Honoring Jazz Musicians who made their transition this year

The Great Ones Saluted on JAZZ on the TUBE

Fats Domino

Arthur Blythe

Geri Allen

Grady Tate

Geri Allen

Muhal Richard Abrams & Wadada Leo Smith

Muhal Richard Abrams at rehearsal

Muhal Richard Abrams

Muhal Richard Abrams

John Abercrombie

Arthur Blythe

Della Reese

Della Reese

Muhal Richard Abrams

1. Fats Domino (1928 – 2017) – Blueberry Hill

2. Svend Asmussen (1916 – 2017) – Limehouse Blues

3. John Coates Jr. (1938-2017) – Prologue

4. Geri Allen (1957 – 2017) – Unconditional Love x2

5. Muhal Richard Abrams (1930 – 2017) – Interview with Muhal Richard Abrams

6. John Abercrombie (1944 – 2017) – Alice In Wonderland

7. Arthur Blythe (1940-2017) – Caravan

8. Jon Hendricks (1921 – 2017) – Four

9. Al Jarreau (1940 – 2017) – Take Five

10. Dave Valentin (1952 – 2017) – Little Sunflower

11. Larry Coryell (1943 – 2017) – General Mojo’s Well-Laid Plan

12. Grady Tate (interview 2015).  Be Black Baby (1932 – 2017) – Night Train  

13. Ben Riley (1933-2017) – Rhythm a ning


14. Kevin Mahogany (1958 – 2017) – My Foolish Heart/On Green Dolphin Street

15. Della Reese (Born: July 6, 1931, Black Bottom, Detroit; Died: November 19, 2017, Encino, Los Angeles, CA)
Wanda's Picks Radio Show Rebroadcast of interview with Ms. Reese.

 

Wanda's Picks Radio Show, Friday, Dec. 29, 2017

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!

Guests: Ayodele Nzinga, MFA, PhD, founding producing director of The Lower Bottom Playaz, Oakland's premiere North American African Theater Company, which is going into its 20th year of production. Nzinga was inducted into the Alameda County Women’s Hall of Fame in 2017. She was recognized by  the Alameda County County Arts Commission for Excellence in Arts Leadership in 2016, and by Theater Bay Area for being one of the 40 faces to change the face of theater in the Bay Area. She was recently received the San Francisco Foundation Bay Area Arts Leadership Award. Doctor Ayodele Nzinga, Executive Producing Director, The Lower Bottom Playaz, Inc., is the only director or producer in the known world to produce and direct the entire August Wilson Century Cycle in chronological order.  Her new book, The Horse Eaters an origin tale is on sale at Nomadic Press. Org, Her latest work, Lifer, closes a season of original works, dedicated to exploring incarceration with this story based on the life and times of, Lifer at Large, Glenn Bailey. Nzinga calls the work a darkly humorous cautionary tale about the resilience of the human spirit, redemption personified, and light found in unexpected places.

In conversation with Dr. Nzinga is Glenn Bailey, A Lifer at Large ©, having spent a total of 52 years incarcerated in the California Penal System; he likes to say he “used the first ten to train himself for the 42-year sentence”, he completed in April of 2013. Mr. Bailey is an experiential expert on the industrial prison complex who capitalizes off of his experiences as an inmate to offer insight to youth, so that they can benefit from the life lessons he accumulated along the way, without the experience of being imprisoned.


Link to show: http://tobtr.com/10451123

Wanda's Picks Radio Show, Wed., Dec. 20, 2017

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!

1. Dee Dee Simon, playwright, "Misery Loves Company" at Flight Deck, Christmas Eve, 7 p.m.

2. Delfeayo Marsalis joins us to talk about his first Live Album: "Kalamazoo."

3. TheatreFirst guests join us to talk about the current collaborative project: Participants through Dec. 23 at Live Oak Theatre in Berkeley: Cheri L. Miller; Skyler Cooper; Nick Nanna Mwaluko; Carl Lumbly. Visit http://theatrefirst.com/17-18-season/


Listen to the show: http://tobtr.com/10451113

Wanda's Picks Radio Show, Friday, Dec. 22, 2017

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!

1. Sherri Young, Founder, African American Shakespeare Company, joins us to talk about the holiday favorite, Cinderella, opening this weekend, Dec. 22-24 at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco. She will be joined by Prince Charming (Rickey Soto) and Cinderella (Paige Mayes).  Visit http://www.african-americanshakes.org/productions/cinderella/

2. Dezi Solèy, actress (ensemble), Participants at TheatreFirst in Berkeley, Dec. 22-23, closing weekend. Visit http://theatrefirst.com/tickets/ and www.dezisoley.com

3. Aldo Billingslea, Interim Artistic Director, Lorraine Hansberry Theatre (taped 12/8)

4. Yvonne Cobbs, Musical Director, LHT's Soulful Christmas: A Gospel Holiday Concert and cast join us to talk about the wonderful program (taped 12/15).
 
Show link: http://tobtr.com/s/10451115

Wanda's Picks Friday, December 8, 2017

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!

1. Veronica Blair (aerial straps) in Mittens and Mistletoe, Dec. 22-28 at Dance Mission joins us to talk about her aerial career as well as The Uncle Junior Project

2. Maestro Michael Morgan joins us to talk about the seasonal favorite concert, Hallelujah! Let Us Break Bread Together, Sunday, Dec. 10, 4 p.m. at Oakland's Paramount Theatre.

3. Aldo Billingslea, Interim Artistic Director, Lorraine Hansberry joins us to talk legacy in the future tense this morning as the season ends and begins again for a Bay Area premiere Black Theatre Company. Don't miss 2017 Soulful Christmas, Dec. 14-24 at the Burial Clay Theater at the AAACC.

4. Graham Lustig, Artistic Director, Oakland Ballet, joins us to talk about his Nutcracker,12/23-24 at the Paramount Theatre and "Jungala" based on Kipling's Jungle Book, March 10, 2018 at Skyline High School in Oakland, a collaborative work that tells the story from the perspective of the Indian or South Asian characters.

Visit: http://tobtr.com/10451105