Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 922

Donald Byrd: Bronx Experiences, Black/Latin Connections & the Power of the Music Teacher

Donald Byrd: Bronx Experiences, Black/Latin Connections and the Power of the Music Teacher by Mark Naison | special to NewBlackMan (in Exile)
I just found out that the great jazz trumpeter, composer and music innovator, Donald Byrd, passed away. I am devastated by this news, not only because Donald Byrd owned a brownstone on the Park Slope block to which I moved in 1976, but because Donald Byrd was a central figure in the musical history of the Bronx, something I discovered when doing oral histories for the Bronx African American History Project.
In the 1950s, Donald Byrd and Herbie Hancock got an apartment together on Boston Road and 164th Street in the Bronx in Morrisania, which was then the Bronx's largest and most vital Black neighborhood. Byrd was then working as a music teacher at Berger JHS near St Mary's Park, a common destiny for great musicians during a time when NYC middle schools and high schools had bands and orchestras, and hundreds of instruments which students with talent could take home to practice.
During his years in the Bronx, Byrd mentored many talented younger musicians, among them jazz trumpeter Jimmy Owens, who took private lessons from Byrd, and salsero, trombone player Willie Colon, who was his student at Berger JHS.
But the most amazing Byrd story has to do with his role in the recording of Mongo Santamaria's "Watermelon Man."
One day, in the early 1960's, Mongo Santamaria called up Herbie Hancock and asked him to sit in as a pianist with Mongo's band, which was then performing at Club Cubano InterAmericano on Prospect Avenue, a popular Latin music spot. Herbie was reluctant to do it because he never played Latin before, but accepted the offer and doing pretty well by the end of the first set. Then during intermission, Donald Byrd, who was there, asked Hancock to play his original composition "Watermelon Man" for Mongo. When Herbie started doing this, Mongo's band, especially his huge percussion section, started joining in, and before you knew it the whole club was dancing. Mongo was so excited by what happened that he asked if he could record the song. He did, and it became his greatest hit.
Such is the influence that Donald Byrd had as a teacher and a mentor to young musicians. It is not only a testimony to his own unique vision, and to Black Latino cultural and musical cross fertilization, it is a reminder of how important it is to keep music instruction and music performance as an integral part of the life of our public schools.
***
Mark Naison is a Professor of African-American Studies and History at Fordham University and Director of Fordham’s Urban Studies Program. He is the author of two books, Communists in Harlem During the Depression and White Boy: A Memoir. Naison is also co-director of the Bronx African American History Project (BAAHP). Research from the BAAHP will be published in a forthcoming collection of oral histories Before the Fires: An Oral History of African American Life From the 1930’s to the 1960’s.

Video: Bilal—“Back to Love"

BilalVEVO

From the album A Love Surreal (Feb 26th)  eOne Music/Purpose Music Group.

Behind the Scenes: Melanie Fiona 'Wrong Side of a Love Song" (dir. Larenz Tate)

JAY Z's Life+Times premieres the behind the scenes of Melanie Fiona's upcoming music video for "Wrong Side of a Love Song."

This is a Black History Month 'Pop' Quiz?

I guess the pop, literally means pop.

Byron Hurt Announces New Film: 'Hazing: How Badly Do You Want In'

Hazing: How Badly Do You Want In? from Byron Hurt on Vimeo.

from Byron Hurt:

All over the country, people have been asking me, "So, Byron, what's your next film going to be about?" The truth is, I have a long list of ideas for films that I'd LOVE to make, but after consulting with my closest friends and advisers, and giving it some careful thought, I've finally decided that my next film will explore the topic of hazing in American culture.
I have long wanted to make a documentary about this subject but never felt courageous enough to address it. This is a sensitive and controversial topic. However, after I learned about the tragic death of Robert Champion (below) - the Florida A&M University band member who, in November 2011, was tragically killed by his fellow band members because of a traditional hazing ritual - I felt compelled to illuminate this issue in a documentary film.
Find out how to support this film @ indiegogo 

Of Soul & Black Men @ The Apollo – Feb 7th

“The male Soul singer—the proverbial Soul Man—with his narrative devotion to love unrequited and spiritual redemption can easily be acknowledged as embodying an unreconstructed masculinity firmly planted at the crossroads of desire and pathology; the secular and the sacred.”—Mark Anthony Neal

LIVE WIRE SERIES  
Panel Discussion: Black Men/Soul Music
Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 6:30 p.m.
The Apollo Theater253 West 125th Street, New York, NY, USA 10027
The Apollo Education Department presents Live Wire, a discussion series led by arts, entertainment, community and business scholars on topics pertinent to the Apollo Theater’s history and/or events that advance the public knowledge and appreciation of the Theater’s role in shaping American culture.  
Celebrated author and Duke University Professor of Black Popular Culture, Mark Anthony Neal is joined by journalist and writer Herb Boyd and musician, songwriter Gordon Chambers in a discussion of the artistic, social, and political legacy of soul music and its role as an expressive art form for Black men.  The discussion will focus on the music and careers of such renowned singers as Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, Otis Redding, Al Green, Isaac Hayes, Donny Hathaway, Barry White and many others, through the historical lens of the 1950s, 60, 70s and up to the present day.
Event is free and open to the public but registration is required. Visit apolloeducation.org for more info.
Click here to register.

Getting Real III | Dr. Chris Emdin: #HipHopEd and STEM Education

iumetccolumbia
As part of the Getting Real III Videoconference Series on Hip-Hop education taking place at Columbia University, NYU, and University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dr. Chris Emdin, Assistant Professor of Science Education at Teachers College, Columbia University and acclaimed Hip-Hop artist, continued the discussion with this incredible talk on reality pedagogy on December 3rd. A must watch!

For more information about the Getting Real III series, visit our homepage at http://iume.tc.columbia.edu or the Hip-Hop Education Center at http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/metrocenter/hiphopeducation/

African Americans Fly High With Math And Science

Historian Jeanne Theoharis: Malcolm X Shaped Rosa Parks' Outlook

Democracy Now
On Rosa Park's 100th birthday, historian Jeanne Theoharris, explains some of the lesser known details about the civil leader. Theoharis is the author of "The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks."

To watch this entire interview and additional reports on Democracy Now!, visit http://owl.li/hpfQo

Jasiri X—“Ascension”–Produced by Religion (Music Video)

WanderingWorxEnt
Emcee and community activist Jasiri X is one of the rising stars in Pittsburgh's burgeoning hip-hop scene. Following in the footsteps of Steel City natives Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa, Jasiri is the latest Pittsburgh rapper to garner national attention. Jasiri brings a socially conscious message to his music, delivering hard-hitting edutainment in the tradition of hip-hop greats from Public Enemy to dead prez. After garnering significant attention last year for his tribute track "Trayvon" and being featured on outlets as diverse as AllHipHop and The Huffington Post, Jasiri kicks off 2013 with his latest album, Ascension. Produced entirely by Religion, Ascension hits iTunes and all other digital retailers on March 26th, 2013.