ODETTA

By Norman (Otis) Richmond

Odetta is a legendary figure who is almost unknown to the masses of the American people. However, her place in African American and American history is secure. Odetta and Mahalia Jackson were among the few women onstage at the 1963 March on Washington. Dr. Martin Luther King introduced her and she performed “We Shall Overcome”. She was the first guest on David Letterman’s show after September 11, 2001, the “The day the World Changed”.

Born on December 31, 1930 Odetta is a singer, actress, guitarist,songwriter, is often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement." She grew up in Los Angeles, California, and studied music at Los Angeles City College. Her musical repertoire consists largely ofAmerican folk music, blues, jazz, and spirituals. An important figure inthe American folk music revival of the 1950s and '60s, she was a formative influence on dozens of artists, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and JanisJoplin.

She performed October 24-25 at the Hugh’s Room in Toronto for two sold out performances. The music of Odetta is and has been a weapon in the struggle for the liberation of African and all oppressed people. Accompanied onlyby Radoslav Lorkovic, a pianist who has played with her for the last two years, she performed 12 songs. She opened her set with the anti-apartheid anthem (Something Inside) So Strong” which was by written by Labi Siffre.It was released as a single in 1987 and was the song that brought him back to mainstream popularity in his home country England. It was also used in the John Pilger documentary “The War on Democracy.”

Her second song was “.Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" (or simply"Motherless Child") is a traditional Negro spiritual. The song dates backto the era of slavery in the United States when it was common practice to sell children of slaves away from their parents. An early performance of the song dates back to the 1870s by the Fisk Jubilee Singers. The Fisk Jubilee Singers first took Black Music to Europe in 1883. Odetta brought the song to life and it was indeed a tear jerker.

She then turned to "This Little Light of Mine" is a gospel children's song written in 1920. Often thought of as a Negro spiritual, it does not, however, appear in any collection of jubilee or plantation songs from the nineteenth century. The song takes its theme from Mathew 5:16, "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your fine works and give gloryto your Father who is in the heaven:" Under the influence of Zilphia Horton, Fannie Lou Hamer and others it eventually became a Civil Rights anthem in the 1950s and 1960s. a recording of the song by Paul Robeson can be heard in Sidney Lumet's 1983 film “Daniel”. Sam Cooke recorded it on his “Sam Cooke Live At The Copa” album.

She also dealt with matters of the heart and performed “Careless Love/ St.Louis Blues “which was followed by “You don’t know my mind “.

Odetta paid tribute to the great Leadbelly (Huddie Ledbetter), during her appearance by performing a number of songs written or made famous the legendary Louisiana born singer/songwriter. One of Leadbelly’s most popular songs “Bourgeois Blues” a song that has been covered by Pete Seeger, Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal, Toronto’s own Faith Nolan and it was reworked by Billy Braggs as” Bush War Blues.” She performed “Alabama Bound”, “Boll Weevil Blues”, “Roberta” “ Rock Island Line” and a song sung by Leadbelly” and others “The House of the Rising Sun”.

“Bourgeois Blues” was written after Lead Belly went to Washington, D.C. at the request of Alan Lomax, to record a number of songs for the Library ofCongress. After they had finished, they decided to go out with their wives to celebrate, but were thrown out of numerous establishments for being an interracial party. The song rails against racism, classism, and discrimination in general, with such verses as "The home of the Brave /Theland of the Free / I don't wanna be mistreated by no bourgeoisie". LeadBelly recorded the Bourgeois Blues numerous times, first on December 26,1938, accompanied by himself on his 12-string guitar. It should be noted that in all but the earliest recording of the song, the original line"Some white folk in Washington / they know just how, call a colored man a nigger just to see him bow" was altered to "give a colored man a nickel just to see him bow", presumably to avoid causing offense.

She also dealt with the health issue and pointed out the health is a social /political matter. “The “T. B. Blues” is related to the Bessie Smith song “The Rich Man, Poor Man Blues” In a capitalist enivronment money is necessary for your physical and mental health... She closed the show with the classic, "The House of the Rising Sun" which is a folk song from the United States. It tells of a life gone wrong in New Orleans. The most famous version was recorded by the English rock group The Animals in 1964, which was a number one hit in the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden and Canada.

As I stated in the beginning of this piece Odetta place in history issecure. Dr. King pointed out by in 1961, "The Queen of American folkmusic" and as poet Maya Angelou once said, “If only one could be sure thatevery 50 years a voice and a soul like Odetta's would come along, the centuries would pass so quickly and painlessly we would hardly recognize time.”

