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Sam
Rivers Trio
Sam Rivers
is an exciting composer, educator and multi-instrumentalist (tenor & soprano
saxophones, flute, piano) who has performed with such renowned artists as Miles
Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Cecil Taylor, McCoy Tyner, Charles Mingus, and many
others. Mr. Rivers was an artist in residence at the Cornish Institute in Seattle
when I first had the pleasure of meeting him. Rivers is one of the major figures
in contemporary music, an authentic jazz original, prolific composer and virtuoso
performer, a true multi-instrumentalist. Currently he performs solo with his
Trio or Quartet and the Rivbea Orchestra. He?s a former featured veteran
artist with groups of Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Cecil Taylor, McCoy Tyner,
Charles Mingus, Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Anthony Braxton, Muhal Richard
Abrams, Tony Williams, Dave Holland, with blues masters Jimmy Witherspoon, T
Bone Walker and B.B. King. He has appeared as soloist with the San Francisco
Symphony Orchestra, the American Symphony Orchestra and the Symphony of the
New World.
Rivers is
a former faculty member of Wesleyan University, Connecticut College, Dartmouth
College and Cornish Institute. Rivers is a third generation musician whose music
instruction began soon after birth. He studied theory, orchestration and majored
in composition at the Boston Conservatory of Music and completed his studies
at Boston University. He?s a creator of original music that spans the spectrum
of traditional and contemporary jazz, folk, blues, ballads, bebop, latin, hip
hop, funk and avant garde.
Anthony
Cole (Drums, piano, tenor saxophone) has played with Rivers since 1991.
Cole played both drums and tenor sax on the trio album "Concept," and also played
on the Rivbea Orchestra?s "Culmination" and Grammy-nominated "Inspiration."
He has worked as a session musician in Los Angeles and has backed his mother,
jazz singer Linda Cole, and other members of the late Nat "King" Cole?s
extended family. A multi-instrumentalist, Cole also fronted popular Florida
funk-soul band Kow and plays in numerous local groups.
Doug
Mathews (Bass violin, bass guitar, bass clarinet & drums) has played
with Rivers since 1993 and appears on his trio album "Concept," doubling on
bass clarinet. He also played on the Rivbea Orchestra?s "Culmination" and
Grammy-nominated "Inspiration." Mathews studied at Berklee School of Music in
Boston, Mass. As one of the most in-demand freelance musicians in Central Florida,
he has backed artists such as Alphonse Mouzon, Lynn Ariale, Tex Beneke and Warren
Covington. Mathews has also worked in many improvised-music ensembles and performed
with Jon Rose in a concert sponsored by Orlando presenting groups the Civic-Minded
Five.
Dr.
Nelson E. Harrison
I met Dr.
Nelson Harrison at a special conference for independent African American
musicians in New Orleans several years ago. Nelson and I soon became close friends
and associates and soon began work on musical projects of mutual passion and
interest. Dr. Harrison is not only a veteran musician and former member of the
Count Basie Band, but also a clinical psychologist, scholar and inventor of
his own six-octave brass instrument (a ten-inch long brass instrument made out
of spare parts that chromatically reproduces the timbral effects of the entire
range of the brass family) - the "Trombetto." As Regents Lecturer, Dr. Nelson
Harrison will be in residence at UCSC during the week leading up to the festival.
In collaboration with several departments at UCSC he will present lectures on
The Metaphysics of Music, the "Trombetto", poetry and music, and other
areas of study.
A bandleader
since the age of 13, Dr. Harrison is a trombonist, composer, arranger, lyricist
boasting over 400 original works. Theatre credits include original scores written
for works by August Wilson and Richard Wright and movie score work for Mark
Snow and John Russo and Tara Alexander. He was on-air host for a 6-part NPR
series called "Jazz Pittsburgh." Worldwide touring credits include 2+ years
with the Count Basie Orchestra (1978-80) on trombone and 6 years as a New Orleans
traditional jazz pianist. Nelson appears as trombonist in the touring orchestra
in the NBC mini-series "The Temptations" a part he played more than 6 times
(1962-1966) with the actual Temptations.
A Ph.D.
in clinical psychology led him to practice psychotherapy for nine years before
pursuing other entrepreneurial interests, that included stock brokering and
insurance, speaker, management and training consultant and author. As an educator
he presently specializes in a curriculum he has developed to teach the creative
process and music from the Afro-centric perspective. His publication "The World
According to Bop," an anthology of original lyrics to 88 bebop standards has
received endorsement from composers, jazz professionals and educators in the
highest international level. He hosts two web sites: www.hipbopvocalese.com
(for the book) and www.virtualjazz.com (for the Pittsburgh jazz legacy archive).
