Legendary jazz pianist Horace Silver. (Photo: Google Images)
Hard Bop pioneer and pianist Horace Silver has died. Silver, who suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease in recent years, was one of the most popular and influential jazz musicians of the 1950s and 1960s. Early in his career, Silver collaborated with jazz greats Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, Bud Powell, Miles Davis, Clifford Brown and Lester Young. He formed the seminal Jazz Messengers along with Art Blakey whose “aggressive style helped define hard bop and whose lineup of trumpet, tenor saxophone, piano, bass and drums became the standard hard-bop instrumentation.” On their first album, released in 1954, Silver wrote all but one of the songs, then left the band a year later to go solo.
“Hard bop and cool jazz shared a pedigree: They were both variations on bebop, the challenging, harmonically intricate music that changed the face of jazz in the 1940s. But hard bop was simpler and more rhythmically driven, with more emphasis on jazz’s blues and gospel roots. The jazz press tended to portray the adherents of cool jazz (most of them West Coast-based and white) and hard bop (most of them East Coast-based and black) as warring factions. But Mr. Silver made an unlikely warrior.”
Keepnews continues:
“His piano playing, like his compositions, was not that easily characterized. Deftly improvising ingenious figures with his right hand while punching out rumbling bass lines with his left, he managed to evoke boogie-woogie pianists like Meade Lux Lewis and beboppers like Bud Powell simultaneously. Unlike many bebop pianists, however, Mr. Silver emphasized melodic simplicity over harmonic complexity; his improvisations, while sophisticated, were never so intricate as to be inaccessible.”
“Between 1955 and 1980, Silver made more than 20 records for Blue Note, among them revered titles such as “Song for My Father” in 1964, “Blowin’ the Blues Away” in 1959 and “The Jody Grind” in 1966. His bands often featured the trumpeter Blue Mitchell and tenor saxophonist Junior Cook.”
Gallo adds:
“During his fertile period with Blue Note, Silver wrote the hard bop classics ‘Song for My Father,’ ‘Senor Blues,’ ‘The Preacher’ and ‘Filthy McNasty.’ His funky, melodic style as a composer and pianist had significant commercial appeal at a time when jazz was splintering into factions and fading from the mainstream. His “Song for My Father (Cantiga Para Meu Pai)” hit No. 95 on the Billboard 200 in 1965 and year later “The Cape Verdean Blues” reached No. 130.”
Silver was born on September 2, 1928, in Norwalk, Connecticut to John Tavares Silva, who was from the island of Maio in Cape Verde and his mother, who was born in New Canaan, Connecticut, and was of Irish-African descent. Silver’s mother died when he was 9-years-old. His father Anglicized the family’s name to Silver and taught him the folk music of Cape Verde, which influenced his style of music.
Silver is survived by a son. Horace Silver was 85.
Legendary Hip-Hop DJ Angie Martinez has resigned from Hot 97. (Photo Credit: Google Images)
The blogosphere is lit up over reports that legendary Hip-Hop DJ Angie Martinez, ‘The Voice of New York,” has resigned from Hip-Hop station Hot 97. Soraya Nadia McDaniel writes:
“Martinez Widely regarded as one of hip-hop’s prevailing kingmakers — she’s interviewed just about every hip-hop star there is in the past 20 years — Martinez spent the better part of 25 years with the radio station. She announced the move Wednesday in an Instagram post.”
Martinez will be moving to rival station Power 105. Most recently, the legendary DJ was featured on the Vh1 reality show, ‘This is Hot 97″.
Boko Haram rebels are targeting Nigeria’s capital city of Abuja. (Photo Credit: Google Images)
Reuters Africa is reporting that militant Islamists are targeting Nigeria’s capital of Abuja and plan to load bombs on petrol lorries headed into the city, the government said. The author writes:
Analysts say Boko Haram, which aims to carve out a hardline Islamic state in the Muslim north, has been focusing more on high-profile targets, emboldened by media attention from the kidnapping.
Two bomb blasts in Abuja in the weeks running up to the World Economic Forum held in the capital in May killed more than 90 people and prompted some delegates to pull out of the conference.