Norman Ricmond can be contacted norman.o.richmond@gmail.com

Women are a huge part of spoken word

By Norman (Otis) Richmond

It was refreshing to hear Wayne Morgan and Lizz Straight on Tabby Johnson’s show on Newstalk 1010 CFRB. Morgan and Straight were there to promote the 7th Annual When Sister Speak showcase.

CFRB is the last spot I expected to hear a spoken word artist like Straight.Straight is a straight shooter who tells it like it is. But there she was on CFRB talking about Black radical politics.

Since Johnson was summarily dismissed from JazzFM she has surfaced on CFRB. Johnson and Spider Jones are among the few African Canadians on mainstream radio in “liberal multicultural” Toronto.

Johnson hosts a show Saturday afternoons from four to six on Newstalk 1010 CFRB.Johnson is an actor, dancer, singer, songwriter and playwright. She is the sister of jazz diva, Molly Johnson, and Clark Johnson who directed the Hollywood blockbuster S.W.A.T. and starred in Homicide.

Johnson was born in Zurich, lived in Philadelphia and later in Ontario, where her familysettled. She performed with Rick James and the Stone City Band, recorded fivealbums with him and toured with him from 1979-82. She sang with James' "Mary Jane Girls" and sang on the Temptations smash, "Standing on The Top", with James, David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, Glenn Leonard and others. Johnson, James and Leonard all lived in Toronto at one point in their lives. This was the biggest hit on the Temptations' Reunion album.

When Sisters Speak featured appearances Toronto based d'bi young, NailaKeleta Mae, and Motion. Miami's Lizz Straight made her first Canadian appearance, while New York's Mahogany Browne returned to the stage and if this wasn't enough, Ottawa's Oni the Haitian Sensation topped off the bill.

As the only dancer on a bill of spoken word artists, dance artistTamla Matthews articulated her poetry with movement and debut a momentous dance piece entitled "Doorways & Dimensions". Matthew has been working with Kevin Ormsby who has just returned from the Garth Fagan Dance Company in upstate New York to create a piece about womanhood and entering motherhood.



The spoken word movement like hip- hop is international in scope and in nature. Spoken word unlike hip-hop has not been embraced by the corporate record industry. You can count the number of spoken word artists signed to major labels on one finger.


Male hip-hop artists are well represented on the majors. There are a variety of male hip- hoppers from 50 Cents to Common on these labels. Females are harder to find.

If you listen to Morgan’s radio program on CKLN-FM 88.1 every second Thursday at 8pm you know that he plays spoken word from Cape Town to Nova Scotia. While these artists are not on the major’s radar, Morgan’s word demonstrates for all to see THERE IS A MARKET FOR SPOKEN WORD.

Why haven’t the majors embraced the spoken word movement? Could it be thatmost of the spoken word artists are not a part of the bling scene? Ifyou’ve ever attended ‘Acoustic Soul’ with DJ Black Lotus at the Trane Studio on Tuesday nights you would realize that these artists read newspapers.listen to talk radio and watch the news.


They are not merely concerned with getting rich or die trying, matters of the heart or conquering as many women as they can. Spoken word artists deal with social justice, gender relations and yes, sex.

Sex is a huge part of the spoken word movement. These artists seem to echo the thoughts of Redd Foxx who used to say, “We talk about sex because most of our parents had it.”
Many spoken word artists can also do hip- hop. Naila Keleta Mae’s “Ganga Rap “is a strong piece of hip-hop in my judgement.

However, some like Morgan say they are freer performing in the spoken word idiom.Spoken word is not tied to the music. All you need to perform spoken wordis a microphone and an audience.

Morgan first stepped on the stage in 1994.Since then, Morgan has self published four books, and two audio recordings. At age 27, Morgan currently performs throughout Toronto, while touring through the U.S., England, and Germany annually. Morgan is on the roster of the Royal Conservatory of Music's Learning through the Arts Program, and often makes presentations to high school students about the importance of writing, sharing their views, and the English language.

He and Gentle Aura write a column ‘Straight Up’ in the newspaper 24 Hours.Morgan’s work is influenced by hip hop culture, and manages to touch aplace deep inside of us.African Canadian in particular and the world in general are in Dwayne Morgan’s debt. He has brought the Spoken Word movement to us.

