You are in: HOME
| Wanda’s Picks July 18, 2007 |
|
|
|
| by Wanda Sabir | |
| Wednesday, 18 July 2007 | |
|
We remember Fundi passed last week after a long bout with Parkinson’s disease. There will be a memorial sometime in August or September. The founding choir director of Vukani Mawethu was a former art teacher in the Oakland Unified School District. I recall auditioning for the choir back when my kids needed babysitters. I was so shocked when I made the cut. Singing to free South Africa from segregation, singing a county into freedom and justice. What an underutilized weapon art and culture are. I wonder if this is another reason why the first thing to go during public education budget cuts is the art. The goal is to hamstring our children — tie them up and then withhold the tools of liberation. Marc Cary and I spoke about Sekou Sundiata last week, and today at 5:47 a.m. he made his transition after lingering for a week in a coma. He was 58, a professor of literature at New School. The writer, performance artist and teacher had suffered two heart attacks, one in the parking lot of the hospital that, I think, released him too soon. Sundiata who’d written a lot about his journey through this terrain in black skin and a male body, also more recently wrote about his kidney transplant and his new lease on life. He will be missed. Cards can be sent to 296 Stuyvesant Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11221.  That’s the great choreographer and teacher Ruth Beckford on the cover of the new book, “Black Artists in Oakland.” Big kudos to Duane Deterville and Jerry Thompson for their new book, “Black Artists in Oakland,” a superb book that captures the integrity of the Black arts movement and community here in the East Bay. Oakland is the town the Black Panther Party built; however, not readily understood is the fertile soil which allowed such a movement to thrive. So often artists in America are undervalued, especially Black artists who are a font of ideas for everyone with a grant idea or a study abroad in the ‘hood proposal (reality tour of the ghetto?). Like the appropriation of Black art forms, whether jazz or hip hop, there are no props and little if any compensation. Brother authors Deterville and Thompson seek to rectify that omission. This book is telling our stories, an idea which needs to continue. Many of the photos are from the comprehensive archives at the African American Museum and Library, Oakland, 659 14th St., at Martin Luther King Jr. Way. It’s fitting that the first stop along a Bay Area book tour starts there this Saturday, July 21, at 2 p.m. To RSVP, call (510) 637-0200. This is so the hosts will know how much food to buy and how many chairs to set up. If you don’t arrive early you will be standing ‘cause almost everybody connected to the Black arts movement in Oakland are in this book and you want to be in their company. The Oakpod Afterwards, if you feel so inclined, be my guest at the preview opening of TaSin Sabir’s new gallery, The Oakpod, at 450 Santa Clara Ave., in Oakland on Saturday from 4 to 9 p.m. The official opening is Aug. 25. Visit www.theoakpod.com to see the calendar of events for this new Oakland business. TaSin is co-author of the catalog “100 Families Oakland: Art and Social Change” and is a contributor to the new anthology “Meridians: Feminism, Race, Transnationalism,” Vol. 7, No. 2, 2007, illustrating Rickie Solinger’s essay on “Interrrupted Life: Incarcerated Mothers in the United States: A Traveling Art Exhibit,” which was here at New College of California last year. Ravi Coltrane and Anoushka Shankar  Anoushka Shankar’s new CD Anoushka Shankar, Ravi Shankar’s 25-year-old daughter, will be in San Francisco Sunday, July 22, with a new project she and multi-instrumentalist Kursh Kahle, also trained in classical Indian music, call “Breathing Underwater,” the title of their CD, which features many guests like Anoushka’s father, Ravi Shankar, Sting and Norah Jones, whom I didn’t know was Anoushka’s sister. At Stern Grove this Sunday, July 22, Shankar and Kale’s “Breathing Underwater” is featured along with guests, Non-stop Bhangra Collective, who will open the afternoon with Punjabi music, which mixes the traditional music with DJ tracks and live tabla and dhol drums, scratching and Bhangra dancers of Dholrhythms Dance Troupe. Visit www.sterngroverfestival.com for information or call (415) 252-6252. Sigmund Stern Grove Park is at 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard in San Francisco. The L, K and M lines stop across the street. Eleggua Mayor Ron Dellums named July 17 “African Arts and Culture Day” in the City of Oakland, and what better way to kick it off than to have a concert featuring ensembles from Venezeula and Puerto Rico. Eleggua, the all women drumming ensemble, and la Familia Zepeta from Puetro Rico filled the James Moore Theatre with enough positive vibes to charge a light bulb. The tour continues Wednesday, July 18, at the Mission Cultural Center and Thursday, July 19, the ensemble closes at La Peña Cultural Center. Though all Venezuelans are to varying degrees of African descent, it is along the coast that the African legacy is most prominent. An agrarian