‘The Nigerian security services have received intelligence…to the effect that insurgents intend seizing petrol tankers and plant(ing) improvised explosive devices in the tankers and drive them to crowded places in Abuja,’ Mike Omeri, a senior Ministry of Information official said in a statement late on Wednesday.”
It has also been reported that Boko Haram is terrorizing neighboring Cameroon by kidnapping boys and forcing them to join the group.
Iconic photo of Hector Pieterson, 13, being carried by Mbuyisa Makhubo after being shot by South African police. His sister, Antoinette Sithole, runs beside them. (Photo taken by Sam Nzima)
Star Africais reporting that South Africa is commemorating the 38th Anniversary of the Soweto uprisings in which hundreds of high school students were killed in clashes with the police. Political leaders from different parties are expected to make public addresses around the country.
The author writes:
“Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to address the main national event in Kimberley, while Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema will speak in Rustenburg and Democratic Alliance parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane is due to address a rally in Soshanguve just outside Pretoria.”
June 16 is a public holiday commemorating the day in 1976, when when more than 10,000 students from schools in Soweto Township protested against the introduction of Afrikaans as the medium of instruction in schools. Police officers shot and killed 176 students that day during the protests. While 176 is the “official” number of those murdered on that day, many estimate that hundreds more were actually killed.
English and Afrikaans are currently the medium of instruction in most South African schools, despite the fact that 11 official languages are recognized by the country and most black South Africans speak ixiHosa.
BBC News Africa is reporting that Nigerian gospel singer Kefee Don-Momoh has died. Kefee reportedly collapsed and slipped into a coma while on a flight to Chicago last week. The flight reportedly made an emergency landing in Los Angeles, CA to rush the singer to the hospital. Known to her fans as the “Branama Queen,” Kefee died of lung failure at an undisclosed hospital.
Married to DJ Teddy Don-Momoh, the star’s best-known hits are ‘Branama’ and ‘Kokoroko.’
Born in Sapele, Delta State, Kefee’s music career reportedly began at the age of eight when she sang in the children’s choir at her church. She went on to the adult choir at age 15 and was directing the choir by age 18. The choir made gospel albums upon which she sang lead, which is how she was discovered, eventually becoming a solo artist.
Kefee’s first album “BRANAMA”sold over two million copies.” In addition to being a gospel singer, Kefee was named an International Young Ambassador for Peace by the United Nations in 2009 for her charity work to bring peace to the country. She was also an entrepreneur, founding Branama Afrique, a production company and a restaurant Branama Kitchen in Lagos.
Kefee’s UK Manager, Adeline Adelicious Adebayo released a statement confirming the singer’s death. Adebayo wrote:
“It is with a great sadness but grateful hearts that we announce the passing to glory due to lung failure this morning of our God’s mouth piece, chorus leader, daughter, wife, sister, friend Kefee Branama Queen.”
Legendary actress Ruby Dee at the 1963 March on Washington. (Google Images)
The world is mourning the loss of legendary stage and screen actress and civil rights activist Ruby Dee who died on Wednesday at age 91. Corinne Heller of E News is reporting that Dee passed away peacefully at her home in New Rochelle, New York surrounded by family and friends. Born in Cleveland in 1924, Dee was married to iconic stage and screen actor Ossie Davis for 56 years.
Davis and Dee met in 1945 when she auditioned for the Broadway play “Jeb,” starring Davis (both were cast in it). In December 1948, on a day off from rehearsals from another play, Davis and Dee took a bus to New Jersey to get married. They already were so close that “it felt almost like an appointment we finally got around to keeping,” Dee wrote in “In This Life Together.” Davis passed away in 2005, one year after both received Kennedy Center Honors.
The parents of three children appeared in more than 30 films together. Dee is probably best remembered for her role as Ruth Younger in the 1961 movie A Raisin in the Sun opposite iconic actor Sidney Poitier. Dee starred in several small screen roles over the next two decades. Her film career was resurrected by then up-and-coming film director Spike Lee who cast Dee and Davis in his film School Daze (1988). Dee and Davis would go on to co-star in several of Lee’s films including Lee’s seminal films Do the Right Thing (1989) and Jungle Fever (1991). The screen legends helped usher into existence a new wave of black cinema in Hollywood.