Norman (Otis) Richmond can be reached by email Norman@ckln.fm

Harry Berry, Bass Singer with Tempts Passes

By Norman (Otis) Richmond

Harry McGilberry Jr. a.k.a. Harry Berry, a former bass singer with theTemptations has joined the ancestors.

McGilberry was the third bass singer with the legendary vocal group. He replaced Ray Davis a foundation member of Parliament/Funkadelic who was brought into the group to complete the album, For Lovers Only when the original bass singer Melvin Franklin became too ill to continue with the group. He came into the group when Davis was forced the leave for health reasons.



Maurice Watts, who hosts the popular Love Zone radio show, paid tribute to MilGilberry upon hearing of his passing.”

Melvin (Franklin) was my mine man, but you respectfully earned your place on my shelf of ‘World Class Bass Singer.’” The current bass singer with the Temptations is Joe Herndon who replaced McGilberry in 2003.

Many have complained that bass and baritone singers are an endangeredspecies in popular music in the 21st Century. For his part, McGilberrytalked about his influences and listed them.”

I give praise and thanks to those who paved the way before me. You all have been a great inspiration to my talent and endeavors.” He went on tolist Melvin Franklin, Larry Graham, Barry White, Isaac Hayes, Lou Rawls,Arthur Prysock, Brook Benton, The Harmonizing Four, and The Swan Silvertones as his mentors.

The Temptations have continued to be the biggest and most influential vocalgroup in history. David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, MelvinFranklin and Otis Williams- The classic Temptations were the quintessential male vocal group.

After a dry spell, The Temptations made a comeback of sorts. Phoenix Risingwhich featured the smash single “Stay” was the group’s biggest album oftheir career and McGilberry was a part of it. McGilberry joined the onlyoriginal member of the group Williams, Ron Tyson, Terry Weeks and Theo Peoples (who left the group and joined the Four Tops after recording”Stay”). The current lead vocalist of the Tempts is G.C. Cameron, who sang with the Spinners on their classic “It’s A Shame.”

McGilberry also appeared on the Awesome and Ear-Resistible albums. TheEar-Resistible album won the Temptations their first Grammy award since”Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone.” I had the pleasure of seeing, meeting and interviewing MilGilberry on several occasions. As a member of theTemptations I saw him at Ontario Place, in Hamilton and at Roy ThomsonHall twice. He took to me immediately, especially when he found out that I was a huge Futures fan.

McGilberry began his recording career as a member of the Philadelphia group, the Futures. The Futures recorded for Buddha and PhiladelphiaInternational Records. They recorded Castles In The Sky for Buddha andPast, Present and The Futures and The Greetings of Peace for PhillyInternational. Beside McGilberry the group featured Kenny Crew, James andJohn King and Frank Washington who went on to become a member of theDelfonics and the current lead voice of the Spinners. In fact, the first time I saw the Futures was at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. They wereopening for the Spinners and O’Jays in the 70s. It must be pointed out that Washington and Crew held their own against Philippe Wynne and Bobby Smith of the Spinners and Eddie Levert and Walter Williams of the O’Jays.McGilberry also was not outdone by Pervis Jackson (the bass voice of theSpinners) or Williams (who also doubles as the O’Jays bass vocalist).


While the Futures never had a major hit they sang background on many ofPhiladelphia International Records including most Teddy Pendergrass’platinum albums. In fact, when Pendergrass left Harold Melvin and the BlueNotes he considered recruiting McGilberry to be a member of a new group which he planned to put together. Pendergrass mentions McGilberry in his autobiography Truly Blessed. Says Pendergrass, “I considered asking tenorHarry Ray of the Moments (Ray, Goodman & Brown) and Harry (McGilberry),the bass singer of the local (Philadelphia) group the Futures, and someother guys.”


It was a pleasure listening and watching McGilberry work with both theFutures and the Temptations. I still have an autographed copy of theFutures, Past, Present and the Futures in my collection. I rememberMcGilberry and Crew as very friendly gentlemen and my favorite song by theFutures is “Love Lives on a Windy Hill,” which featured McGilberry on the bottom and Crew’s creamy Eddie Kendricks’ like falsetto out-front. I also enjoyed their song “We Got Each Other” with Barbara Mason. This was the groups final single for Buddah Records.

