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MUSIC MONDAY: “Sir Duke” – A Duke Ellington Playlist (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: “Sir Duke” – A Duke Ellington Playlist (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on August 2, 2021

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)

It’s Music Monday again! This week’s playlist features the 50-year career of one artist. No covers or tributes, just Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington.

He was a giant of 20th century music. He was arguably the most significant band leader in American music from 1923 until his death a half century later.

From the Cotton Club to Europe, Asia, and Africa, he featured artists like saxophonist Johnny Hodges and his 30-year collaborator, composer-arranger-pianist Billy Strayhorn, and lead the best-known orchestral unit in the history of jazz.

Though Ellington himself embraced the phrase “beyond category,: here’s nearly 6 hours of the music by one the greatest of all time. Enjoy!

And as always, stay safe, sane, and kind.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)
Willie O’Ree, the National Hockey League’s 1st Black Player, Receives Unanimous Support from U.S. Senate for Congressional Gold Medal

Willie O’Ree, the National Hockey League’s 1st Black Player, Receives Unanimous Support from U.S. Senate for Congressional Gold Medal

By goodblacknews on August 2, 2021

While the U.S. Senate hasn’t agreed on much of anything for several years, this week it unanimously passed legislation granting the Congressional Gold Medal to Willie O’Ree, the first Black player to compete in the National Hockey League.

The legislation now moves to the U.S. House of Representatives for approval so O’Ree, 85, and known as the “Jackie Robinson of hockey,” can receive this much deserved honor.

O’Ree broke the NHL’s color barrier in 1958 by playing as a winger for the Boston Bruins, one of six teams at the time. O’Ree, who is Canadian, played professional hockey in his home country before joining the NHL and retiring from the sport in 1979. He has spent the past two decades as the NHL’s diversity ambassador with his Hockey is for Everyone youth program.

To quote cnn.com:

In every game he played in, O’Ree… heard name calling from opposing players and from fans in the stands. “Besides being Black and being blind in my right eye, I was faced with four other things: racism, prejudice, bigotry and ignorance,” he said.

The legislation would award O’Ree the nation’s highest civilian award that Congress can bestow “in recognition of his extraordinary contributions and commitment to hockey, inclusion, and recreational opportunity.”

O’Ree was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018 for his off-ice contributions to the sport. The Bruins retired O’Ree’s No. 22 jersey in February of this year.

In addition to his 2020 memoir Willie: The Game-Changing Story of the NHL’s First Black Player, O’Ree has also been the subject of children’s books like Willie O’Ree: The story of the first black player in the NHL by Nicole Mortillaro and Scholastic Canada Biography: Meet Willie O’Ree by Elizabeth MacLeod.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/31/politics/willie-oree-congressional-gold-medal-nhl-senate/index.html

https://www.theroot.com/willie-oree-nhls-1st-black-hockey-player-set-to-recei-1847384678

(paid amazon links)

New York Artist Tanda Francis and Others Turn Plywood from Black Lives Matter Protests into Public Art

New York Artist Tanda Francis and Others Turn Plywood from Black Lives Matter Protests into Public Art

By goodblacknews on July 29, 2021

New York’s worthless studios, a not-for-profit space for artists, organized The Plywood Protection Project last summer in the wake of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, with the intention of making public art that paid tribute to the racial justice movement.

Tanda Francis, one of the five artists who worked on the project with worthless, used repurposed plywood from boarded-up storefronts to create a sculpture now on display in Queens called “RockIt Black.”

“Rockit Black” sculpture in Queens by Tanda Francis (photo via tandafrancis.com)

“To transform this plywood that was on the streets during the Black Lives Matter actual uprising is… amazing,” Francis told Reuters. “In my work, I actually use the color black and actually try to elevate it, kind of contrast to how it’s been sort of stigmatized in our culture.”

Behin Ha Design Studio erected their contribution called “Be Heard” in Thomas Paine Park in Lower Manhattan.

“Be Heard” by Behin Ha Design Studio in Thomas Paine Park, Manhattan (photo via worthless studios.org)

“New York City was covered in this plywood during COVID shutdowns and, you know, the peak of the Black Lives Matter protests,” said Neil Hamamoto, founder of worthless studios. “To me, it felt important to recycle the material because of its power and rhetoric.”

KaNSiteCurators and Caroline Mardok created “In Honor of Black Lives Matter,” which currently stand in Poe Park in The Bronx.

MUSIC MONDAY: A “Rumba Around the World” Collection (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: A “Rumba Around the World” Collection (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on July 26, 2021

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)

Happy Music Monday, y’all.