Stock Photo of Ruby Dee from MGM in 1957.
Ruby Dee and husband of 46 years, legendary stage and screen actor Ossie Davis.
(Google Images)
Ruby Dee as Ruth Younger opposite Sidney Poitier in ‘A Raisin in the Sun.’
(Google Images)
Ruby Dee and Sidney Poitier as the Youngers in ‘A Raisin in the Sun’
(Google Images)
Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis.
(Google Images)
Ossie Davis with their three children Guy, Nora and Hasna. (Telepixtv)
Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis.
Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis on the cover of Ebony Magazine (Feb 1961)
Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis.
(Google Images)
Legendary actress Ruby Dee at the 1963 March on Washington.
(Google Images)
Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis.
(Google Images)
Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis are awarded Kennedy Center honors in 2004.
(Google Images)
Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis.
(Google Images)
Ruby Dee in her iconic role of Mother Sister in Spike Lee’s ‘Do The Right Thing’ (1989)
Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis star as Mother Sister and the Mayor in ‘Do The Right Thing’
Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis star in Spike Lee’s ‘Jungle Fever’ (1991)
Spike Lee, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee.
Ruby Dee stars opposite Denzel Washington in her Oscar nominated performance in ‘American Gangster’ (2007)
Poster for the documentary ‘Life Essentials with Ruby Dee’ directed by her grandson Muta’Ali.
In 1995, Dee won a National Medal of Arts award and a Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement award in 2000. In 2007, Dee won a Grammy award for Best Spoken Word Album for her reading of her memoir. More recently, Dee received a best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role in American Gangster (2007) co-starring Academy Award-winning actors Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe.
In addition to her work on the screen, Davis and Dee were civil rights activists. They served as masters of ceremonies at the 1963 March on Washington. Dee was a member of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the NAACP, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). In 1999, Dee and Davis were arrested while protesting the shooting death of Amadou Diallo, 23, an immigrant from Guinea.
Dee was scheduled to appear at Film Life’s 18th Annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF) on June 22 for the world premiere of “Life Essentials with Ruby Dee,” a documentary about the famous couple directed by their grandson Muta’Ali.
Ruby Dee was also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Dee’s daughter Dora Davis says her mother passed away of “natural causes.” She was 91.
This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of the award-winning news site The Burton Wire.
Brazilian soccer star Neymar. (Photo Credit: Google Images)
One of the worlds most highly-anticipated sports events kicks off today in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The games have been mired in controversy due to the high-profile protests against the billions of dollars being spent in the face of extreme poverty. Nonetheless, the FIFA 2014 World Cup is happening. The games will pit the world’s best soccer (fútbol) teams against each other in an effort to claim the equivalent of the world heavyweight championship in the land of fútbol. Defending champion Spain has an aging squad and Brazil, which was eliminated last year in the quarterfinals, is heavily favored to win for obvious reasons: Neymar, home turf and a pretty stacked team that won the Confederations Cup last year. The world is watching to see if Brazil can win the World Cup on their home turf.
There are many reasons to watch this sporting event but here are a few:
FIFA’s official 2014 World Cup soccer ball. Adidas’ ‘Brazuca’ ball. (Google Images)
1. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. What other sport has 3.5 billion fans consistently and is understood, played and promoted throughout the world? Don’t think that just because the United States is late to the game in terms of the popularity of soccer, that this tardiness is a reflection of the larger world. Why not see what all of the fuss is about? Some people even enjoy the World Cup so much that they place bets on which team they think will win. Some gamblers use regular money, whereas others like to use their digital cryptocurrency to bet. Bitcoin’s can be used to bet on some casinos. To see some of the different casino services you could place your sports bets with, you might be interested in looking at Bestbitcoincasino.org. Even if you’re not betting, the World Cup is likely to be full of great goals and controversial decisions so it should make for great viewing.