area, most are descendants of planters who worked on coco plantations, like Belen Palacios, who at 71 is the elder in the group. Palacios is one of the only persons able to play bambu with qultiplas (bricks hit with bamboo mallets). The women sat on the floor and played an interesting rhythm on the instruments. Alicia Ade Irawo performed Eleggua. Unannounced she came into the theatre dancing down the stairs onto the stage. With the hooks staff and striped face paint on her cheeks, she characterized the trickster deity who stands at the crossroads — called the gatekeeper, his colors red, black and white. He’s humorous, often tossing candy and other treats or tricks into the assemblage. Seeing the Cepeda family – Dr. Modesto Cepeda y Familia Cepeda with members of Cacique Kongo – was such a treat, and even though Alexis Machado, founder of Eleggua, told me later not to let language be a barrier, I still wished I could speak without a translator, understand the words to the chants and songs. Two women danced, with the patriarch as this really cute little boy dressed in white, who danced just as well as his guardian and parents. Every time he turned – his movements like second nature, seemingly in his own world watching and participating on stage – the audience would applaud. He could have easily performed alone. After the women soloed, the patron, Baba Cepede, took his grandson and danced with him. He seemed shy now that he was center stage. The Cepedas host a music workshop at La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, on Wednesday, July 25, from 6:30 to 9:30. Call (510) 652-1627, email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.musicbeat.org. Dressed in billowy layered skirts, the women used their garments in the dance as they were accompanied by live singers and drummers. Eleggua needed no introduction as they made their way to the stage. Their garments were red slacks, gold sandals, a white blouse with a gingham pink scarf thrown over a shoulder. Seated next to Marvin X, I agreed when he said the sisters could have been from HP (Hunters Point). They looked just like us. The program was the work of Caribelinq, a digital media arts production company whose mission, founder Theo Williams writes, is to present diverse images of African, Caribbean and Latin America cultures, while assisting in developing long lasting cultural exchanges throughout the African Diaspora and beyond. Emcees that evening were Theo Williams, who opened the program and introduced Chief Yaddea Wolowo Onilu, who poured libations, Umi Vaughan, assistant professor of Africana Studies at Cal State Monterey Bay, and Patricia Abdelnour, cultural attaché for the embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, who graciously introduced each song and invited me afterward to a special dinner for Eleggua at Jackeline Rago’s home in Oakland. Read more about the evening and an exclusive interview with the founding director, Alexis Machado, and three members, Belen Palacio, Nelsey Rivero, and Heeidy Rondon, on the website www.wandaspicks.com. ‘Color Struck’ 2-for-1 tickets Directed by Michael Torres, Donald Lacy’s “Color Struck” is back, this time at the Buriel Clay Theatre at the African American Art and Culture Complex, 760 Fulton St., San Francisco, July 20-29 for six performances, Fridays-Sundays. The show is Lacy’s coming-of-age story during a time when his skin pigment, which was lighter than others in his family, made him the brunt of jokes that made him feel not Black enough. His journey through Black culture is both comic and tragic – tragic because Black people are still color struck. White skin is good and straight hair is a ticket to paradise. Patricia Abdelnour, Venezuela cultural attaché, spoke about this dilemma in her country Tuesday evening to me. With Torres’ direction, “Color Struck” is as thought provoking as it is fine theatre. Tickets are $20, but if you email Sean Jose at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , you have a shot at the free or discounted ticket offer. From here, Donald Lacy takes the show by invitation to the National Black Theatre Festival. After this he will perform it for the National Black Caucus in Washington, D.C., at the request of Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who loved it when she saw it at Laney College in the spring. Visit www.colorstruck.net. Sonwa Rudi Mwongozi and Sonwa will be performing at the Eastside Alliance Cultural Center, 2211 International Blvd. on July 28, 8 p.m. He will be accompanied by two incredible musicians, Erich Hunt on bass, who, Mwongozi says, is “one of the most melodic and versatile bass players in the Bay Area,” and the musician’s 13-year-old son Issa on drums. “Issa is not just phenomenal for a 13-year-old, but he is as fun to play with or listen to as an adult. Years from now, when his secret is out across the jazz world, you will be able to say you saw him when,” predicted Mwongozi. Sonwa will perform songs from his latest album, “Keys to the Treasures of Heaven and Earth,” an album of all acoustic and all original songs as well as songs from “Seeking Reality,” the album that has been out for a year now and which has garnered much critical