Wanda’s Picks Radio Dec. 5, 2008 http://www.wandaspicks.asmnetwork.org

Today we started out with guests, devorah major, former poet laureate for San Francisco, and Kim McMillon, publicist for the Josephine Miles, Pen Oakland Awards, Dec. 6, 1-5, at the Rockridge Branch of the Oakland Public Library. Other guests included John Handy, musician, scholar, and composer, Peter Fitzsimmons, Executive Director, Jazz Heritage Center, Raja Rahim, jazz vocalist, Lewis Watts, photographer and historian.

They spoke about the opening of the JHC’s Koret Heritage Lobby exhibit at 1330 Fillmore Street: “Harlem West…Revisited.” The lobby exhibit is inside Yoshi’s jazz club.

The lobby exhibit expands the original exhibit, first mounted in 2006 at the Museum of Performance & Design, exhibit next door in the Lush Life Gallery, 1320 Fillmore Street: “Harlem of the West..Revisited,” take two. Both open to music and much fanfare Dec. 6, 1-6 p.m.

Next week, Raja Rahim is featured in the Winter Concert at the College of Alameda, Thursday, Dec. 11, 7-10 p.m. The Small Ensemble Improvisational Class, is directed by Professor Herbert Mims, Jr. COA is located at 555 Ralph Appezzato Memorial Parkway, Building F, Alameda, CA.

As Raja sang on the air, John surprised us by accompanying her on piano on the air….It was a special moment.

Professor Manu Ampim, who will deliver the keynote address at the Western Regional Conference for the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations, had been waiting in the wings for about 15 minutes to speak. This year at the conference, the theme is: "Fearlessly Forward As We Build for Eternity."

An interview with Boots Riley of the Coup, closed out this mornings show. Like all great conversations, he and I really started talking after we went off the air and the show stopped streaming. And then my computer died and my power cord broke and I am this slow functioning machine which has none of the writing I was working on or the images I needed to upload.

The conversation between Boots and I concluded about 10:30 AM. Boots and the Coup, a double bill with bassist, Meshell Ndegeocello Band out of DC, the GoGo musicians—are at the Fillmore, 1805 Geary Blvd. @ Fillmore, in San Francisco, 12/7, doors at 7, show 8, (415) 346-6000.

The conversation came full circle we began with writing and the craft of poetry and prose and the importance of the writer's voice in society. This discussion segued into the topic of place and practice, public spaces and where one is allowed or one takes the space necessary to tell stories, the stories often edited out of the history books. John Handy, in answering the question of why jazz is important spoke about the great gift to the world jazz is--it's the story of black people, but it is also the story of a nation. Professor Ampim acknowledged this contribution, when he spoke of the reluctance of Western European descents here and elsewhere, to accept a black god, a black origin, thus the destruction of artifacts and the tampering with artifacts which contradict their pseudo-scientific claims to the contrary. ASCAC begins tonight at ASA Academy and Community Science Center, 2811 Adeline Street, in Oakland, (510) 290-4531. Tonight is 7-9, tomorrow 9-9, and Sunday, Dec. 7, the program moves to Wo'se Community House of Amen Ra, 8924 Holly Street, in Oakland. Conference donation is $25 and for children 17 and younger it is free.

Reminder: Marcus Shelby's Harriet Tubman and Jazz workshop continues through this weekend, today at the Jazz School at 3:00 p.m. visit www.marcusshelby.com