Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 216

Crate Digging With Christian McBride: The Works Of Cedar Walton

'Christian McBride dives into Jazz at Lincoln Center's vaults for another edition of Jazz Night's Crate Digging series. Hear a set from one of McBride's favorite pianists and composers: Cedar Walton.'

Left of Black S11 · E29 | Black Fatherhood & HBCU Basketball with North Carolina Central University Head Coach LeVelle Moton

In this very special episode of Left of Black, host and Duke University Professor Mark Anthony Neal discusses Black fatherhood, HBCU basketball in the midst of COVID-19, and R&B legends New Edition with four-time MEAC Championships winner, NCCU Head Basketball Coach Levelle Moton, who also talks about his memoir, The Worst Times Are the Best Times.

Can Black, Asian Americans Move Past Historical Animosity in the Interest of Solidarity?

'The recent show of solidarity among Black and Asian American activists belies a fraught history. Can the communities now work side by side? PBS NewsHour's Stephanie Sy explores the question with Tamara Nopper, a sociologist at New York University’s Center for Critical Race and Digital Studies, and Brenda Stevenson, a history and African American studies professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.'

Branford Marsalis' 'Ma Rainey' Score Makes 100-Year-Old Blues Sound Relevant Today

'There has been plenty to discuss since the release of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom last year.  But there's more to the film than its star players, especially once the music in the film takes flight. Saxophonist and bandleader Branford Marsalis was tasked with scoring the film, to make the blues of 100 years ago sound true to the era but still relevant now. New Orleans Sessions correspondent Gwen Thompkins talks to Branford Marsalis after a performance of songs from Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.'

Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis with The Sound Of Blackness ft. Ann Nesby Performs "Optimistic"

Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis with The Sound Of Blackness featuring Ann Nesby Performs "Optimistic" at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards.

Soledad O’Brien & Brittany Packnett Cunningham Dive Deeper Into America's Racial Reckoning

'Soledad O’Brien and social activist Brittany Packnett Cunningham take a deeper dive and address America’s racial reckoning one year after George Floyd’s death with a focus on accountability.'

“America on Fire”: Historian Elizabeth Hinton on George Floyd, Policing & Black Rebellion

'Protests and vigils were held across the U.S. to mark one year since the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd’s death sparked a national uprising and global movement against systemic racism and police brutality. Elizabeth Hinton, an associate professor of history and African American studies at Yale University and a professor of law at Yale Law School, connects the Black Lives Matter protests to a long history of Black rebellion against police violence in her new book America on Fire and notes that the U.S. has had previous opportunities to address systemic racism and state violence, but change remains elusive. “Every time inequality and police violence is evaluated, all of these structural solutions are always suggested, and yet they’re never taken up,” Hinton tells Democracy Now.'

Lorraine Hansberry's Upbringing

 'Soyica Colbert, interim dean of Georgetown College and professor of African American studies and performing arts, joins us for the next installment of our “Full Bio” series. This week, we’re taking a deep dive into her biography of Lorraine Hansberry titled, Radical Vision. All Of It talks with Colbert about Hansberry’s parents and her upbringing, which served as part of the inspiration for A Raisin in the Sun.'

Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase The Blues Away | Official Trailer | American Masters | PBS

'Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase The Blues Away dives into the career of the legendary blues guitarist, a pioneer of Chicago’s West Side sound and major influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. Featuring new performances and interviews with John Mayer, Carlos Santana and more.' -- American Masters PBS 

 

'Shuffle Along' Changed Musical Theater 100 Years Ago

'If you wanted to see a musical on the Great White Way in 1921 — that name came about because of the electric lights on Broadway but was true about the color of the actors and audience — you could see a European-influenced operetta or a splashy Ziegfeld revue. But 100 years ago, on May 23, you could also see something completely new: Shuffle Along, by an all-black team of creators. "Shuffle Along is an amazing moment in our history," says Caseen Gaines, who's just written Footnotes: The Black Artists Who Rewrote the Rules of the Great White Way. "And you can draw a horizontal line to what musical theater sounded like before 1921 and after".' -- All Things Considered