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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 23, 2013)
Books A Matter of Life or Death Why Black Men Must Save Black Boys in America’s Public School Edited by Dr. Michael W. Nellums and Dr. Walter Milton, Jr. By Kam Williams Special to The Skanner News “Life for many black boys is akin to a war. Wars on their minds, souls, spirits and yes, even their bodies take place on a daily basis. It is my desire that our sons become equipped with an artillery of excellence, weapons of mass knowl- edge/information and a navigation/GPS system that will help them avoid life’s roadblocks… The co-author of this book, Dr. Michael Nellums, an accomplished educator… and I are dedicated to creating a resource for parents, students and community members. Our work in environments populated with black male students has propelled us to join in the pursuit to write this book… It is our firm belief that readers will find our project meaningful and helpful in their fight to combat the numerous and varied challenges that impact our boys.” — Excerpted from the Prologue by Dr. Walter Milton, Jr. (pgs. 1-4) D espite the imple- mentation of numerous educa- tional programs since the Sixties such as Head Start, No Child Left Behind and, most recently, Race to the Top, African-Amer- ican males continue to fare poorly in the nation’s public high schools. Rather than wait for the next federal initiative, Dr. Michael W. Nellums and Dr. Walter Milton, Jr. have decided to do some- thing about it, given the prospect of having yet another generation of inner-city black boys slip through the cracks. As a principal and former school superin- tendent with a combined 40+ years of service in the field, these African-American academics feel strongly that it is incumbent upon folks like themselves to intervene. So, they enlisted the assistance of fellow educa- tors in writing: to write A Matter of Life or Death: Why Black Men Must Save Black Boys in America’s Public Schools. Read the rest of this story online at www.theskanner.com Page 8 The Portland Skanner October 23, 2013 Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington by Terry Teachout By Jerry Harkavy The Associated Press D uke Ellington died nearly 40 years ago, but for jazz fans of a certain age his musical creativ- ity and elegant style remain timeless. Whether he was lead- ing his orchestra in ``Take the A Train,’’ the composition by collab- orator Billy Strayhorn that became Ellington’s theme, or assuring his fans in his velvety bass-baritone that he loved them madly, the Duke’s public persona as a jazz giant has endured for half a century. Fans remain familiar with the music, from popular hits like ``Mood Indigo’’ and ``Sophisticated Lady’’ to the ambi- tious longer works that often drew mixed reviews, but the man himself is still — by his own design — shrouded in mystery. Terry Teachout, the Wall Street Journal drama critic and author of a critically acclaimed biography of Louis Armstrong, penetrates that veil with a portrait of a tal- ented musician obsessed with his quest for respectability who remained evasive and deceptive in his dealings with band members and other close associates. Even his closest friends could only guess at what he really thought. But what cannot be denied is that this high school dropout and self-taught musi- cian ranks as the greatest of all jazz composers, one who left behind roughly 1,700 compositions. He was notorious for incorporating into his work many of the musical riffs of his band members, often without offering them due credit or com- pensation. When he did pay, it was usually a modest one-time amount rather than a share of royalties. Ellington’s work schedule was daunting, and he did much of his composing in hotel rooms late at night and into the morning. He also was notorious for procrasti- nation, putting off the completion of long-awaited compositions until the per- formance date arrived and delay was no longer an option. One aspect of his life that the suave and urbane band- leader did make time for was lovemaking. The Duke and his wife, Edna, separated in 1929 after 11 years of marriage when his philandering prompted her to slash him on the face with a razor, leaving a scar on his left cheek. They never divorced, but Ellington took up with a succession of women and never lacked for female com- panionship. The experience of being black in Amer- ica served as a theme for some of Ellington’s compositions, including ``Black, Brown and Beige,’’ a 45-minute suite performed for the first time in 1943. The Duke and his band received a warm reception when they performed in the seg- regated South, but they bunked in private Pullman cars rather than seek lodgings that would accommodate them. This well-researched biography is sure to appeal to longtime jazz fans who revel in their memories of Ellington’s work and others who may want to learn more about his fascinating life. Parts of the book pre- suppose a level of musical knowledge that not all readers have, but they are sure to gain a better understanding of his great- ness.