McGilberry’s stint with the Temptations was the crowning jewel in his life. You could hear it in his voice. Maurice ”The Voice” Watts’ web site captures the moment. The Voice’s web site is www.lovezone247.com or onFriday nights from 9pm to 12am. McGilberry is thenewest member of soul heaven. He will be missed.Norman Richmond can be reached by email Norman@ckln.fm

Now or Never for Mumia Abu-Jamal

By Norman (Otis) Richmond
It is now or never for U.S. political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal. Abu-Jamal’ supporters are being implored to renew their efforts to free him, or at least grant him a new trial.

Revolutionary journalist, Kiilu Nyasha, is calling for Abu-Jamal supporters to step up their efforts to liberate Abu Jamal. Says Nyasha:“They (the State) want to kill him (Abu-Jamal). Make no mistake. I want people to feel the urgency of it. It’s a matter of months.

When the last appeal was filed on October 23rd, the judge said, ‘the hearing will be scheduled in a few months’, which means it might come up in January. If it comes down in January or February what ever the outcome is, it will either be a new trial or a death sentence.”

The San Francisco- based journalist blames “sectarian non-sense” for the fact that the movement to free Abu-Jamal has “lost steam” in NorthAmerica. She points out that the movement is moving in Europe. “The energy is in Europe.”

Even the African-named Chaka Fattah a mayoral candidate in Philadelphiahas caved in to the pressure of anti-Abu-Jamal forces. Linn Washington pointed out in a recent article in the Philadelphia Tribune , America’s oldest black owned newspaper, “When Fattah recently announced his candidacy for mayor of Philadelphia , the city’s police union – the leading group pushing for Abu Jamal’s execution – announced it would oppose Fattah’s candidacy due solely to his mid-90s support for a new trial.”

In the mid-1990s, Fattah spearheaded an effort among members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), which a called for a fair trial Abu-Jamal.

Huey P. Newton once remarked that “Blackness was necessary but not sufficient.” Fattah’s actions are proof of this statement.

Abu-Jamal is a former member of the Black Panther Party a Move supporter. He is a symbol in the struggle for justice in the United States and the abolition of the death penalty. He is an award-winning journalist who chronicles the human condition. He has been a resident of Pennsylvania’s death row for twenty-five years. Writing from his solitary confinement cell his essays have reached a worldwide audience. His “Dispatches FromDeath Row” commentaries are played every Saturday on Saturday Morning Liveat 10am on CKLN-FM 88.1 and they can be heard in cyberspace www.ckln.fm All of Abu-Jamal’s commentaries can be heard on www.prisonradio.org

While Abu-Jamal is clearly an African American patriot he has stood up forthe world’s oppressed. His commentaries are Pan-African in scope and deal with everything from Hank Aaron to Chaka and the Zulus. However, Abu-Jamal is an internationalist and tackles issues form Hamid Karzai’s, Afghanistan to Robert Mugabe’s, Zimbabwe. At the time of this writing Abu Jamal’s last commentary is “Why The Iraq Study Group is No Solution.”

His books Live From Death Row, Death Blossoms, All Things Censored, Faithof Our Fathers and the recently released We Want Freedom have sold over150,000 copies and been translated into nine languages.

His 1982-murder trial and subsequent conviction has been the subject ofgreat debate. On December 9, 1981 Philadelphia police office Daniel Faulkner was shot and killed during a routine Center City traffic stop. Abu-Jamal was charged with Faulkner‘s murder.

Abu-Jamal has garnered international support. World leader, elected officials, celebrities and every day people from Africa, Asia, South Africa and the Caribbean have called for Abu Jamal’s freedom. Fidel Castro, Nelson Mandela, Rubin (Hurricane) Carter, Danielle Mitterrand(former First Lady of France), the Episcopal Church of the United States of America; and City Governments such as those of San Francisco, SantaCruz, California, and Detroit have gone on record as supporting his release. Cultural workers like Public Enemy, Rage Against the Machine, andBoots Reily of the Coup, dead prez, Jello Biafra, Danny Glover, SnoopDogg, Ossie Davis, Susan Sarandon, and Ed Asner has done the same.


In October 2003, Mumia Abu-Jamal was awarded the status of honorary citizen of Paris in a ceremony attended by Angela Davis. The mayor ofParis, Bertrand Delanoe, said in a press release that the award was meant to be a reminder of the continuing fight against the death penalty, which was abolished in France in 1981. The proposal to make Abu-Jamal an honorary citizen was approved by the city's council in 2001.

In 2006, a street was named after Abu-Jamal by the administration of the city of Saint - Denis, a suburb of Paris, provoking some uproar in theU.S.