England’s Glen Johnson. (Photo Credit: Google Images)
2. If you can’t get into the game, then get into the players. Soccer is known to have some McSteamy’s and McHotties. Even Voguehas dedicated pages to this year’s crop of fineness. Olivier Giroud (France and F.C.), Gerard Piqué (Spain and Barcelona and superstar Shakira’s baby daddy), Glen Johnson (England and Liverpool), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal and Real Madrid F.C.), Claudio Marchiso (Italy and Juventus), Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast and Manchester City) and Keisuke Honda (Japan and A.C. Milan).We agree with most of Vogue‘s choices, except Uruguay’s Luis Suarez whose racist on-field taunting and biting opponents makes him ugly. Yes, Uruguay has a Mike Tyson and he is fine. We’ll choose some more upstanding fine men to add to the mix like Asamoah Gyan (Ghana and Al Ain), DaMarcus Beasley (U.S. and Puebla) and John Brooks (U.S. and Hertha BSC Berlin) and it’s a watch party.
Yaya Touré was born in Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire and plays for Manchester City in addition to the Ivory Coast. (Photo Credit: Google Images)
3. What is also great about the players is the fact that soccer (fútbol) fans won’t care if the player plays for another country during the regular season. Unlike U.S. commentators who seem to find some way to be angry at athletes of color that play primarily for American sports teams but choose to represent their home country in Olympic sports (track and field anyone?), World Cup commentators won’t wade into that muddy water. Because soccer is an international sport loved by many, fans understand that players are literally on loan to other countries in the name of competition and that competition has no bearing on love of birth country. The fans and commentators understand that winning isn’t everything, and if you can’t play for your home country when they need you the most, then why play at all?
Striker Asamoah Gyan of Ghana’s official 2014 World Cup squad.
4. In terms of teams, we want to know if Ghana, known as “Africa’s team” will finally make history and make it into the Final Four. In order to accomplish this goal, Ghana has to make it past the U.S.A. (not a problem), Germany and Portugal (problem). You see Ghana has landed in Group G, also known as the Group of Death, which is one of the toughest groupings of the tournament. Group G is also referred to as a mini-World Cup because of the quality of the teams in the group. So, Ghana has an uphill battle if they hope to make history. Guess what? They had an uphill battle in the 2010 World Cup and made it to the quarterfinals. They lost to Uruguay in a shootout after Gyan hit the crossbar on a late penalty kick that would have won the game. And yes, Uruguay’s Suarez was involved in that crushing defeat too. Many believe Ghana’s time is now. Watch and see if it is their time, now.
Brazil Carnival boasts one of the most famous celebrations of this type throughout the world. (Photo Credit: Google Images)
5. It’s the World Cup. Who cares whether or not you like soccer (fútbol)? It’s the biggest sporting event in the freaking world and it only comes around every four years. Did we mention that it’s in Brazil? Brazil is a fabulous country in many regards, with soccer being one of them. If you know anything about Brazil, then you’ve heard of Carnival. So you know Brazilians know how to party which means the opening ceremony is going to be off the hook (1990s slang for 2014’s ‘everything.’) We’ll even forgive them for booking J.Lo instead of Shakira as the opening act if they were going for international appeal, and commissioning that wack Pitbull song “We Are One (Ole Ola),” featuring J.Lo again, while downplaying Brazil’s superstar singer Claudia Leitte, who is also on the track.
There has been no uproar over Leitte’s oversight because the song is wack and Leitte is probably thanking Christ the Redeemer that few people outside of Brazil know she’s on the song.
Brazilian superstar Claudette Leitte. (Photo: Google Images)
We will forgive all of that because, hey, any major sporting event can have a misstep — Janet Jackson or M.I.A. anyone? Watch the World Cup. Download an app – the BBC and FIFA have amazing apps, or visit UnoTelly to watch online for free or just put yourself in the sucka category (1990s slang again) for missing out on something great, again. We’ll be watching and throwing back shots of Cachaça or mixingCaipirinha’s while we bond with the rest of the world, even if it is through our television or tablet.
This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of the award-winning news site The Burton Wire. Follow her on Twitter @Ntellectual.
