I am soooo happy that I got to see Jason Moran perform at the San Francisco Jazz Center!
Duke Ellington is always an Inspiration.
Today I am really digging this:
“There is no art without intention”. Duke Ellington
More about Duke Ellington HERE.
The Great Artist/Innovator Lawrence “Butch” Morris Transitioned today..
Lawrence D. “Butch” Morris, an improvising musician who pioneered a system of ensemble interaction he called Conduction, has died at a hospital in New York City, his publicist confirmed. He had lung cancer, which was diagnosed last August. He was 65… Read NPR’s announcement HERE.
Butch was a huge influence in my imagining of River See…
As a meditation, in resistance to mainstream media that hypes wide spread ignorance, stereotypes and hate….In celebration of some of the amazing work being done around the world by people who dare to Dream. I Meditate on this…
My Father, Lanny Elijah Ross, Sr., Transitioned 10/12/12.
My Dad.
He was a good man.
He lead a Full/powerful/FUN filled Life.
He was Loved by many.
He helped countless people/in countless ways.
He found Joy in everything he did.
He embodied Spirituality and compassion.
He had an awesome sense of humor.
He Loved Jazz.
His wife Barbara Braud Ross and her entire family Lift him.
His five children, 14 grandchildren, 2 greatgrands, two neices, greatneices/and more carry his legacy Forward with pride.
Lanny Elijah Ross, Sr. Inspires me.
I am so Blessed that he is my Father.
Blessings on High Daddy…
I wrote blood pudding in honor of my Dad/and the blood memories that haunt me. blood pudding was performed at the 2010 New York SummerStage Festival. blood pudding will be in the upcoming anthology, Geechee to Gumbo: Black Southern Womanloving Culture & Politics, Eds. Marlon Moore and L.H. Stallings. Published by RedBone Press. More about blood pudding HERE.
As a meditation, in resistance to mainstream media that hypes wide spread ignorance, stereotypes and hate….In celebration of some of the amazing work being done around the world by people who dare to Dream. I Meditate on this…
As a meditation, in resistance to mainstream media that hypes wide spread ignorance, stereotypes and hate….In celebration of some of the amazing work being done around the world by people who dare to Dream. I Meditate on this…
I LOVE TEDTalks! I appreciate the range of topics/and that artists are critically engaged as experts. So many of the talks have Inspired me. This is one of my favorites: ( Sarah Jones Global Village)!
Visit TEDTalks HERE.
As a meditation, in resistance to mainstream media that hypes wide spread ignorance, stereotypes and hate….In celebration of some of the amazing work being done around the world by people who dare to Dream. I Meditate on this…
Langston Hughes. My first Love. I adore him. I am so grateful to him/for the way he so lovingly, precisely, innovatively/documented the heart and soul of Black people with his writing. The way he captured the blues/and jazz of us. The way he changed the world. One word at a time.
Langston Hughes/his work/his Life. He Inspires me.
As a meditation, in resistance to mainstream media that hypes wide spread ignorance, stereotypes and hate….In celebration of some of the amazing work being done around the world by people who dare to Dream. I Meditate on this…
I am really into Caroline Myss right now. In a podcast that I’m listening to, in the context of talking about the power of Grace/the Presence of God and her book, Invisible Acts Of Power, she tells the story of a man that was heading home to commit suicide. He was deep in thought about this, waiting to cross the street/when a woman drove up at the crossing. The man waved her by (to go ahead), instead of proceeding she smiled and said no, you go. He said her smile was so stunning, that he decided to live.
I first heard about Caroline Myss on Oprah. Oprah first had her on as a guest in 1998 (way ahead of her time), but I didn’t see that show/I saw her on Super Soul Sundays (I LOVE that show! GO OPRAH! GO OWN!). Caroline Myss, and Oprah, Inspire me! I am Grateful…
As a meditation, in resistance to mainstream media that hypes wide spread ignorance, stereotypes and hate….In celebration of some of the amazing work being done around the world by people who dare to Dream. I Meditate on this…
Walter Kitundu is a genius. Fo real tho. In 2008 he was awarded a MacArthur Genius Award. Walter is a musical instrument builder, graphic artist, musical composer, photographer, and more. We all knew how special/how gifted and important Walter is, so it was thrilling to witness him receive such critical recognition. I am really grateful that I got to meet Walter back in the day when he was doing some work with my dear friend Daniel Alexander Jones in Austin, Texas. I keep up with Walter’s work and career. I find it motivating. Inspiring. A reminder to Dream.
As a meditation, in resistance to mainstream media that hypes wide spread ignorance, stereotypes and hate….In celebration of some of the amazing work being done around the world by people who dare to Dream. I Meditate on this…
My all time favorite book is, The Warmth Of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson. The book is about the Great (African American) Migrations/one of my favorite topics. A topic close to my heart (I am a child of the Great Migration). I am deeply moved and Inspired by the brave Souls who migrated/their stories/Ms. Wilkerson’s scholarship, sensitivity, research/her writing. The book focuses on three people, but is the result of more than 1,200 interviews. I was lucky enough to see her speak at DePaul University last year. She is as dynamic as her book!
Hear/Read Wilkerson’s interview with Terry Gross on NPR HERE.