Nyasha is calling for world—wide action to stop the execution of Abu-Jamal.

“We must urge our neigbhors, friends, and everyone to send letters, e-mail, make phone calls, march in the streets and whatever is necessaryto stop this execution.”

In Toronto the Partisan Defense Committee is sponsoring a meeting,“Abu-Jamal! Abolish the Racist Death Penalty, this Friday, December 15, 7to 10 pm at the Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil Street (1 Block south ofCollege at Ross Street, west of Queen’s Park Station) $5 advance, $8dollars at the door.Norman Richmond can be contacted norman@ckln.fm

Toronto Jazz Fest 2006

By Norman(Otis) Richmond

The 2006 TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival has come and gone. I was only able to catch one of the Talkback Series and three concerts. Two concerts that I wanted to see were not in the cards. Divine Brown and Jacksoul didn’t happen for me. I attempted to get an interview with Brown but never heard back from her record company. I even had to purchase Brown’s CD, Divine Brown despite having a radio shows consistently on the Toronto airwaves for 25 years. What can I say but, “Oh! Canada?”

Etta James was the other concert that I wanted to catch but couldn’t. It appears that the corporate types have finally found out what African people knew from the get-go. Etta is BAD? The sister can blow. Her latest CD, All The Way, is proof. I ‘am happy that James is getting the attention she should.

I was however, able to catch a Talkback Series led by Kevin Clark entitled “The Big Easy”. Clark, a long time resident of New Orleans talked about the evolution of New Orleans jazz. It was pointed out that when the New Orleans pianist Jelly Roll Morton talked about the “Spanish Tinge” in jazz, he was really talking about the “Cuban Tinge”. The Cubans and Haitians contributed to the making of America’s classical music.

The first concert I witnessed was Andy Bey Duo, which was held at the Young Centre For The Performing Arts. Bey, the brother of Toronto’s own Salome Bey, was in fine form performing many tracks from his latest CD, American Song. Bey is a vocalist who processes a voice that ranges from a deep dark baritone to a West African falsetto had the pack house eating out of the palm of his hands.

I set next to a woman from Buffalo, New York who claimed to be madly in love with Bey and after he performed gems like “Never Let Me Go”, “It’s Only a Paper Moon” and “Caravan” she said she had fallen deeper love with the Newark, New Jersey native.

Pick up Bey CD and be sure to be there the next time he performs in this city or wherever you are.

Wednesday was a difficult night for me because I had to choose between Maceo Parker and the Neville Brothers. Having seen Parker with both James Brown and Bootsy’s Rubber Band I am a fan. I can even remember Parker bringing on Bootsy at the Los Angeles Col in front of 100,000 funkateers. I also remember him being “bigged up” by Rev. Jesse Jackson at a Black Music Association in Washington D.C. However, my “tribalism” forced me to see my homeboys The Neville Brothers.

The last time the Neville Brothers came to Toronto they brought their “secret weapon”, Aaron Neville’s son Ivan. When Aaron, Art, Charles and Cyril performed the Temptations “Ball of Confusion” I thought I had died on gone to “Soul Heaven” because Aaron’s son sounded so much like the late Paul Williams of the Temptations. I was not disappointed by the Neville even though Ivan was not on stage this time out.

The always socially conscious Neville’s stretched their repertoire this time around. Love and happiness was in the air as the boys form New Orleans included songs like Little Willie John’s “Fever”, Sam Cooke’s “Cupid” and they ended the show with Pookie Hudson and the Spaniels “Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight”.

Normally the Neville’s close their shows with Bob Marley and Curtis Mayfield’s “One Love/People Get Ready”. However, this evening “One Love/People Get Ready” was not the closer. I hadn’t seen this since I saw Cuba Gooding Sr. and the Main Ingredient close a show in Oakland, California with the ballad, “Who Can I Turn To?”

The last event I attended was Pharaoh Sanders & Kenny Garrett’s concert at Nathan Phillips Square’s Mainstage. I have been a huge Sanders fan since seeing him with John Coltrane at an after hours theatre in Los Angeles called the Adams West in the mid-sixties. The Adams West could hold 800 people and by the time Sanders finished his third solo, maybe 200 people remained in the theatre. The majority of the crowd had never heard of heard of the Young Turk from Little Rock, Arkansas. Sanders blew the roof off the Adams West.

