As the son of working poor African American parents, I entered elementary school in the 1960s reading far beyond my grade level (much to the surprise of guidance counselors who had low expectations of “children like me”) and with a keen interest in astrophysics.
I knew the meaning of such words as “invulnerable,” “uncanny” or “inimitable” and couldn’t wait to learn more about cosmic rays, asteroids, dark stars and space travel.
This past July 10th through July 12th, I spent a weekend in Cleveland for the fourth consecutive year to take in the always well-presented Tri-C (Cuyahoga Community College) Jazz Festival. Tri-C Jazz Fest Director Terri Pontremoli, 90.3-FM WCPN IdeaStream, Key Bank, the Gund Foundation , the Ohio Arts Council and many others collaborated to bring a dazzling roster of world renowned artists to multiple theatre stages in Playhouse Square, the “lively arts” heart of Cleveland.
The late Columbus-born saxophonist Gene Walker was a world class musician, educator, jazz advocate AND local historian. He shares all these gifts with WCBE listeners in this archival interview (circa Spring 2012).
In commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the August 28th, 1963 March On Washington For Jobs And Freedom, K.C. Jones and Jack Marchanks will broadcast My People, Duke Ellington's civil rights-themed musical, on Jazz Sunday, August 25, 2013. As some of you might already know, Ellington performed the work as part of the Century of Negro Progress Exposition held in Chicago from August 16th to September 2nd, 1963, which in itself was a celebration of the 100th year anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Tatum Flemister is the third recipient of the RRK Music Scholarship. The two previous winners are Robert “Rob” Dove (2009), a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina’s Miles Davis Institute and Sivan Silver Schwartz (2011), who is currently attending Oberlin.
Mr. Flemister is a talented percussionist who also plays piano and trumpet. Tate is a 2013 graduate of the Columbus City Schools Fort Hayes Career Academy. He will be attending Berklee College of Music in Boston this fall. His twin goals are to compose jazz and play jazz professionally after graduating.
