frida Kahlo based poetry by Rhonda J. Nelson and Irritable Tribe of Poets, as well as Irritable Tribe of Poets Live at the Salvador Dali Museum. Irritable Tribe of Poets' musicians back a collective of female poets on the CD "Vital Signs: The Primal Sessions." The band additionally has recorded with poets Stone Handy, Kwabena Dinizulu, Bradley Morewood and Farrell X. Hall.

The core group consists of: Rhonda J. Nelson (poet/artistic director), Jim Beckwith (percussion), Philip Booth (bass), and Jon Priest (drums). Top talent guitarists, keyboardists, woodwind and horn players are featured on a rotating basis, which adds to the chameleon-like quality of each performance. Other musicians in the collective include Bob Brown, Willie Lawson, Peter Mongaya, Jon Richardson, Alfredo Rivero, George Tortorelli and Ray Villadonga.

The following poets/spoken-word artists appear with the Irritable Tribe of Poets on a rotating basis: Silvia Curbelo, Kwabena Dinizulu, Pamela Epps, Melissa Fair, Stone Handy, Myron Jackson, Lori Karpay, Bradley Morewood, Stazja McFadyen, Rhonda J. Nelson, Paradox, Edgar Santiago, James Tokley, Susan Tyler and Kevin Webb.