Caravan of Dreams
Address | 312 Houston Street |
---|---|
Location | Fort Worth, Texas |
Coordinates | 32°45′18″N 97°19′58″W / 32.754893°N 97.332763°WCoordinates: 32°45′18″N 97°19′58″W / 32.754893°N 97.332763°W |
Type | Performing arts center |
Genre(s) | Jazz, spoken word, theater |
Capacity | 212 (theater) |
Opened | September 1983 |
Closed | September 29, 2001 |
The Caravan of Dreams was a performing arts center located in the central business district of Fort Worth, Texas during the 1980s and 1990s. The venue was best known locally as a live music nightclub, though this only represented one portion of a larger facility. The center also included a multitrack recording studio, a 212 seat theater, two dance studios, and a rooftop garden.[1] The center was located at 312 Houston Street, and prefigured the redevelopment of Sundance Square into a dining and entertainment district. Ed Bass, whose family has participated in much of the redevelopment of downtown Fort Worth, financed the project, and Kathelin Hoffman served as its artistic director.[2]:185
History
The Caravan of Dreams was self-described as "...a meeting place appealing to audiences who enjoy the creation of new forms of music, theater, dance, poetry and film," designed and managed by and for artists.[1] The name was taken from 1001 Arabian Nights, by way of Brion Gysin, who attended the opening of the venue with William S. Burroughs in 1983.[3] The opening celebration centered around performances by Fort Worth native Ornette Coleman, both with his Prime Time ensemble in the nightclub, and with the Fort Worth Symphony at the nearby Convention Center. The event coincided with the mayoral proclamation of September 29, 1983 as "Ornette Coleman Day," when Coleman was presented with a key to the city.[2]:186
Caravan Of Dreams Productions | |
---|---|
Founded | 1985 |
Founder | Kathelin Hoffman |
Status | Defunct |
Genre | Jazz, spoken word, world |
Country of origin | United States |
Location | Fort Worth, Texas |
The center operated its own record label, releasing albums by Coleman as well as artists such as Ronald Shannon Jackson, James Blood Ulmer, and Twins Seven Seven. Caravan of Dreams also released films (including Ornette: Made in America, a feature-length documentary about Coleman) and spoken word recordings by William S. Burroughs, Brion Gysin, John P. Allen (as Johnny Dolphin), and others.
The rooftop garden featured hundreds of cacti and succulent plants, as well as a glass geodesic dome. Several years later, Biosphere 2 would incorporate geodesic domes in its structure, with the involvement of some of the same principals behind Caravan of Dreams.[2]:193
Eventually the facility became less geared toward the experimental (though high-profile) musicians, writers, and artists with whom it was associated in its early days. Caravan of Dreams ceased its production of entertainment media, and the nightclub hosted more mainstream performers outside of the jazz genre.
The nightclub closed in 2001 (with Brave Combo as the closing night act),[4] exactly eighteen years after Ornette Coleman Day, and was converted into a restaurant, Reata at Sundance Square.[5] Four Day Weekend, a comedy troupe, began performing in the theater before the nightclub closed, and continued operating the space as Four Day Weekend Theater.[6][7]
Discography
Catalog number | Artist | Title |
---|---|---|
CDP 85001 | Coleman, OrnetteOrnette Coleman and Prime Time | Opening the Caravan of Dreams |
CDP 85002 | Coleman, OrnetteOrnette Coleman | Prime Design/Time Design |
CDP 85004 | Ulmer, James BloodJames Blood Ulmer | Live at the Caravan of Dreams |
CDP 85005 | Jackson, Ronald ShannonRonald Shannon Jackson with Twins Seven Seven | Live at the Caravan of Dreams |
CDP 85007 | Seven Seven, TwinsTwins Seven Seven | Slang in Trance |
CDP 85008 | Coleman, OrnetteOrnette Coleman Quartet & Prime Time | In All Languages |
CDP 85009 | Jackson, Ronald ShannonRonald Shannon Jackson and the Decoding Society | When Colors Play |
CDP 85010 | Kitt, EarthaEartha Kitt | My Way |
CDP 85011 | Burroughs, William S.William S. Burroughs | Uncommon Quotes |
CDP 85012 | Jackson, Ronald ShannonRonald Shannon Jackson | Texas |
CDP 85013 | Dolphin, JohnnyJohnny Dolphin | Uncommon Quotes: The Dream & Drink of Freedom |
CDP 85014 | Leary, TimothyTimothy Leary | Uncommon Quotes |
See also
- List of jazz clubs
- List of record labels
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Liner notes. In All Languages by Ornette Coleman. Caravan of Dreams Productions CDP 85008, 1987.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Litweiler, John. Ornette Coleman: A Harmolodic Life. 1992. New York: Da Capo, 1994.ISBN 0-306-80580-4
- ↑ Hoffman, Kathelin. Liner notes. Uncommon Quotes by William S. Burroughs. Caravan of Dreams Productions CDPT 85011, 1988.
- ↑ Heinkel-Wolfe, Peggy (December 2001). "The Art Of Being Brave". BraveCombo.com. Denton Scramble. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
- ↑ "Dallas/Fort Worth Blues News 2001." Accessed November 1, 2005.
- ↑ Lin, Kristian (2004-09-22). "Back from the Celluloid Grave". Fort Worth Weekly. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
- ↑ Fowler, Jimmy (2006-07-26). "Texclectic: New DJ Paul Slavens brings a strange mix of sounds to KERA.". Fort Worth Weekly. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
External links
- Caravan of Dreams at fortwortharchitecture.com - About the structure that housed the venue (includes photos).
- Caravan of Dreams discography at Discogs