Striker Asamoah Gyan of Ghana’s official 2014 World Cup squad.
Writing for AllAfrica.com, Nick Said is wondering aloud if an African team will reach the Final Four in the FIFA 2014 World Cup. Brazilian soccer (football) legend Pelé famously stated in the late 1970s that an African team would win the World Cup by the year 2000. This has yet to happen.
Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Nigeria and Algeria all played in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and will play again in the 2014 World Cup.
Ghana’s showing at the 2010 World Cup (semi-finals) proves that the much talked about gap between Africa and the rest of the soccer (football) world has closed dramatically in the last two decades. The semi-finals is not new for African teams, but appearing in the Final Four of the World Cup would be a trailblazing fete.
Said writes:
“It is difficult to know which African side has the best chance. Ghana has perhaps the most complete squad and is in the hardest group by far, while Cote d’Ivoire have an array of attacking talent but are less productive in defense.
Cameroon has individual stars but little team cohesion, and Nigeria are skillful but can be a little lightweight. Algeria always look the part on paper but struggle to make it count on the grass.
Each will have an eye on a piece of history though, buoyed by Ghana’s showing at the 2010 finals when they were one Luis Suarez handball away from the semi-finals.”
Do you think an African team will make it to the Final Four in the FIFA 2014 World Cup? If so, which team and why? Share in the comments section below.
Veteran journalist Raymond H. Boone. (Photo Credit: The Richmond Free Press)
The Richmond Times-Dispatch is reporting that veteran journalist Raymond H. Boone has been laid to rest. Boone, founder of weekly newspaper the Richmond Free Press succumbed to pancreatic cancer in his home on Tuesday, June 3.
In addition to founding the Richmond Free Press, Boon was a veteran newspaper reporter and former associate professor of journalism at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he taught for nearly nine years.
WRIC reports:
Boone started Richmond Free Press in January of 1992. The publications has received numerous awards over the years from a range of organizations, including the Virginia Press Association, the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, and the National Newspaper Publishers Association. It currently boasts 135,000 weekly readers.
Organizations and publications from around the country bestowed a variety of awards and honors upon Boone; he was the recipient of the 2006 Oliver W. Hill Freedom Fighter Award, the Virginia NAACP’s highest honor; the 2006 DaimlerChrysler Entrepreneurial Award as well as a 2006 first-place Virginia Press Association editorial writing award.
Richmond Magazine named Boone to its list of “100 Power Players” in Central Virginia in 1998. In 1999, Style Weekly named Boone among Richmond’s “Movers and Shapers” of the 20th century.
In 2000, Boone was inducted into the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Boone was also well-known in the Richmond community for his outspoken views. In 2013, The Richmond Free Press dropped the Redskins nickname for the Washington NFL team from its pages, calling it racist.
‘We want to make it absolutely clear that the Richmond Free Press does not endorse or promote that outrageous nickname,’ Boone said of the change.
Boone is survived by his wife of 47 years Jean Patterson Boone, his daughter Regina H. Boone, a photographer with the Detroit Free Press and Raymond H. Boone, Jr. of the Richmond Free Press.
Robyn Dixon of the Los Angeles Times is reporting that 20 more women have been abducted by in a remote settlement in Northeast Nigeria. Dixon writes:
“The latest abductions follow dozens of kidnappings, attacks on villages and slayings of schoolboys and teachers since last year.
The 20 women were from the Fulani ethnic group, traditionally cattle herders, taken from the Garkin Fulani settlement, according to a member of a local vigilante group, Alhaji Tar, the Associated Press reported.
No group claimed responsibility for the mass kidnapping, although it bore similarities to Boko Haram operations and the group was suspected.
Details of the attack are sketchy, but Tar said the gunmen drove up to the settlement at noon Thursday, ordered the women into vehicles at gunpoint and drove them off. They also took three men who tried to prevent them from taking the women.
News of the abduction took several days to emerge, because insurgents have attacked mobile phone base stations in recent years, meaning it can take days for news to filter out.”
Monday marked the 41st day that the schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram have been missing.
