Back in high school, my love for history was fed by many but especially by one teacher. Her knowledge spanned millennia and she shared it with us through literature, music, art, her stories, and even food. Ancient Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages, and more. …
Who tells the stories? Legend has it that the Greek god of the Underworld, Hades, desired the young Persephone, goddess of Spring. So he asked his brother, Zeus, if he could have her as his ”bride”. Will it surprise you to know that Persephone was …
A few years ago, I started a “Paired Up” musical playlist and it still remains on active rotation. The list’s theme is how two songs, regardless of genre, time, language, or geography, can be connected. Maybe one is straightforward such as a newer cover of an older tune. Maybe there’s a musical sample, a line, or a reference. Something about these two songs longed to be connected.
A few favorites are
Stevie Wonder’s Knocks Me Off My Feet and ODB’s Shimmy Shimmy Ya
Lauryn Hill’s Lost Ones and Drake’s Nice for What
Desmond Dekker’s 007 and Special Ed’s I’m the Magnificent
Interestingly, Special Ed’s one is part of a trio since it flows from Dave Barker and Ansel Collins’s Double Barrel, too!
There is magic; it is the coupling. As I listen to two terrific songs in sequence, the listening is deliberate, intentional. I can’t help but listen out for sparks. Are there more references, more connections than the initial ones? Why did the second artist choose this particular work of inspiration? Somehow, I hear more with this playlist. There is indeed magic.
Speaking of the strength of coupling, I’m reminded of our DNA and its gazillions of pairings that guide so much of who we are. I’m not gonna sit up here and weigh into the nature vs nurture debate. Instead, I’ll remind myself that so much of what I like is because of the influence of my dad. Many of my fondest memories of him are through music, whether he and I belted out the lyrics of a favorite song, him tapping to the beat on any surface, or dancing the night away.
Recently, we spent our time reveling in our shared musical legacy at the exquisite National Museum of African American History and Culture. With gallery upon gallery in front of us, our entire visit was about music. Being there myself was wonderful enough but experiencing it with him (and my always-curious Mom) amplified the experience, much liked that beloved playlist.
What isn’t better together?
I was recently in New York City, surrounded by tall buildings reaching towards the sky. I felt a sense of excitement while standing and looking up to the tops of the buildings. I also loved being on the rooftops, where one can see the entire …
Occasionally, I will enter a space and know immediately that what is in store will be extraordinary. That was the case when I first entered the exhibition, “Samurai”, which is currently at the High. With the exhibition being displayed in several adjoining galleries, each room …
During my three-month artist residency in Pullman at the mosnart visiting artist project, I challenged myself to be leisurely in a neighborhood defined by labor.
I posed questions to myself: do we value labor over leisure? Has leisure become labor? Must we produce perpetually? Do we enjoy the fruit of our labors?
What to do?
Absolutely nothing?
Whether it’s chatting over drinks, laughing between a spoonful of Hawaiian ice, delving deeply over the most exquisite dishes or tasting everything our world has to offer, I love being with my parents. Recently, we hit the ground running. Well, that’s what we always do.
Unlike any other concert that I’ve attended, Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour Concert seemed to be as much about her fans and those who attended, as it was about her. Perhaps, it’s like the song goes, “We Are One”. Her fans identify with her. As we entered …
Sometimes we want to pack in so much goodness that we find ourselves running. We most definitely experienced that this weekend.
As we idly drank cold drinks and looked beyond the pool to the lovely lake, I thought of the historic Chowan Beach in North Carolina. Begun in the 1920s and for nearly 70 years, it was a safe and beautiful space for Black people in a world that was usually hostile to us. There, Black tourists from around the country could “fish, swim, canoe or bask in the cooling sun rays of this incomparable beach and… will find new vigor, new life.” Thank goodness for the pioneers who imagined the unimaginable!
I recently completed a three-month artist residency in the lovely Chicago neighborhood of Pullman. After considering a number of ideas of what I planned to do during my stay, I landed on contemplating the idea of leisure in area known for labor. This was not …
