Before Jimi Hendrix was a rock star idol, he was a supremely talented guitar player who lived at the Isley Brothers’ home in Englewood, New Jersey (my hometown). Tribute concert tonight in Morristown.
Isley brother reflects on Jimi Hendrix’s Englewood days
Thanks Gary for sharing this story. Fun piece of Englewood history.
My friend Bill Benzon writes a sweet tribute to B.B. King on his New Savanna blog. Bill plays trumpet and in the 80s, once opened for The King in an Albany venue.
My memories of the Albany gig are a bit richer. To be sure, as I recall, King’s music was better at that SPAC gig, for the music comes and goes even with the best of them. Our manager (and saxophonist) Ken Drumm had seen to it that King had champagne waiting for him when he arrived in his dressing room and that got us an opportunity to meet him after the gig. But we had to line up with everyone else – mostly middle-aged ladies in big hats and Sunday dresses – and wait our turn. We didn’t have more than a minute, if that, in the man’s presence.
This is not a Volkswagen Camper Bus! It’s a to-scale replica that is actually a four person tent. How cool is that?
If you want one, they sell for $500 🙂
I know you’re going to miss this face as much as I am.
But after watching this clip I’m looking forward to more of Trevor Noah‘s commentary on The Today Show. Not only does Noah come out of South Africa, the land where everyone rides lions and wears leopard skin suits. But he’s got a cool, straight man presence, very subtle and titillating. And Noah’s biracial – a heritage that was impossible during the days of apartheid, not so very long ago. So this should be a fun adventure.
I love these expressions of pure joy! 40-youth flash mob takes over the Lakeside Shopping Center in Essex and what they do is spellbinding.
Thanks for the share, Judy!
Africa Salon, Yale’s first annual contemporary African arts and culture festival — featuring some of today’s top artists from the continent and diaspora — will take place on Friday and Saturday, March 27 and 28.
Hosted by the Yale Africa Initiative, the interactive event will include a series of panels, readings, exhibits, and performances.
The event will open on Friday evening with a panel moderated by Michael Veal, professor of music and African American studies. Saturday’s events will include a series of panels — each accompanied by a performance or visual presentation — highlighting key artists and their work in contemporary African literature, visual art, film, music, fashion, and dance. At each panel, faculty and students who are producing artistic work on Africa will be featured.
Uptown Funk song & video are just plain good. And Brother Jeremy Green does it up nice on viola too. Here’s the original by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars.
But for now to see Jeremy Green’s version on viola, you need to visit I Love Being Black’s Facebook Page:
100 photos of moments that made the photographers happy, culled from lots and lots of entries … for the International Day of Happiness 2014 aka World Happy Day.
HuffPost reviewer Kim Lute hated Beyonce’s grammy performance of “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” so much I had to see for myself what the hullabaloo was all about. She writes:
…Beyoncé (as well as her much talked about cast of put-upon black men) fumble(d) and falter(ed) her way through Mahalia Jackson’s classic, “Precious Lord, Take My Hand”
@KimLute‘s criticism of Beyoncé’s performance is a bit extreme, but it’s completely clear that Beyoncé is no gospel singer. She lacks both range and the vocal ability to extend a note. In light of recent observations about racism permeating the Grammys, Lute’s next comment seems spot-on:
Vamos a cambiar el mundo rapidamente con lentos pasos… 🙂
(We’re going to change the world quickly, with slow steps…)
Patrick Swayze has a special place in my heart for helping me mourn the passing of my firstborn’s father through his performance in Ghost
Swayze’s biography.com video tells that early in his life, Swayze almost lost his leg to a tooth staph infection that dispersed throughout his body and lodged in his knee – which almost needed to be amputed.
Life was not easy for Melody and Georgina. In their small towns and Georgina’s crowded, one room house there was little room for laughter, serenity, dreams. But music changed that for these young women. Melody says, “Necesitaba una palabra para decir que extrañaba algo que nunca había tenido.” (“I needed a word to express that I missed something that I had never known.”)
Filmmaker Marialy Rivas tells their story of escape from the drudgery of poverty through a 15 minute documentary. Be advised — you might want some tissues before it’s over!
Michael Twitty (@koshersoul) is a fascinating man I would love to share a Pesach (Passover) seder with. We could trade stories – Michael, of what being a Black Jew celebrity chef is all about … while I would tell about running my mother’s Chinese takeaway restaurant and Asian grocery store in downtown Tel Aviv. From her hospital bed, Mom said if I kept alive the business she loved so much, she felt she could win the battle to regain her health. Whatever I did or didn’t do, those who loved that vivacious wonder enjoyed Mom’s company for almost another decade after that. Mom was Israeli and my Dad is Chinese.
I put off watching this video … because … 10 minutes! But I’m glad I made time for it, this is such a treasure. An & Ria’s 1st flight – at age 70! How they prepare for the big event is delightful and how much they enjoy the voyage from the Netherlands to Barcelona in a private jet … Well, it has to be seen to be enjoyed.
Nyack Village Theatre celebrates Black History Month in Film. The theatre is located upstairs at 94 Main Street in the historic Woolworth Way, built in 1905 and today presenting film, music, theatre, dance and poetry in an intimate 49 seat space in the heart of Nyack.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6th – 8:00pm
“Hidden Colors” – The Untold History of People of Aboriginal, Moor and African Descent
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7th 7:30pm
“Cabin in The Sky” – starring Ethel Waters, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, Lena Horne, Louie Armstrong, Rex Ingram, Duke Ellington & The Hall Johnson Choir