A favorite on the lecture circuit, Dr. Harrison appears as the featured guest
on "Science and the Outer Streams," a live web cast in three 15-minute episodes
on the subject "The Metaphysics of Music" at www.fromusalive.com.
Thomas
Mapfumo
[Originally scheduled:
Samite Mulondo]
Thomas Mapfumo was
born in 1945 in Marondera, a small town south of the Rhodesian capital, Salisbury.
He spent his first ten years living in the countryside with his grandparents,
tending cattle herds, and waking up long before sunrise to do chores before
school. Though Rhodesia was moving inexorably toward racial civil war, Thomas
was living an old-fashioned, traditional life, mostly removed from the bitterness
building in the cities and townships. Traditional children's tunes, songs of
celebration accompanied by the drums called ngoma, and especially, the sacred
music of the metal-pronged mbira, an instrument whose beautiful, cycling melodies
could summon the presence of ancestor spirits. These things formed the basis
of Thomas's musical personality, a force that continues to shape the history
and spiritual life of his country.
As Thomas moved on
to work first with the Acid Band, and then with the Blacks Unlimited, everything
came together. Thomas's lyrics reflected the concerns of the people around him
- hardships in the rural areas, young men heading into the bush to fight Zimbabwe's
bitter war for independence, and a rising sense of indignation at white rulers
who had systematically devalued Shona culture for four generations. Thomas's
chimurenga singles captured the imagination of black nation wide. Near the end
of war, the out-maneuvered Rhodesians arrested Thomas briefly and attempted
to use him to rally support for a last desperate attempt to hold onto some vestige
of power. But the tide of history had turned, and in 1980, Robert Mugabe was
elected president of a new nation. That year, Thomas Mapfumo and the Black Unlimited
shared the stage in Salisbury (now called Harare) with Bob Marley and the Wailers.
This year, 2002, Mugabe is a leader gone mad, and Thomas' music is banned in
Zimbabwe. He lives in virtual exile with his family and band in the US. Still,
his 2001 release in Zimbabwe "Chimurenga Rebel" sold it's entire 35,000 copies
in a few days, and it remains Gramma records top seller. Despite it's absence
form the government airwaves.
Mamadou
Diabate
Mamadou
Diabate also moved to Ithaca several years ago. We performed together at
Barnes Hall with Dr. Donald Byrd and Hesterian Musicism soon after his arrival.
Mamadou is a kora player from Mali. The kora is a 21-string African harp and
Mamadou?s surname "Diabate" indicates that he descends from a long line
of Manding musician-storytellers, the jeli, sometimes referred to by the French
term griot; the traditional oral historians. A member of the famous Diabate
family of Kita, Mamadou was taught by his father, who played the kora in the
Instrumental Ensemble of Mali. When Mamadou moved to Bamako, he received additional
help and encouragement from his cousin, Toumani Diabate. It was Toumani who
gave Mamadou his nickname: djelika djan, which means "tall jeli."
Mamadou?s
style has developed from many years of listening to kora players and other musicians
from many different countries. Although his performance is based in the keita
tradition, Mamadou always strives to bring something fresh, unique and contemporary
to his music, making it a bridge between the past and the future.
Since 1996,
Mamadou has been living in the United States and has collaborated with American
artists such as jazz musician Randy Weston, blues performer Guy Davis, and Irish
singer Susan McKeown. On his first album, "Tunga", Mamadou is accompanied by
Famoro Diabate (Guinea) on balafon, a wooden xylophone, Fuseini Kouyate (Mali)
on ngoni, a four or five stringed lute, Cheick Barry (Guinea) on electric bass,
and by acoustic bass player Ira Coleman. On two tracks Mamadou is joined by
Abdoulaye Diabate, perhaps the finest jeli singer currently living in the US.
Mamadou tours with either a three or four-piece band, the fourth member being
singer Abdoulaye Diabate.
Tunga means
"adventure." This stunning debut album from world traveler and master kora player
Mamadou Diabate infuses traditional Malian music with an array of innovative
elements such as American blues, Bambara music, and the fast, Gambian style
of kora playing. "Tunga" is a true adventure for the heart and ears from one
of Mali?s rising stars.
Obo
Addy
Obo Addy,
originally from Ghana, has performed a variety of musical styles and currently
has two ensembles, one each for traditional and contemporary African music.
As a repository of Ghanaian music history, Obo Addy is a brilliant musician,
an innovative composer of original works and a man of rhythm deeply rooted in
the musical traditions of Ghana, West Africa. His life-long experience of playing
every kind of music- from the ceremonial music of his father, a Wonche or medicine
man, to the big band sounds of the Joe Kelly Band, and the traditional sounds
of the world renowned Oboade- makes him unique. He has been touring the United
States since the mid-1970s performing and teaching in colleges and universities
and at Fine Art centers and festivals. He received a Governors Award for the
Arts in Oregon in 1993 as well as Masters Fellowship from the Oregon Arts Commission.
