Ahamefule J. Oluo is an American musician, trumpeter, composer, stand-up comedian, and writer. Oluo uses
they/them
Singular ''they'', along with its inflected or derivative forms, ''them'', ''their'', ''theirs'', and ''themselves'' (also ''themself'' and ''theirself''), is a gender-neutral third-person pronoun derived from plural they. It typically occu ...
pronouns. They were the first artist-in-residence at
Town Hall Seattle
Town Hall Seattle, or Town Hall locally, is a cultural center and performance hall located on Seattle, Washington, USA's First Hill at 1119 8th Ave. Built as Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist, Seattle, a Church of Christ, Scientist church, fro ...
.
Career
As a trumpeter, Oluo has performed or recorded with numerous prominent musicians and groups, including
Das Racist
Das Racist was an American alternative hip hop group based in Brooklyn, composed of MCs Heems and Kool A.D. and hype man Ashok Kondabolu (a.k.a. Dapwell or Dap). Known for their use of humor, academic references, foreign allusions, and unconv ...
,
John Zorn
John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conducting, conductor, saxophonist, arrangement, arranger and record producer, producer who "deliberately resists category". His Avant-garde music, avant-garde and experimental music, ex ...
,
Hey Marseilles
Hey Marseilles is an indie folk and chamber pop band from Seattle, Washington (state), Washington founded in 2006 and active until 2019.
History
The band self-released its first album in 2008 and opened early in its career for groups such as M ...
,
Wayne Horvitz
Wayne Horvitz (born September 1, 1955) is an American composer, keyboardist and record producer. He came to prominence in the Downtown scene of 1980s and '90s New York City, where he met his future wife, the singer, songwriter and pianist Robi ...
,
Macklemore
Benjamin Hammond Haggerty (born June 19, 1983), better known by his stage name Macklemore ( ; formerly Professor Macklemore), is an American rapper. A native of Seattle, Washington, he started his career in 2000 as an independent artist rele ...
, and
Julian Priester
Julian Priester (born June 29, 1935) is an American jazz trombonist and occasional euphoniumist. He is sometimes credited "Julian Priester Pepo Mtoto". He has played with Sun Ra, Max Roach, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and Herbie Hancock.
Biog ...
. They are a member of jazz quartet Industrial Revelation, winner of a 2014
Stranger Genius Award
The Stranger Genius Awards, given by Seattle alternative weekly newspaper ''The Stranger (newspaper), The Stranger,'' "bring attention to, and recognize the contributions of, ... outstanding artists in Seattle."Josh Rawlings (keyboards).
In 2012, Oluo was selected as
Town Hall Seattle
Town Hall Seattle, or Town Hall locally, is a cultural center and performance hall located on Seattle, Washington, USA's First Hill at 1119 8th Ave. Built as Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist, Seattle, a Church of Christ, Scientist church, fro ...
's first-ever artist-in-residence. During their time as the artist-in-residence, they created an experimental autobiographical pop opera, "Now I'm Fine," about the year their father died. The full-length opera (co-written with
Lindy West
Lindy West (born March 9, 1982) is an American writer, comedian, and activist. She is the author of the essay collections '' Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman'' and ''The Witches Are Coming'' and a contributing opinion writer for ''The New York Ti ...
) debuted in December 2014, at
On the Boards
On the Boards (OtB) is a non-profit contemporary performing arts organization in Seattle, Washington, founded in 1978. Originally located at Washington Hall in the Central District, the organization moved in 1998 to their current location in U ...
theater, complete with a 17-piece orchestra, and received positive reviews. ''Seattle Times'' critic Misha Berson said Oluo possibly created "a new art form" by combining their own big-band jazz pieces with a blend of standup comedy and memoir. The piece went on to New York City's
Public Theater
The Public Theater is an arts organization in New York City. Founded by Joseph Papp, The Public Theater was originally the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954; its mission was to support emerging playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: A ...
in January 2016 as part of the Under the Radar Festival and was also staged at the
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center is a performing arts complex on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park. The facility, which opened in 2001, houses six performance venues; the UM School of Music; and the UMD School of The ...
at the University of Maryland in February 2017. ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' reviewed the Public Theater run of "Now I'm Fine," saying that Oluo expanded the format of the "standard, modest, one-man confessional show" to "dizzying proportions" and described the score as "modernist jazz
hat
A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...
leans toward solemnity, suggesting a New Orleans funeral march."
