Friday, December 28, 2012

Holidays in Bronzeville....

Hallelujah! ♫♪♬ Hallelujah! ♫♪♬ 
Hallelujah!♫♪♬  Hallelujah! ♫♪♬ 
Ha-lle-lujah!
Hallelujah! ♫♪♬ Hallelujah! ♫♪♬ 
Hallelujah!♫♪♬  Hallelujah! ♫♪♬ 
Ha-lle-lujah!
Hartzell Memorial United Methodist Church presented their annual performance of  Handel's Messiah, an oratorio, on Sunday December 16, 2012.     Hartzell's choir, along with special guest soloists were accompanied by  the Chicagoland Community  Orchestra and musician, Dr. Charles J. Smith.  The choir was conducted by the church choral conductor, Delano O'Banion.  Guest soloists included  Deborah A Rountree, Kamaran Alexis Madison,  Mezzo Soprano,  Jeffery Burish, Tenor and 
Arthur D. Griffin Jr., Bass /Baritone.   
Hartzell church is located in the heart of Bronzeville at 3300 S. M. L. King Drive. 
The church pastor is Rev. Michelle Taylor Sanders. 

This  year as Hartzell Church celebrates its 100th year as a church in the Bronzeville community, it was wonderful to hear  the voices of the choir and the music of the orchestra turn this year's  annual performance of the Messiah into a sacred and majestic experience. 

The spirit of the season radiated throughout ..... as light poured through the stained glass panels at the front of the church.  When the audience stood to sing the 
Hallelujah Chorus, there was  a feeling of Joy and Peace in the sanctuary. .....
It was a majestic feeling of Peace on Earth.. Goodwill to all. 

AA1217 c2012

Happy Kwanzaa 2012!


Saturday, December 1, 2012

"Tis the Season...



During the Season.. I listen to songs that inspire me... 
I try to attend a performance annually of the Messiah at 
Hartzell Memorial United Methodist Church 
in Bronzeville, where my eldest aunt sings in the choir every year. 
Although they sing the traditional arrangement, my 
aunt gave me a CD of this rendition. 
It has become my favorite arrangement titled 
Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration.....
The whole album includes a variety of musical performers and vocalists including 
Quincy Jones, Patti Austin, Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau, Tevin Campbell, 
the Yellowjackets, Stevie Wonder, Take 6 and many many more..
 If you don't have this in your Christmas collection.. get it! 
It is so inspiring! 

Please view the information about the  contemporary version of the oratorio written 
by George Fredrich Handel. Pop the link at top right. 
To see a listing of performers who performed on this album, view the video on Youtube. Enjoy!

"Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration" is a critically acclaimed gospel album by various artists, released in 1992. Executive produced by Norman Miller, Gail Hamilton and Mervyn Warren, it is a reinterpretation of the 1741 oratorio Messiah by George Frideric Handel, and has been widely praised for its use of multiple genres of African-American music, including spirituals, blues, ragtime, big band, jazz fusion, R&B and hip hop.

The album received the 1992 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album, as well as the 1992 Dove Award for Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year. In 1993, the various recording artists participating in the project were collectively nominated for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Gospel Artist." 

- Source -Youtube uploader. 
AA12112

Friday, November 16, 2012

20 years of the Black Age of Comics Exhibit ..

ONLI STUDIOS 
presents 
20 years of the "Black Age of Comics"


Opening Reception November 16, 2012  
Bridgeport Art Center  4th floor 
6 pm to 10 pm 
Featuring news clips, DVDs and illustrations from various 
Black Age Greats. 
Educators, fans, collectors, critics, & curators invited.
The show will run until March 1, 2013.

Collectors, fans and educators will love ONLI STUDIOS presentation of 20 Years of Indie Graphic Novels with a diverse focus in the Black Age of Comics Movement Exhibition  which was started in Chicago in February 1993.  

This exhibition of over 100 images highlights articles, landmarks, illustrations and characters that are expanding the medium and genre of graphic novels and related forms of expression.  

For additional information and images, visit www.dablackage.blogspot.com and stop by this Friday, November 16, 2012 during the opening reception. 

ONLI STUDIOS  

Bridgeport Art Center
4th Floor, #43040
1200 W. 35th Street, Chicago (60609) 

For appointment call 773-726-1610

Friday, October 26, 2012

Dust In Their Veins..Opening Exhibit tonite!

DUST IN THEIR VEINS
Exhibit Opening
October 26, 2012
Du Sable Museum
7:00pm - 10pm
(Click to enlarge photo) 

Art...Wine...& Entertainment!
 Visit the "Rhythmic Zone" featuring ONLIWEAR..ART Star Denim..!!

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Taylor Moore at Hyde Park's Oktoberfest today! Sat Oct 6


Drummer Taylor Moore is as fun to watch ....as well as... to hear! 
As a drummer-percussionist, she plays with musical sounds and rhythms like a painter plays with colors! She is creative, entertaining and full of energy! 
Taylor mesmerized the audience as she performed last weekend at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival to full audience at The James Wagner Stage on the Midway. 
She was also featured in September at the South Side Community Art Center during The Chicago Jazz Festival's Jazz  Club Tour. If you haven't seen Taylor... this is a great time to catch this rising performer.

