“Could it be possible for humans to breath underwater? A fetus in its mother’s womb is certainly alive in an aquatic environment… During the greatest holocaust the world has ever known, pregnant America-bound African slaves were thrown overboard by the thousands during labour for being sick and disruptive cargo. Is it possible that they could […]
Read More Aqua IncognitaLast Tuesday, I went to Kodwo Eshun‘s lecture, “In the Hour of the Halogen Wolves,” that was part of the Afrofuturism series and as the the title suggests, it was very dense. This man has a lot to say and he is definitely sesquipedalian (go look it up), but I did learn a lot. So, […]
Read More Processing, Processing… Recap of Kodwo Eshun Lecture“Coltrane Curtis, most recently known as the managing partner of New York-based media company Epiphany, is the latest to be chronicled in R+I Creative’s The Pursuit of (Cool) series. This latest video focuses on Coltrane’s fashion influences from the world of jazz. He speaks about why people like Duke Ellington, Wynton Marsalis and Mos Def […]
Read More Modern Griots: Coltrane CurtisJazz musician Etienne Charles speaks about how today’s hip-hop style is borrowing a lot from yesterday’s jazz style– the suits, ties, fedoras, jackets. Check out more from iRock Jazz.
Read More We’ve Got the Jazz (Style)Valerie June feat. John Forte- Give Me Water Valerie June is an music artist that caught my attention months ago. The “Organic Moonshine Roots” (a term she came up with) singer mixes together aspects from roots music, including the spirituals, blues, folk music, soul, and Appalachian music, and puts it into a modern 21st century […]
Read More Modern Griots: Valerie JuneSo, I did attend Bobby Sanabria directing the Manhattan School’s Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, and I must say it was so worth my $5. I would’ve payed more if it cost more. Once again, I must applaud how Sanabria is not only a drummer, but a genuine historian and performer who loves what he does and […]
Read More “Mambo Nights in Hollywood” Mini-ReviewYesterday, I wrote about the Festival of the Nw Black Imagination and one of the speakers was DJ 2-tone Jones. The idea for Jones and Watson’s project started with the graphic designer Logan Walters‘ project called, Wu-Note, in which he redesigned Wu-Tang Clan album covers as if they were original jazz Blue Note Records albums. […]
Read More Modern Griots: Gerald Watson, DJ 2-tone Jones and Shaolin JazzAlondra Nelson speaks about afrofuturism and the concepts embedded within it, such as alienation, modernity, subjectivity, utopia, and speculation, in a Feed interview. She also mention different musical acts who explored afrofuturism, such as Sun Ra, George Clinton, Janelle Monae, Prince and Labelle (Patti Labelle, Nona Hendyx, Cindy Birdsong). Source: Kunst and Xoias
Read More What Is Afrofuturism? Part 2DJ Voodoo Funk posted a mix of some great Funk/Afro-beat music from Ghana and Nigeria. Here is the link to the music and the track listing: 00:00 The Uppers -dankasa 03:30 Roy Hamilton -jack jones 06:40 Gyadu Blay Ambolley -sikape 12:14 De Frank -waiting for my baby 16:33 The Cutlass Band -obiara wondo 19:08 The Strangers […]
Read More African HeatI call it the Pew Problem: the feeling of wanting to move around but you cannot because you are constricted by the rows of seats around you. That is how I felt Saturday night at the Afro-Cuban Bobby Sanabria Band’s performance at York College with special guest, legendary percussionist Candido Camero. But that is a […]
Read More Modern Griot Reviews: Sanabria and Camero, Drum Virtuosos
Sherese Francis 