Apollo Gala: Honors The Place Where Stars Are Born And Legends Are Made

By Walter Rutledge

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The annual Apollo Gala has become one of the premiere uptown events. The star studded casts and celebrity laden audience recalls the glamor of the original Harlem Renaissance. This year the format was slightly different; instead of paying homage to a music legend, we were invited to honor the legendary Apollo Theater on the concert hall’s 80th anniversary. Continue reading

O & A With WaleStylez: NYC Ghosts- A Photographic Essay

By Walter Rutledge

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WaleStylez aka Adewale Adekanbi is a photographer who has a special affinity for New York City. NYC Ghosts focuses on places with a past, that are forgotten and outlooked; on the verge of decay a ghost of their former form and function. A fan of  black and white silvertone prints he pays homage to the genre. Continue reading

O & A Memorial Day Music Tribute: Star Spangled Banner- Marvin Gaye

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Marvin Gaye sang The Star-Spangled Banner at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Gaye’s highly soulful performance received much acclaim from the crowd and has became an instant classic. Continue reading

Vivian Reed is Back!

By Walter Rutledge

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The multi-award-winning singer, actress and dancer Vivian Reed is back. After a self-imposed hiatus from performing to care for her ailing mother, Reed is back to the business of entertaining. On Tuesday May 20 she is not only back on stage, but also back at 54 Below, 254 W 54th Street, for one performance at 9:30pm. Continue reading

Hollywood Monday: Lady Sings The Blues (Big Ben) Plus Encore performance

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Lady Sings the Blues is the story of jazz singer Billie Holiday and is loosely based on her 1956 autobiography. Holiday took its title from one of her most popular songs. Continue reading

Gospel Sunday: Calvary – Richard Smallwood and Vision

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Richard Smallwood’s music has been recorded by artists such as Destiny’s Child, Yolanda Adams, Karen Clark-Sheard and many more. His recording career began in 1982 with the album The Richard Smallwood Singers. The album spent 87 weeks on Billboard’s Gospel chart. Continue reading

(Repost) 4/1/14 O&A NYC DANCE: Martha Graham – Appalachian Spring and Rite of Spring

By Walter Rutledge

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The recent all too-short season of the Martha Graham Dance Company at New York City Center was a resounding artistic success. The company performed two programs of Graham classics and stunning new works by Nacho Duato and Andonis Foniadakis. The Saturday March 22 evening program included two Graham classics Appalachian Spring (1944) and Rite of Spring (1984).  Both works reinforced the fact that Graham was not only as a master craftsman, but also as an artist with a strong sense of classic form, structure and design. Continue reading