"A lover of all kinds of music, Taylor branched out into Jazz in her sophomore year of Kenwood Academy high school. She was identified as a gifted percussionist and was the first female drummer in the Ravinia Jazz Scholars program in the Chicago Public School system. Taylor was also the first female drummer selected to perform as a part of the Illinois Music Educators Association Jazz combo.
A recent college graduate, Taylor received her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance and Production from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on May 15, 2011."

Catch her Saturday, October 6 at 2:15-3:15 pm  at the Hyde Park Oktoberfest!

Monday, September 24, 2012

JUST ANNOUNCED:  
Official Purple After Jam Shows” on September 24, 25 & 26! 
Tix on sale: http://bit.ly/Q2q1eg 

Monday, September 3, 2012

Authors Speak! at the African Fest Authors and Book Pavillion


Authors, Turtel Onli, Curtis L Crisler, and Nnedi Okorafor

We had a ball talking and listening to the authors talk about their books at the African Festival Authors & Book Pavilion! In this author's discussion…award winning authors, Curtis L Crisler, Turtel Onli and Nnedi Okorafor engaged us in some lively conversation about their works.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

The 7th Annual Chicago Sister Cities International Festival !l! Aug 6-8

Chicago Sister Cities Festival

Come see What The Traveler Saw... Visit Ten Thousand Villages ... Sample food from from other lands... and enjoy the international vendors and performances!

Travel from Morocco to Poland, China, Ireland and host of other cities as you....

Come out to enjoy the 7th Annual Chicago Sister Cities International Festival this week at the Daley Plaza!


"The 7th Annual Chicago Sister Cities International Festival will transform Daley Plaza into an international village filled with food, music, dance and merchants. Chicago’s International Sister Cities will be represented at the festival, where visitors will be able to sample international cuisine and view live cultural performances. The International Festival is free and open to the public, and is generously supported by The Boeing Company.

When: Monday through Friday,

August 6–10, 2012

from 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

Where: Daley Plaza

On Wednesday, August 8, the festival will celebrate “Chicago Consular Corps Day” in honor of the 80 countries that make up Chicago’s Consular Corps and to commemorate the all-inclusive international relationships that CSCI creates around the world.

Performance schedule : Wednesday, August 8

12 noon: Consular Corps Day Program
12:15 p.m.: Cirque Shanghai representing Shanghai, China
12:40 p.m.: Trinity Irish Dancers representing Galway, Ireland

This year’s festival also includes a special photography exhibition in the lobby of the Daley Center presented by the Osaka, Japan Committee of CSCI, 絆 Kizuna: The Bonds of Emotion. The exhibit is curated from photographs taken in the Tohoku region of Japan by photojournalists from Nikkei, Inc. in the immediate aftermath of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, along with images of the ongoing recovery efforts. Photographs of the unfolding catastrophe are paired in a subtle manner with a related photo of the recovery process. The exhibit vividly illustrates not only the human element of the tragedy, but also the optimism and resilience of the Japanese people as they courageously struggle to rebuild their lives."

For more information including the Festival's Schedule and International vendors go to :

http://www.chicagosistercities.com/wp/news/chicago-sister-cities-international-festival-3/

Source:All information and photograph reprinted from The Chicago Sister Cities website.

UIC African American Cultural Center Summer Arts Festival! Aug 8, 2012

Saturday, August 4, 2012

South Shore Jazz Lives! Sat/Sun Aug 4 - 5th

18th Annual Black Harvest Film Festival- Gene Siskel Film Center Aug 3-30


The Gene Siskel Film Center will be hosting their

18th Annual Black Harvest Film Festival

on Aug 3 through August 30, 2012 in Chicago.


Action! The Real Deal About Filmmaking: Money, Casting, Production, and Distribution” (August 25), this year’s edition of the ever-popular “Black Harvest” panel discussion and DIY workshop, will cover every aspect of production for the aspiring filmmaker and feature down-to-earth tips and practical information from our guest producers and directors.


Many filmmakers from around the U.S. will be appearing for discussion and networking, including a significant number of our own Chicago-based filmmakers. Feature films made in Chicago include the documentary

THE CURATORS OF DIXON SCHOOL, the drama ENGLEWOOD, and the action drama FATHER’S DAY.


Eleven short films boast Chicago directors.

Among the festival’s special events are special advance screenings of BALLPLAYER: PELOTERO and the closing night film BROOKLYN CASTLE. BALLPLAYER: PELOTERO explores the tension-fraught high-stakes process of recruiting young talent in the Dominican Republic by American pro baseball clubs. A game of another sort is the subject of BROOKLYN CASTLE, in which a failing Brooklyn middle school initiates a chess program and develops the nation’s newest chess prodigies in the process.


