The John Warfield Center for African and African American Studies supported the development of delta dandi with a research grant that funded my trip to Nigeria in 2006. During that trip some of the foundational questions that shaped early incarnations of delta dandi where formed: What are my Ancestor’s stories? What is my relationship to Nigeria? How do African rituals and performance inform my artistic aesthetic (jazz)? What is the place of queers and women in Tradition/Ritual?
I decided to create this post as the result of questions asked by audience members/students and artists during talk backs-residencies-and informal conversations….Sharon
I was very Inspired by Hannibal Lokumbe’s African Portraits. I met Hannibal in the late 90s at the Carver Museum in Austin, TX. I read a poem that I had written in tribute to Langston Hughes at an annual event/curated by Evelyn Martin-Anderson. After the event Hannibal came up to me and offered encouragement. He and his wife were very supportive of my work for years to come. As a result/I got to see African Portraits in San Antonio. That experience sparked early visions of what became delta dandi. To listen to Hannibal on American Routes Public Radio CLICK HERE.
A Few Things I Read/Regarding Inspiration For delta dandi:
To Be or Not to Bop Memoirs by Dizzy Gillespie
Morning Glory a biography of Mary Lou Williams by Linda Dahl
Beyond Category: The Life and Genius of Duke (Ellington) by JOHN EDWARD HASSE
Lena by Lena Horne and Richard Schickel
Same Soul Many Bodies by Brian Weiss
The Instruction: Living the Life Your Soul Intended by Ainslie MacLeod
The Way of Orisa: Empowering Your Life Through the Ancient African Religion of Ifa by Philip J. Neimark
A Few Things That I listened to:
NPR Jazz Profiles
JazzCorner Interviews
Piano Jazz Shorts
Black, Brown, & Beige by Duke Ellington
Mary Lou’s Mass by Mary Lou Williams
Shave ‘Em Dry by Lucille Bogan
A Few Places I Hung Out/While Writing:
In coffee shops/with Loved Ones…in Dreams
Jazz Museum In Harlem
Agape (I am an online community member. I attend whenever I am home)
Additionally
I viewed clips from the Louis Armstrong Jazz Oral History Project at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York, New York.
And research materials and support were provided by Steven Fullwood, Project Director of the Black Gay & Lesbian Archive, at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York, New York.
delta dandi is the result of a huge shift for me. Artistically/Spiritually/Personally it represents release/Change/Newness. In this context it is really impossible for me to note everything that went into researching this piece. I feel that all my experiences/everything that I’ve written till now/all that I’ve read-listened to and viewed have informed delta dandi. Growing up Southern Spirited/Urban raised/Being Transdenominational/Queer…a child of the times described in the video below certainly birthed the seed that delta dandi rose out of:
And of course…Being Witness to PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA’s campaign and historic election/Changed everything! It is a New day…
Sharon Bridgforth (c) 2008 delta dandi (Excerpt)
i wear hat and suspenders
pants with high waist and cuffs
tie and pointed shoes shining.
i carry my staff and veil. flow into all my selves.
i am King. now and always. girl woman. seer. in this bodytoday i say
i am right to be here
today i call my own name proudly
today i take old skin off and eat it
i am made new.this is where it all comes together.
this is where we meet. the shift is now.
the Change has come. it is time.
i move from the crossroads
stand where all the rivers meet.
life flows through me.
i wait for you.
come to me.ask your question child.
Sharon Bridgforth (c) 2008 delta dandi