The term “rumba” refers to a variety of unrelated music styles. Originally, “rumba” was used as a synonym for “party” in Cuba, and by the late 19th century it was used to denote the complex of secular music styles known as Cuban rumba.

It has since been used in different countries to refer to styles of music and dance around the globe, most of which are only tangentially related to the original Cuban rumba.

This playlist gathers music from Cuba, The Americas, and Africa. This is another one that comes with a “Rump Shaker Warning.”

Please enjoy!

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)
Atlanta Teens Jayla Jackson and Emani Stanton Win International Debate Competition at Harvard

Atlanta Teens Jayla Jackson and Emani Stanton Win International Debate Competition at Harvard

By goodblacknews on July 25, 2021

Jayla Jackson, 16 and Emani Stanton, 17,  made history last week as the first Black female duo to win the Harvard Debate Council‘s international annual summer competition.

Jackson and Stanton secured the fourth consecutive championship for their Atlanta-based team, which has an undefeated 10-0 record. The topic of debate was, “Resolved: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization should substantially increase its defense commitments in the Baltic States.”

To quote from blackenterprise.com:

Each summer, the Harvard Debate Council, one of the oldest campus organizations at Harvard University, hosts a summer residential program for hundreds of gifted youths from over 15 countries around the world who converge on campus for two weeks of intensive study, which culminates in a program-wide debate tournament.

This year’s residency and competition were held virtually due to COVID-19 protocols.

Victors Jackson and Stanton are current members of the Atlanta-based Harvard Diversity Project, an initiative founded by award-winning debate coach and author Brandon P. Fleming.

To hear Jackson and Stanton talk about their triumph on npr.org, click below:

Read more: https://www.blackenterprise.com/undefeated-first-black-girl-duo-wins-international-debate-competition-at-harvard/?test=prebid

https://people.com/human-interest/atlanta-teens-become-first-black-female-duo-to-win-harvards-debate-competition/

Author Ilyasah Shabazz to Executive Produce Series on her Father Malcolm X’s Life at Sony Television’s TriStar

Author Ilyasah Shabazz to Executive Produce Series on her Father Malcolm X’s Life at Sony Television’s TriStar

By goodblacknews on July 20, 2021

According to Variety.com, author Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of El-Hajj Malik El- Shabazz (aka Malcolm X), will executive produce a series at Sony Pictures Television’s Tristar on her father’s life.

The series will be based on the novels X: A Novel and The Awakening of Malcolm X, which were co-written by Shabazz. X: A Novel was co-written by Kekla Magoon while The Awakening of Malcolm X was co-written by Tiffany D. Jackson.

To quote Variety.com:

X: A Novel follows Malcolm’s life from his childhood — including his father being lynched and his mother being institutionalized against her will — up to his imprisonment at age twenty.

The Awakening of Malcolm X picks up during his time in prison when he decided to join the Nation of Islam, ultimately emerging from incarceration as Malcolm X.

State Street Pictures’ Bob Teitel and George Tillman will executive produce with Shabazz, as well as 3 Arts Entertainment’s Jermaine Johnson and Molly Madden.

In addition the two books the Sony series will be based on, Shabazz has also written Growing Up X, the children’s book Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X, and Betty Before X.

Shabazz is also the co-chair of The Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center located at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, the site of her father’s assassination in 1965.

Read more: https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/malcolm-x-tv-series-ilyasah-shabazz-sony-pictures-tv-1235023008/

[Photos: El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (l); Ilyasah Shabazz (r) via ilyasahshabazz.com]

(paid links)

MUSIC MONDAY: “African Unity” – A Collection of Reggae From Around the World (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: “African Unity” – A Collection of Reggae From Around the World (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on July 19, 2021

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)

Happy Monday, you all! This week’s playlist celebrates reggae music from around the world.

Reggae originated in Jamaica in the 1960s. It is deeply linked to Rastafari, Afrocentric thought, and promoting Pan Africanism. It is the nation’s most impactful export.

Over the decades, reggae has traveled with Jamaican immigrants, and its message and popularity has spread cross the globe.

Today there are reggae performers from every corner of the planet. In the United States, Latin America, Europe, the UK, Asia, and Africa you will find reggae artists thriving.

Here’s a collection of established artists like Linton Kwesi Johnson, Steel Pulse, the late Lucky Dube, and Alpha Blondy. Also included are emerging artists like Awa Fall, Los Cafres, and Matthew McAnuff.