acclaim. San Francisco Theater Festival This Sunday, July 22, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Forum and Screening Room at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St., there is a free theatre festival featuring Shakespeare, hip-hop, musical theater, improv, solo performers, comedy, drama and a full children’s program. It’s all part of the exciting and diverse San Francisco Theater Festival. Meet the actors and learn about these innovative theater groups during the festival’s 75 performances on 10 indoor and outdoor stages. Visit www.ybca.org/tickets/production.aspx?performanceNumber=4175. ‘Ella’ at the San Jose Rep The play “Ella,” portraying the life of singer Ella Fitzgerald closes at the San Jose Rep this weekend. Visit http://www.sjrep.com/plays/2007/ella/. Concerts at the Cadillac On Friday, July 20, the Cadillac Hotel at 380 Eddy St. in San Francisco’s Tenderloin will begin its first free noontime concert series, called “Concerts at the Cadillac,” continuing every Friday through August. The hotel recently received the donation of a fully-restored 1884 Steinway & Sons Model D Concert Grand Piano. This superb piano, worth $125,000, was a gift in memory of Patricia Walkup, an effective San Francisco community activist. The first performer will be Paul Hogarth. The purpose of the concerts is to make great music available to the residents of the Cadillac Hotel and the Tenderloin. The Cadillac Hotel, the first “Single Residence Occupancy” hotel east of the Mississippi, was built in 1907 — and is an official San Francisco landmark. Call the hotel for information, at (415) 673-7223. The programmers need pianists who would consider donating their time to play at these free concerts. If you’d like to volunteer to play and/or accompany a singer, call (415) 282-3651 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it For more information, visit www.patriciawalkup.org. Cutting Ball’s ‘Taming of the Shrew’ Cutting Ball’s “Taming of the Shrew” is set in San Francisco’s seedy red light district, under the auspices of porn star producer Kate. This “Shrew” production includes Shakespeare’s prologue, a part normally omitted that shows the play as the farce it is. This is “Shrew” full strength and powerful rather than its poorly reconstituted, ever popular diluted substitute. I was so happy to see this version. I hate the other one — yes, hate it! How could the Bard support the status quo? It had to be a forgery, right? Cutting Ball Theatre’s “Taming of the Shrew” runs through July 29, Thursdays-Sundays, certainly a highlight of this the summer theatre season. Visit www.cuttingball.com or call (800) 838-3006. Shows are 8 p.m., 5 p.m. on Sundays. Mime Troupe’s ‘Making a Killing’ San Francisco Mime Troupe’s “Making a Killing” is certainly worth a visit to the nearest park to see. The writing is so on point, especially the references to the vice president’s connections to organized crime, also known as corporate America. It’s uncanny. You find yourself laughing and wondering why Americans haven’t impeached and recalled the entire Bush administration. “Making a Killing” is about making a killing in Iraq financially and in human lives. The only winners in this war are the rich and powerful. What’s really amusing is watching the in-fighting between Condoleezza Rice and VP Cheney, who keeps having heart attacks, real and manipulated by Rice, who wants his position at Halliburton. There is a podcast video of the production at www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWPgEvt_Jz8. Salsa by the Lake Dance this weekend with Isaac Kos-Read, who will give timba and a Cuban salsa lesson at the Lake Merritt Pargola (the columns) next to the fountain between Lakeshore and Grand Avenues in Oakland this Sunday, July 22, 2-6 p.m. It’s free. 2007 World Music Series Besides the Venezuelan Music Project, Friday, July 20, 8 p.m., $18 in advance and $20 at the door, other artists in the 2007 World Music Series are Ojalá, featuring the music of Afro-Cuba, and Maze Daiko, featuring music that is a mix of instrumentation and rhythms with the physical elegance and powerful sounds of taiko. They perform Saturday, July 21, 8 p.m. Then Sunday, July 22, Maze Daiko performs at 8 p.m. Visit www.rhythmix.org or call (510) 845-5060. Rhythmix Cultural Works is located just off Oakland’s 29th Street Bridge, or Park Street in Alameda; 29th Avenue turns into Park Street once you cross the bridge. All the ensembles feature women artists. Kotoja Jazz and World Music The Fifth Annual Summertime at Morrow Cove, Cal Maritime in Vallejo, a free outdoor summer concert series, continues with Kotojo this Saturday, July 28, 6 p.m., at Vallejo along the shores of the Carquinez Straits in a beautiful grassy meadow. Vallejo’s Alvon Johnson, www.alvon.org, blues guitarist, opens the show at 6 p.m. Kotoja will take the stage at 7 p.m. Visit www.communityconcerts.com and www.RedDragonflyProductions.com. Bay View Arts Editor Wanda Sabir can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Visit her website, www.wandaspicks.com, for an expanded version of Wanda’s Picks and for exciting “web exclusives.” |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