In September of 1996, Obo received the National Heritage Fellowship Award from
the National Endowment for the Arts, the highest honor given to a traditional
artist in this country. In 1999, along with local dancer Mary Oslund, Obo was
awarded one of the first of the Regional Arts and Culture Councils Individual
Fellowship Awards.
Obo created
Homowo African Arts and Cultures with his wife Susan in 1986. Homowo African
Arts and Cultures is dedicated to fostering the arts and culture of Africa in
the United States and providing a vehicle through which Americans may study
and understand African culture. Through Homowo, Obo travels throughout the country
conducting teaching residencies and performing both solo and with his performing
groups- Okropong, dedicated to traditional tribal music and dance of Ghana,
and Kukrudu, which performs original music written by Addy. In addition to concert
performances, Homowo focuses on community outreach through educational programs,
concerts, oral histories, dialogue, and lecture demonstrations while placing
the art form in its proper cultural context. Currently, Obo spends his time
touring internationally, composing, recording and creating educational outreach
programs.
Prince
Twins Seven-Seven
Nigeria
in the 1960s abounded with multitalented artists and musicians. Twins Seven-Seven
was one of the most colorful amongst them. Dancer, artist, band-leader, actor,
theatre director, singer, businessman and politician, he threw himself into
each activity with enthusiasm and energy. Thirty-five years later, his paintings
are found in museums all over the world, he has produced numerous recordings
and has been honored with several senior chieftain titles. (Ulli Beier: A Dreaming
Life - An Autobiography of Twins Seven-Seven).
A mutual
friend, Remi Adewumi, brought Twins and I together at a concert in Oshogbo,
Nigeria. Twins? band was performing; it included a family of three talking
drums (played by a father and his two sons), three fantastic female vocalists,
a Western-styled rhythm section, and Twins at the helm playing a variety of
instruments. Although our visit was unexpected, when we arrived around 7 PM
a feast was soon prepared and served while we listened to the wonderful music.
When we finished eating the vocalist danced down to our table and insisted that
we join the music making and dancing. The sustained intensity of that impromptu
party lasted until 5 AM the following morning!
The visual
art of Prince Twins Seven-Seven is characterized by a highly individual approach
and vibrant, complex compositions. Originally from Oshogbo, Nigeria, Twins currently
resides in the U.S. and his works have been featured in galleries and museums
around the world. In his portfolio of exhibits he includes the George Pompidou
Museum in Paris (1989); Africa Now - Traveling World Exhibit including Las Palmas,
The Netherlands and Mexico City (1991-1992); Mocha Gallery in Philadelphia,
PA (1994); Friends of the National Zoo exhibit in Washington, D.C. (1997) Artist
In Residence, Indianapolis Museum of Art (African Festival, 1997); Zak Gallery
in Fuerth, Germany (1998); and Yoruba: Panarow Exhibit at the October Gallery
in London (1998-1999). In 2000 Twins Seven-Seven1s works were displayed in the
exhibit "Oshogbo: The Early Years" at the National Museum of African Art in
Washington, D.C., which also included audio performances of his unique music.
Recently, Twins' artwork has been featured in the new Contemporary African Art
wing of the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the Maryland Museum of Art, which
presented a one-man exhibition of his works.
Prince Twins
Seven-Seven's artwork will be exhibited throughout April 2002 in UCSC's Porter
College Faculty Gallery as part of Santa Cruz Global African Music Festival.
In addition there will be an artist reception and a workshop.
Eddie
Gale
I first
heard Eddie Gale perform in1974 while on sabbatical in San Jose for a
year. That year then mayor of San Jose Norm Mineta (currently Secretary of Commerce
and Secretary of Transportation-designee for the incoming administration) bestowed
the honorary title of San Jose's Ambassador of Jazz upon Gale in recognition
of his efforts to bring jazz and improvised music to the Bay Area. Eddie and
I have since performed together and found that we share many stylistic and music
business perspectives. Having been mentored by John Coltrane, and a member of
the legendary Sun Ra Arkestra, as well as avant-garde pioneer Cecil Taylor's
group, Gale is now able to share his experience with California musicians as
Artist-in-resident at San Jose State University.
Recently,
Gale was nominated by Bay Area City Flight News magazine as one of the four
most influential Bay Area African Americans in the entertainment category. Four
outstanding Bay Area residents have been selected for ten categories, the winner
in each will ultimately comprise CityFlight's "Ten Most Influential African
Americans in the Bay Area for 2000."
