The Minneapolis artistic community honors Carei Thomas with an event as multifaceted and overflowing as the poet/pianist himself.
It was while lying in a hospital bed in the mid-1990s, his body racked by pain and paralysis, that jazz pianist Carei Thomas came up with the idea of the Gift Shop. Besieged by Guillain-Barr syndrome -- created by his immune system attacking his peripheral nervous system -- Thomas' mind searched for succor, and found it in the dream of a community openly commingling its arts and crafts.
“The idea is to create a beautiful series of interacting events," he said. “Get the lady at church who makes apple pies, the guy who tells stories to his grandsons, the hellified poet and the beautiful musicians, plus the guy who does marvelous things with flowers and the master chef. Put these people together and let them engage -- that's the Gift Shop."
It was while lying in a hospital bed in the mid-1990s, his body racked by pain and paralysis, that jazz pianist Carei Thomas came up with the idea of the Gift Shop. Besieged by Guillain-Barr syndrome -- created by his immune system attacking his peripheral nervous system -- Thomas' mind searched for succor, and found it in the dream of a community openly commingling its arts and crafts.
“The idea is to create a beautiful series of interacting events," he said. “Get the lady at church who makes apple pies, the guy who tells stories to his grandsons, the hellified poet and the beautiful musicians, plus the guy who does marvelous things with flowers and the master chef. Put these people together and let them engage -- that's the Gift Shop."
For more information contact All About Jazz.
