Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho performed by the Delta Rhythm Boys resemble many other spirituals who dual propose. The song alluded to eventual escape from slavery – in the case of this song, “And the walls came tumblin’ down. The lyrics refer to the old testament verses Joshua 6:15-21, which tells the story of the Battle of Jericho in which Joshua led the Israelites in battle against Canaan. Continue reading
Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan [April 7, 1915 — July 17, 1959) an American jazz singer and songwriter Nicknamed “Lady Day” by her friend and musical partner Lester Young. Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. Continue reading
Watch the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis commemorate the Jazz Age with Untamed Elegance, a suite composed by master saxophonist and veteran JLCO member Victor Goines. The Roaring Twenties were defined by jazz. A grand decade when “the parties were bigger, the pace was faster, the buildings were higher, the morals looser.”
Detour is chart-topping Jazz/R&B artist Boney James 18th studio album. Appropriately titled, this latest album is a subtle stylistic turn that builds on the commercial success of 2020’s Solid, his highest charting release ever on the pop charts, peaking in the Top 10 on the Billboard 200.
On Christmas Eve, 2015, the Quantum of the Seas Orchestra performed the entire Duke Ellington version of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite.
Continue reading
\
The supremely talented Esperanza Spalding leads her outfit through a moving concert at the 2008 Jazz Sous Les Pommiers. Continue reading
The Divine One, Sarah Vaughan, winner of four Grammy Awards including the Lifetime Achievement Award. Critic Scott Yanow wrote that she had “one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century.
Continue reading
By Walter Rutledge
In August Universal Temple of The Arts founder Sadja Musawwir Ladner joined the ancestors. A fixture in Staten Island arts scene for over fifty years Ladner provided arts education, performance opportunities and outreach to the underserved communities of her beloved borough- Staten Island. Her untimely passing shocked and saddened all who encountered this “community spirit”, fortunately her legacy lives on. On Saturday March 12, at 5pm the Universal Temple of the Arts will present the Staten Island Jazz Festival 33 at the historic St. George Theatre located at 35 Hyatt St, downtown Staten Island.
The festival will feature jazz music seven artists/groups including Nikara Presents…Black Wall Street (Nikara Warren), Bria Skonberg, Winard Harper & Jeli Posse, The Leopoldo F. Fleming Afro Caribbean Ensemble, Danny Mixon Quartet featuring vocalist Antoinette Montague, Dal Segno Trio featuring Darrell Smith, Michael Morreale and Houston Person and The Universal Temple of the Arts Jazz Ensemble. The evening will honor Women’s History Month as it celebrates the life and legacy of Ladner. There will also be a spoken word presentation featuring Professor Charles Thomas, Jordan Bracy and dancer Nubia Briathwaite, and a dance tribute choreographed by Walter Rutledge featuring Roumel Reaux, Briathwaite and Rutledge.
Musician Darrell Smith will make his debut in the role as the festival’s Music Director. Smith first met Ladner as a sixteen-year-old jazz enthusiast, now his many credits include imbuing and inspiring the next generation of young jazz aficionados at Jazz at Lincoln Center. O&A Editor-in-Chief sat down with Musical Director Smith to discuss the upcoming festival and all things jazz.
Staten Island Jazz Festival 33
Tickets can also be purchased at the St. George Theatre Box Office.
Aretha Franklin live at the Casino de Montreux, Montreux, Switzerland, June 12th, 1971. Continue reading
Billie Holiday featured on Stars of Jazz on August 13, 1956, a TV program hosted by Bobby Troup. Here, she sings in order Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone, Billie’s Blues, and My Man. Louis McKay, Lady’s husband, also makes his TV debut.
Billie Holiday on Stars of Jazz (1956)
The Dance of the Village Elders are back ! This time we exercise, dance and just have fun through the zoom platform or in-person at R.A.I.N. Nereid
The Dance of the Village Elders are back ! This time we exercise, dance and just have fun through the zoom platform or in-person at R.A.I.N. Nereid
The Dance of the Village Elders are back ! This time we exercise, dance and just have fun through the zoom platform or in-person at R.A.I.N. Nereid
