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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 1994)
T he P ortland O bserver • F ebruary 09, 1994 • V/Ó P age B3 ENTERTAINMENT Blues Greats B.B. King, Ruth Brown Introduce “ The Blues Story” m r convinced o n v i n r p d t that h a t t the h e future fu tu re “I a am m usic of this country must be founded on w hat are c a lle d N egro melodies...There is nothing in the whole range of composition that can not find a thematic source there.” Antonin Dvorak Czech composer, “Symphony in E Minor, From The New World” (December, 1893). Blues greats b.B. King and Ruth Brown w arm ed up a corner o f Manhattan’s bitterly cold business district with arecent impromptu “con cert” that introduced the radio docu mentary series, “the Blues Story: Tri umph Of An American Music Form .” Scheduled to air on 480 radio stations nationw ide, “The B lues Story,” a series of six one half hour audio tapes, was produced by radio America and underwritten by Philip Morris Companies Inc., to commemo rate ‘Black History Month, February, 1994. The series was introduced to the public during a reception for more than a hundred supporters who braved New York City’s Arctic winds to reach the Sculpture Court, Whitney Museum, a the Manhattan offices of Philip Morris ‘companies Inc. The spacious atrium then rocked fora time as B.B. King sangout,“But, if it’s no tasking too much, please send me someone to love....” Ruth Brown later thrilled the crowd with: “You’re the best thing that ever hap pened to me.” The host for the evening, George L. Knox II, Vice President, Public Affairs, Philip Morris Companies Inc., told the guests: “To many of us the blues are about more than music- -they are about the triumphs of Afri can Americans, the human stories that are sad and harsh, and at the same time, sweet and joyous. Ruth Brown, B.B. King centered behind portrait Knox said earlier: “Philip Morris is pleased to help develop educational projects and give all people a deeper understanding of the contributions of African Americans to the mosaic of our country.” The radio documentary series, which will be given, without cost to schools and other not for profit orga- nizations, explores the birth and evo lution of the blues. Placing the music in an historical context, it features entertaining and informative inter views with such legendary blues mu sicians as B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, as well as successful modern-day blues artists like Robert Cray. Noted blues scholars help trace the blues’ journey from the Mississippi Delta to urban ‘American cities and to England, where the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and the Animals adapted the form and helped popularize it among whites. The series producers note that at its birth, the blues reflected the social isolation and adverse circumstances of its creators; but the blues also of fered encouragement to be strong and to overcome obstacles. Thorough its music and poetry the blues expressed life’s struggles and celebrations, tra vails and victories. It expresses sad ness and joy. The message of the blues today is the same and its resonance is felt around the world. As an en d u rin g A m erican m usic art form , the blues co n tin ues to inspire m usicians and fans w orldw ide.1 A nd--as the late jazz trum peter M iles Davis noted in his c la ssic c o m p o sitio n , “ All B lues”— the blues still lies a the heart o f much good m usic, its influence extending beyond the narrow confines o f its genre. O thers heard in the rad io s e rie s are: H enry L o u is G a te s, C hairm an, D epartm ent o f A fri can-A m erican studies, H arvard U niversity; Jude Peiser, D irector, C en ter for Southern F o lk lo re; Am iri B araka, poet and author, “ Blues P eople”; Pete Seeger, m u sician; John Hope Franklin, James B. Duke Professor of history, Duke U niversity; Jim O ’Neal, form er editor, Living blues M agazine; Sid Greaves, Director, Delta Blues M useum ; Sam uel C harters, au thor, “The C ountry B lues” and P eter G uralnick, author, “ :The Blues: Searching for R obert John- _ son. __ »» Philip Morris Companies Inc. has underwritten radio America’s series of Black History Month docu mentaries every year since 1989 and each production has won a prize for excellence. The programs, in chronological order, were: “Afro-Americans and the Evolution of a Living Constitu tio n ” (1989); “Equal R ights in America: Desegregation Under Law” (1990); “Contributions: African- Americans and the American Mo saic” (1991); “Mr. Justice Thurgood Marshall and the Struggle to End Legal Segregatoin ” (1992) and “Black Achievers: Prescriptions for Progress” (1993) Tears Of Jog Theatre Take a journey to east Africa and the American Southland when Tears of Joy Theatre presents Brer Rabbit Tales. Brer Rabbit stories in the United States evolved from African tales about the antics of along-eared fellow named Sungura the Hare. Tears of Joy Theatre’s production includes sto ries from both continents. Tears o f Joy Theatre is produc ing Brer Rabbit Tales as a collabora tion with African-American story teller Nyewusi Askari. Askari is an expert on african-American culture and a multi-talented performer. In his creative endeavors, Askari delves into the role a n plays in educating people, He uses traditions from Afro-Ameri can culture, teaching people about those traditions to help them find their own ability tocreate art. Askari will be live, on stage with Tears of Joy Theatre’s puppets recounting the outrageous rabbit tales and playing drums and harmonica. L au g h as th e re s o u rc e f u l S ungura the Hare and B rer R ab bit en list the help o f th eir anim al friends to get them out o f tight spots. Y o u ’ll m eetC hew i the leop ard , W eha the ja c k a l, C hjura the frog, Pem bele the rhinoceros and m any, m any m ore. Brer Rabbit Tales includes three short stories; Son of the Long One, Tug-a-War and Signifyin(g) Mon key. These fiberglass and fabric cre ations are expertly manipulated by Mary Harrison and Fred Riley, two of Tears of Joy Theatre’s staff of profes sional actors/puppeteers. Harrison and Riley joined Tears of Joy in 1993 and toured with Tales of Japan before beginning work on BrerRabbitTales. M u sic M ille n n iu m A nd WEA C e le b r a te B la c k H is to r y M on th EARTH, WIND, & FIRE MIKI HOWARD MIKI HOWARD EARTH, WIND & FIRE M IL L E N N IU M A Tribute To B illie Holiday ■ i ; • J , f JjM 1 .s □ ■ □ Featuring: Strange Fruit • 'Tain't Nobody's Birness It I Do tea I uri ng: SU N D A Y M ORNING • BLOOD BROTHERS • SUPER FIERO Guest artist, Askari, with his Tears of Joy Theatre puppet Friends from "Brer Rabbit Tales" Brer Rabbit Tales, sponsored by Target Stores, will be presented at the Columbia Arts Center (400 W. Ever green Blvd., Vancouver) February 19, 20, 26, and 27 at 2pm. Portland per fo rm an ces w ill be held at the Winningstad Theatre of the Portland Center for the Performing Arts (1111 SW B roadw ay) M arch 5, 6, 12 and 13. S aturday perform ances Betty Ferguson,Manager/Buyer “Giving you the service that you deserve” 503/284-2435 1615 N.E. Killingsworth, RECORD SHOP Portland, Oregon 97211 are at 1 lam and 2pm. Sunday p e r form ances are at 2pm. T ickets are available by calling (503) 248- 0557 or (206) 695-0477 w eek days from 9am to 5pm. B rer Rabbit Tales is recom m ended forchildren age three and older. The play will be interpreted for hearing im paired audiences February 26 and M arch 6. Top Ten R & B 1. R. Kelly 2. Jodeci 3. Domino 4. Eric Gable 6. Toni Braxton Miss Black Oregon USA 1994 Sponsor 7. Mac Mall 8. Freddie Jackson 503/283-3212 FAX 503/289-8906 9. Xscape 5828 N. Lombard 10. 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