Hope you enjoy this collection of classics and new music. And as always, stay safe sane, and kind.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)
WNBA Champion and All-Star Candace Parker to be 1st Woman on Cover of NBA 2K Game

WNBA Champion and All-Star Candace Parker to be 1st Woman on Cover of NBA 2K Game

By goodblacknews on July 15, 2021

WNBA powerhouse Candace Parker will be on the cover of NBA 2K22 in honor of the WNBA’s 25th anniversary as a pro league. This makes the Chicago Sky star the first woman player to take center stage on the latest edition popular NBA2K video game series.

“I grew up a video game fanatic, that’s what I did, to the point where my brothers would give me the fake controller when I was younger where I think I was playing and I wasn’t,” Parker said. “All I wanted to do was just be like them. As a kid growing up, you dream of having your own shoe and dream of being in a video game. Those are an athlete as a kid’s dreams. To be able to experience that, I don’t take it lightly.”

https://twitter.com/Candace_Parker/status/1415311818071756806

Parker has been a national presence in the sport since college, where she lead Tennessee to back-to-back national championships (2007 and 2008).

In 2016, Parker helped the Los Angeles Sparks win their first WNBA championship since 2002. Parker has also won two Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012), two WNBA Most Valuable Player Awards (2008, 2013), a WNBA Finals MVP Award (2016), a WNBA All-Star Game MVP Award (2013) and the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award (2008). She has been selected to six All-WNBA teams and five All-Star teams.

NBA 2K22 will be released on Sept. 10.

Read more: https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/31816516/chicago-sky-candace-parker-first-woman-cover-nba-2k-game

https://thegrio.com/2021/07/14/candace-parker-first-woman-cover-nba-2k/

Story of Race Car Driving Pioneer Charlie “Speed King” Wiggins to be Told in Feature Film Biopic “Eraced”

Story of Race Car Driving Pioneer Charlie “Speed King” Wiggins to be Told in Feature Film Biopic “Eraced”

By goodblacknews on July 13, 2021

[Photo: Charlie Wiggins via For Gold and Glory on PBS]

According to deadline.com, the story of Charles “Charlie” Wiggins, the most famous African American race car driver of the 1920s and 1930s, will be told in the feature film Eraced. Producing partners on the film will include racing brands Firestone and IndyCar.

Eraced will chronicle the victories and struggles of the once-legendary-now-little-known Charlie “Speed King” Wiggins, who worked his way from shoe shine to mechanic to star racer despite the brutal inequities of segregation and Jim Crow laws.

After being barred repeatedly from whites-only racing events, Wiggins took the parallel Colored Speedway Association by storm and won the prestigious annual Gold and Glory Sweep-stakes four times between 1926 and 1935. When he suffered a career-ending injury in 1936, Wiggins had to deal with exorbitant medical bills and died almost penniless.

Wiggins will be inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame next week in Detroit.

B. Garida (Reagan & Gorbachev), Courtney Gay Wilson (Bronze), and Madisun Leigh (Raphead Response) adapted the feature screenplay from the Emmy-winning documentary and book, For Gold and Glory: Charlie Wiggins and the African American Racing Car Circuit, both written and produced by Todd Gould.

Check out the documentary below:

Read more: https://deadline.com/2021/07/african-american-racing-pioneer-charlie-wiggins-subject-of-movie-biopic-eraced-indycar-firestone-among-partners-1234791501/

https://theundefeated.com/whhw/charlie-wiggins-the-negro-speed-king/

(amazon paid link)

MUSIC MONDAY: “Excursions” – A Jazz Rap Collection (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: “Excursions” – A Jazz Rap Collection (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on July 12, 2021

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)

The connection between jazz and rap goes back to the glory days of Louis Jordan. In the 1970s, The Last Poets and Gil Scott-Heron brought their spoken word to straight ahead jazz music.

Though the sub genre of Jazz Rap really started In 1988 with the release of Gang Starr’s debut single “Manifest” sampling Dizzy Gillespie‘s “Night in Tunisia” from 1952, AllMusic.com describes the genre as “an attempt to fuse African-American music of the past with a newly dominant form of the present, paying tribute to and reinvigorating the former while expanding the horizons of the latter.”

The main groups involved in the formation of the style include A Tribe Called Quest, Digable Planets, De La Soul, Gang Starr, The Roots, Jungle Brothers, and Dream Warriors.

This collection features classics of the genre as well as recent releases from this year. I do hope you all enjoy.

Stay safe, sane and kind, you all.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)