The film ''Thin Skin'', starring Oluo was based on their off-Broadway play ''Now, I'm Fine'' and their
This American Life
''This American Life'' is a weekly hour-long American radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internationally, and is ...
episode "The Wedding Crasher". The film premiered in 2020 at the
Bentonville Film Festival
The Bentonville Film Festival (BFF) is an American film festival held annually in Bentonville, Arkansas that focuses on diversity.
Foundation
Bentonville Film Festival was founded by actress Geena Davis and ARC Entertainment executive Trevor Drin ...
online, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In November 2023, the film was released on streaming platforms and screened in theaters in Seattle, Los Angeles, and New York City. Oluo wrote the film's script with
Lindy West
Lindy West (born March 9, 1982) is an American writer, comedian, and activist. She is the author of the essay collections '' Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman'' and ''The Witches Are Coming'' and a contributing opinion writer for ''The New York Ti ...
and
Charles Mudede
Charles Tonderai Mudede (; born February 8, 1969) is a Zimbabwean-American writer, filmmaker,Patricia O'Brien (a.k.a. OlallieLake)Charles Mudede short documentary film. Uploaded to YouTube 2007-07-27. Accessed 2012-12-20. and leftwing cultural cr ...
. Mudede also directed. The producers of the film were Michael Seiwerath, Jennessa West, and Jonathan Caso. Oluo's sister
Ijeoma Oluo
Ijeoma Oluo (; born 1980) is an American writer. She is the author of '' So You Want to Talk About Race'' and has written for ''The Guardian,'' ''Jezebel'', '' The Stranger'', ''Medium'', and ''The Establishment'', where she was also an editor-at ...
appears in the film as herself.
As a comedian, they have collaborated closely with
Hari Kondabolu
Hari Karthikeya Kondabolu (born October 21, 1982)Beem, p. 38 is an American stand-up comedian and writer. His comedy covers subjects such as race, inequity, and Indian stereotypes. He was a writer for '' Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell'' and ...
, who described them in 2010 as "my great friend and writing partner."
Personal life
Oluo is
biracial
The term multiracial people refers to people who are mixed with two or more
races and the term multi-ethnic people refers to people who are of more than one ethnicities. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mul ...
; their father is a black immigrant from Nigeria and their mother is a white woman from Kansas.
Oluo married writer
Lindy West
Lindy West (born March 9, 1982) is an American writer, comedian, and activist. She is the author of the essay collections '' Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman'' and ''The Witches Are Coming'' and a contributing opinion writer for ''The New York Ti ...
on July 11, 2015. They and West practice
polyamory
Polyamory () is the practice of, or the desire for, romantic relationships with more than one partner at the same time, with the informed consent of all partners involved. Some people who identify as polyamorous believe in consensual non-mon ...
.
Their older sister is writer and activist
Ijeoma Oluo
Ijeoma Oluo (; born 1980) is an American writer. She is the author of '' So You Want to Talk About Race'' and has written for ''The Guardian,'' ''Jezebel'', '' The Stranger'', ''Medium'', and ''The Establishment'', where she was also an editor-at ...
This American Life
''This American Life'' is a weekly hour-long American radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internationally, and is ...
'', October 9, 2015. Act 2, "The Wedding Crasher", is a 23-minute autobiographical piece by Oluo.
* Paulette Beete Art Talk with Ahamefule J. Oluo Art Works Blog (blog of the
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...
KEXP
KEXP-FM (90.3 FM broadcasting, FM) is a non-commercial Radio broadcasting, radio station in Seattle, Seattle, Washington, United States, specializing in indie music programmed by its disc jockeys. KEXP's studios are located at the Seattle Cent ...