Movies to catch early on:

Filmmakers in person!

Made in Chicago

2011-2012, Various directors, USA, 82 min.


Seven films featuring Chicago talent: In Derek Dow’s dark farce THIS AIN’T YO MOVIE (2012, 6 min.), a frustrated director goes to extreme lengths to make the film his way.

In Vaun Monroe’s A BLIND EYE (2011, 6 min.), a tawdry dressing room is the last stop in a father’s search for his missing daughter.

Created by students in the Precious Blood Theatre Program, Eric Walker’s ONE SHOT (2012, 8 min.) dramatizes the dangers of gun possession.

Natasha Parker’s THE PACKAGE (2011, 9 min.) stars Morocco Omari as a would-be playa whose lines aren’t getting any bites.

In Allesandra Pinkston’s harrowing THE TESTAMENT OF KARMA (2011, 14 min.), a frantic mother has to face the truth about her missing son.

In Dion Strowhorn Sr.’s REDIAL (2012, 20 min.), a straying husband gets an unexpected anniversary present.

Heaven and earth meet in Corey Harvey’s ISHMAEL (2012, 20 min.), when an alcoholic husband is granted a sobering vision of the future. Various video formats. (MR)


Director Dion Strowhorn Sr. and producer Susan Strowhorn (REDIAL) will be present for both screenings; producer Cory Lewis (ISHMAEL) and director Alessandra Pinkston (THE TESTAMENT OF KARMA) on Saturday; directors Derek Dow (THIS AIN’T YO MOVIE) and Eric Walker (ONE SHOT) on Thursday.


CHI-CHI,

TALES FROM THE BASS LINE

2012, Barrie Gavin, UK, 46 min.

Sun, Aug 5th at 5:15pm

Mon, Aug 6th at 6:15pm

Two portraits of women of color who forged unconventional paths to musical excellence: Chi-chi Nwanoku is a virtuoso of one of the most challenging musical instruments, the double bass. The effervescent and indomitable Chi-chi recounts the hurdles she faced growing up as a mixed-race child and scaling the musical establishment in Britain, interspersed with luscious performances of Haydn, Berlioz, Elgar, Dvorak, and others.


Preceded by

T’AIN’T NOBODY’S BIZNESS

2011, Robert Philipson, USA, 29 min.


An overview of such early blues divas as Ma Rainey, Alberta Hunter, and Bessie Smith, whose independent spirit was reflected in their unconventional sexuality as well as in their groundbreaking music. Both in DigiBeta video. (MR)

Pamela Sherrod Anderson in person!

THE CURATORS OF DIXON SCHOOL

2011, Pamela Sherrod Anderson, USA, 80 min.

Sun, Aug 12th at 3:00pm

Thu, Aug 16th at 6:00pm

Public schools don’t have to be a minefield of metal detectors, minimal expectations, and mind-numbing routine. An alternative exists right here in Chicago, at the Dixon Elementary Public School in the Chatham neighborhood, where former principal Joan Crisler and her successor Sharon Dale have implemented the idea that art should be an integral part of the learning environment, with museum-quality works openly adorning the halls. The results, in terms of student performance and morale, have been spectacular, but, as this inspiring but pragmatic documentary demonstrates, there are no miracle solutions: Crisler’s protégé Carol Briggs has an uphill battle applying the same approach at another school, and recent budget cuts have left even the most successful programs vulnerable to the axe. HDCAM video. (MR) FF

Director Pamela Sherrod Anderson will be present for audience discussion at both screenings.


Filmmakers in person!

2011-2012, Various directors, USA, 82 min.

Sat, Aug 4th at 8:30pm

Thu, Aug 9th at 8:30pm

Seven films featuring Chicago talent: In Derek Dow’s dark farce THIS AIN’T YO MOVIE (2012, 6 min.), a frustrated director goes to extreme lengths to make the film his way. In Vaun Monroe’s A BLIND EYE (2011, 6 min.), a tawdry dressing room is the last stop in a father’s search for his missing daughter. Created by students in the Precious Blood Theatre Program, Eric Walker’s ONE SHOT (2012, 8 min.) dramatizes the dangers of gun possession. Natasha Parker’s THE PACKAGE (2011, 9 min.) stars Morocco Omari as a would-be playa whose lines aren’t getting any bites. In Allesandra Pinkston’s harrowing THE TESTAMENT OF KARMA (2011, 14 min.), a frantic mother has to face the truth about her missing son. In Dion Strowhorn Sr.’s REDIAL (2012, 20 min.), a straying husband gets an unexpected anniversary present. Heaven and earth meet in Corey Harvey’s ISHMAEL (2012, 20 min.), when an alcoholic husband is granted a sobering vision of the future. Various video formats. (MR)

For a complete Film Listing and Showtimes go to: http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/blackharvest2012

(reprinted from The Gene Siskel Film Center) https://www.facebook.com/siskelfilmcenter