Gale has
recorded as a leader for Blue Note Records and Mapleshade Records. His recording
debut came on Cecil Taylor's classic Blue Note album Unit Structures. Enter
Evening, a track from that album, was later included on the Smithsonian Collection
of Classic Jazz. Gale can also be heard on the Sun Ra album Lanquidity (reissued
by Evidence Records), which he helped produce. Gale has also recorded Sun Ra
tributes with John Tchicai and appeared as a sideman on Larry Young's Of Love
and Peace. Musicians appearing on sessions he has led include: Elvin Jones,
James Lyons, Roland Alexander, Larry Willis, and Ben Allison.
Hotep
Idris Galeta
I first
heard Hotep Idris Galeta when he was playing with Saxophonist John Handy
when I moved to San Francisco in the mid-1970s. Hotep has since returned to
his native South Africa but we have managed to keep in touch and exchange philosophical
ideas and pedagogical resources electronically. He was born in Crawford, Cape
Town on the 7th of June 1941. He grew up exposed to the rich music culture in
and around Cape Town. His first piano lessons came from his father who began
teaching him some basic keyboard skills at the age of seven. In the early 50?s
he became interested in Jazz as a young teenager, after listening to a short
wave radio Jazz program on the "Voice of America". After meeting Abdullah
Ibrahim then known as Dollar Brand at a high school Jazz concert in Athlone,
the two became close friends and Brand became his mentor. Hotep, or Cecil Barnard
as he was known in the 50?s, went on to establish himself as one of the
young emerging jazz pianists on the Cape Town jazz scene. He performed in such
legendary clubs as the "Naaz," "Zambezi" and the "Vortex"
and with legendary South African players such as Chris McGregor, Dudu Pukwana,
Christopher Mra Ngcukana, Cups and Saucers, Johnny Gertze, George Kussel, Sammy
Moritz, Henry Makone, Makaya Ntoshoko, Anthony Schilder and Monty Weber. All
of these individuals had a great influence on his musical development. Hotep
left South Africa for London and then New York in 1961 and stayed in exile for
thirty years. In the early 60?s he obtained a scholarship to study privately
with noted jazz piano educator John Mehegan. He now holds a Master?s degree
with Distinction in Jazz and Contemporary African-American Music and Performance.
His discography is quite extensive with over 18 albums and CDs recorded with
a number of American and South African artists. They include his own acclaimed
solo piano C.D. "Live At The Tempest" and numerous CDs with Hugh Masekela,
Herb Alpert, John Handy, Jackie McLean, Joshua Redman, Archie Shepp Elvin Jones,
Bobby Hutcherson, Woody Shaw and David Crosby and the Byrds.
As a result
of his reputation as an internationally recognized Jazz and Contemporary Music
educator and pianist, he was appointed lecturer in Jazz studies to the University
of Hartford?s Hartt College of Music in Hartford, Connecticut in 1985.
This position continued until his return to South Africa in 1991. Since then
Hotep served as the Musical Director for the Volkswagen sponsored "Music
Active" performing arts educational program for high schools. He recently
returned back to Cape Town after four years of lecturing in the Music Department
at the University of Fort Hare in Alice, the Eastern Cape.
Hesterian
Musicism
Karlton
E. Hester, Musical Director
Hesterian
Musicism will perform original compositions with featured guests Dr.
Nelson Harrison and percussionist Obo Addy to close the Santa
Cruz Global African Music Festival, where Global African music is integrated
with various musical elements from other regions worldwide in premeditated,
spontaneous, and electro-acoustic compositions and other interdisciplinary arts.
Hesterian Musicism is the creative process through which compositional and performance
style merge to give rise to aesthetic environments where other musicians, kinetic
and visual artists, and poets can meet to produce new art forms through imaginative
effort. For the Santa Cruz Global African Music Festival Hesterian
Musicism will use musician selected from both West Coast (India Cooke - violin,
Larry Douglas - trumpet, Pascal Bokar Thiam - guitar, Renata Bratt - cello,
Erich Hunt - bass, Kamau Seitu - percussion) and East Coast (Bill Johnson -
trumpet, Cecilia Smith - vibraphone, Sera Smolen - cello, Phil Bowler - bass,
and Edward Biko Smith- percussion) performing ensembles.
Take
Me to the Image Gallery!
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When
I arrived for my job interview at the University of California, Santa Cruz,
I became immediately aware of the paucity of diversity on campus and around
the Santa Cruz area. It was also clear, given the generally high level of interest
in non-Western music in the area, that Afrocentric music could have some impact
on the current efforts towards diversification and cultural enrichment at UCSC
and in town. Ideally, I figured, music at the university could have an effect
on the Santa Cruz community at large. Such a musical project also seemed to
merge perfectly with other current plans we were evolving to Rebuild Global
Community through the Arts.