Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 245

Meshell Ndegeocello: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

'Meshell Ndegeocello's Tiny Desk (home) concert feels like a narrative film. Shot in vivid black and white, the concert includes songs from throughout her career framed by her thoughts on the importance and influence of James Baldwin: "He deserves flowers every day. Most of all because he was willing to discuss things that were painful, hard to look at, hard to see, hard to accept." That description also applies to Ndegeocello's inventive and challenging work on display here. She opens with "Step Into the Projects" from her 1993 debut album, Plantation Lullabies, transformed from its original funky groove into a stark spoken word piece. "Price of the Ticket," with her longtime guitarist Chris Bruce, is from Ndegeocello's recent project, Chapter & Verse: The Gospel of James Baldwin, "a 21st century ritual toolkit for justice" inspired by Baldwin's The Fire Next Time.' 

How Octavia Butler's Sci-Fi Dystopia Became A Constant In A Man's Evolution

'Octavia Butler's alternate realities and 'speculative fiction' reveal striking, and often devastating parallels to the world we live in today. She was a deep observer of the human condition, perplexed and inspired by our propensity towards self-destruction. Butler was also fascinated by the cyclical nature of history, and often looked to the past when writing about the future. Along with her warnings is her message of hope - a hope conjured by centuries of survival and persistence. For every society that perished in her books, came a story of rebuilding, of repair.' -- Throughline

What Was Lost and What Can Be Gained? On Coloniality and Planetary Black Citizenship

'Historian Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni on colonialism's deep (ongoing) legacy of dehumanization, the exclusionary nation-state and his article Black Citizenship and the Problem of "Coloniality" for Black Agenda Report's Black Citizenship Forum.' -- This is Hell!

This is Hell! · What was lost and what can be gained? On coloniality and planetary Black citizenship.

Viola Davis and Stacey Abrams On Harnessing Their Power as Black Women

'Viola Davis and Stacey Abrams know how to harness their power. These bold, towering figures may come from vastly different professional backgrounds, but the outspoken women share much in common, not the least of which is giving voice to pertinent issues in their respective fields and attaining success in their careers against all odds. Their primary connection, however, lies within their core principles. They are both Black women who have worked their way from poverty to pop culture prominence and then used their spheres of influence to create opportunities and make space for other Black women to follow. As the intersection between entertainment and politics continues to meld, their mutual success has landed Davis and Abrams smack in the middle of Hollywood’s film awards conversation. Davis, one of the industry’s most celebrated actors, is being lauded for her performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and is considered a lead contender in this year’s Oscar race; Abrams produced the award-winning documentary All In: The Fight for Democracy, which was just shortlisted for an Academy Award, contending as a documentary feature.' --Variety

Getting the Record Staright: Master Musician; Master Educator -- Guthrie Ramsey

On this episode of Getting the Record Straight, band leader, musician/composer, author and university professor Guthrie Ramsey talks Chick Corea, the appeal of Jazz music, the healing power of music and the impact and history of Black music. Ramsey is the Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professor of Music at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of Race Music: Black Cultures from Bebop to Hip-Hop (2003), and The Amazing Bud Powell: Black Genius, Jazz History and the Challenge of Bebop (2013). Ramsey also leads his own band Dr. Guy's MusiQology.

Left of Black S11 · E15 | Making Reparations A Reality with A. Kirsten Mullen and Dr. William "Sandy" Darity

Reparations– a long contested topic that has recently gotten a resurgence in our public discourse as our nation grapples with the ongoing legacy of white supremacy and systemic racism. More scholars and activists are making the case for the necessity of reparations, not just for reconciliation from the evils of American slavery and Jim Crow that followed soon after, but to finally have a whole nation by ending the equity gap that specifically plagues the African American community. But what is the legacy behind this argument?  Left of Black host Mark Anthony Neal is joined by Duke University Professor ​William "Sandy" Darity and A. Kirsten Mullen, co-authors of From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century published by The University of North Carolina Press. The book is the winner of the 2021 Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) Book Prize.

"LEVAS": Al Strong -- "Lift Every Voice and Sing" (The Bull City Arrangement)

'“LEVAS” is trumpet musician Al Strong’s heartfelt arrangement of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the classic hymn also known as the “Negro National Anthem.”    A rich and elaborate 8-minute odyssey, “LEVAS” is a tribute to the Black American experience and a love offering from an artist dedicated to the preservation of Black culture. The inspiration for this undertaking came in early 2020 during a performance by the Al Strong Quartet at Saint Augustine University’s annual CIAA Jazz Brunch. Strong began to superimpose the anthem’s melody over a vamp at the end of an original tune. The band immediately went with the vibe and an arrangement was born. He later went to the studio and began scoring the arrangement, adding a string section for a distinct sound.    As the year went on, Strong’s passion for “LEVAS” was further ignited after the tragic killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and the countless calamities of 2020. An only child who spent some years bouncing from shelter to shelter with his father, Strong knows all too well the struggle of Black Americans. Yet it is the optimism of "Lift Every Voice and Sing's" lyrics – [“Out from the gloomy past/‘Til now we stand at last/Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.”] -- that fuels this unique interpretation.' -- AlStrongVEVO

The Mothers Who Raised Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and James Baldwin

'"I decided to focus on mothers because of this further erasure that happens to mothers. Motherhood is so overlooked," says Anna Malaika Tubbs, author of The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped A Nation.' -- 1A

The Life and Legacy of Johnny Pacheco and Fania Records

'Widelyconsidered the “Godfather of Salsa,” the Dominican-born Johnny Pacheco helped popularize Salsa music internationally, with his label Fania eventually becoming known as the quote “Motown of Salsa.” A Juilliard-trained instrumentalist, Pacheco joined forces with lawyer Jerry Masucci in 1964 to form Fania Records. The label had humble beginnings, literally selling albums out of car trunks in Spanish Harlem.  The Takeaway looks at the life and legacy of Johnny Pacheco and his music label Fania Records, with Felix Contreras, host of NPR Alt.Latino, and Bobby Sanabria, a multi-Grammy nominated drummer, percussionist, and band leader that works in the worlds of salsa, jazz, and Latin jazz. He’s also host of the radio show, Latin Jazz Cruise on WBGO.'

Grammy Nominee Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah

'Composer and trumpet player Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah is up for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album at the Grammys this year for his live album, Axiom. He’s also nominated in the Best Improvised Jazz Solo category. He also has a new live album with the Robert Glasper-led supergroup, R+R=Now, which features Terrace Martin, Derrick Hodge, Taylor McFerrin, and Justin Tyson. He joins All Of It to talk about both projects and, since it's Mardi Gras, we’ll also speak with Adjuah about growing up in New Orleans, participating in the masking tradition, and becoming a Chief himself.'