Tenor saxophonist Sanders and alto saxophonist Garrett did not disappoint the crowd. Sanders and Garrett were joined by pianist William Henderson, bassist Dezron Douglas and drummer Joe Farnsworth. Sanders still has fire in his belly but after performing the night before he was obviously fatigued. Garrett stepped up top the plate and the two saxophonists with a little help from their friends pulled off a marvellous night of music. Norman Richmond can be contacted Norman@ckln.fm

Toronto Jazz Fest 2006

By Norman(Otis) Richmond

The 2006 TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival has come and gone. I was only able to catch one of the Talkback Series and three concerts. Two concerts that I wanted to see were not in the cards. Divine Brown and Jacksoul didn’t happen for me. I attempted to get an interview with Brown but never heard back from her record company. I even had to purchase Brown’s CD, Divine Brown despite having a radio shows consistently on the Toronto airwaves for 25 years. What can I say but, “Oh! Canada?”

Etta James was the other concert that I wanted to catch but couldn’t. It appears that the corporate types have finally found out what African people knew from the get-go. Etta is BAD? The sister can blow. Her latest CD, All The Way, is proof. I ‘am happy that James is getting the attention she should.

I was however, able to catch a Talkback Series led by Kevin Clark entitled “The Big Easy”. Clark, a long time resident of New Orleans talked about the evolution of New Orleans jazz. It was pointed out that when the New Orleans pianist Jelly Roll Morton talked about the “Spanish Tinge” in jazz, he was really talking about the “Cuban Tinge”. The Cubans and Haitians contributed to the making of America’s classical music.

The first concert I witnessed was Andy Bey Duo, which was held at the Young Centre For The Performing Arts. Bey, the brother of Toronto’s own Salome Bey, was in fine form performing many tracks from his latest CD, American Song. Bey is a vocalist who processes a voice that ranges from a deep dark baritone to a West African falsetto had the pack house eating out of the palm of his hands.

I set next to a woman from Buffalo, New York who claimed to be madly in love with Bey and after he performed gems like “Never Let Me Go”, “It’s Only a Paper Moon” and “Caravan” she said she had fallen deeper love with the Newark, New Jersey native.

Pick up Bey CD and be sure to be there the next time he performs in this city or wherever you are.

Wednesday was a difficult night for me because I had to choose between Maceo Parker and the Neville Brothers. Having seen Parker with both James Brown and Bootsy’s Rubber Band I am a fan. I can even remember Parker bringing on Bootsy at the Los Angeles Col in front of 100,000 funkateers. I also remember him being “bigged up” by Rev. Jesse Jackson at a Black Music Association in Washington D.C. However, my “tribalism” forced me to see my homeboys The Neville Brothers.

The last time the Neville Brothers came to Toronto they brought their “secret weapon”, Aaron Neville’s son Ivan. When Aaron, Art, Charles and Cyril performed the Temptations “Ball of Confusion” I thought I had died on gone to “Soul Heaven” because Aaron’s son sounded so much like the late Paul Williams of the Temptations. I was not disappointed by the Neville even though Ivan was not on stage this time out.

The always socially conscious Neville’s stretched their repertoire this time around. Love and happiness was in the air as the boys form New Orleans included songs like Little Willie John’s “Fever”, Sam Cooke’s “Cupid” and they ended the show with Pookie Hudson and the Spaniels “Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight”.

Normally the Neville’s close their shows with Bob Marley and Curtis Mayfield’s “One Love/People Get Ready”. However, this evening “One Love/People Get Ready” was not the closer. I hadn’t seen this since I saw Cuba Gooding Sr. and the Main Ingredient close a show in Oakland, California with the ballad, “Who Can I Turn To?”

The last event I attended was Pharaoh Sanders & Kenny Garrett’s concert at Nathan Phillips Square’s Mainstage. I have been a huge Sanders fan since seeing him with John Coltrane at an after hours theatre in Los Angeles called the Adams West in the mid-sixties. The Adams West could hold 800 people and by the time Sanders finished his third solo, maybe 200 people remained in the theatre. The majority of the crowd had never heard of heard of the Young Turk from Little Rock, Arkansas. Sanders blew the roof off the Adams West.

Tenor saxophonist Sanders and alto saxophonist Garrett did not disappoint the crowd. Sanders and Garrett were joined by pianist William Henderson, bassist Dezron Douglas and drummer Joe Farnsworth. Sanders still has fire in his belly but after performing the night before he was obviously fatigued. Garrett stepped up top the plate and the two saxophonists with a little help from their friends pulled off a marvellous night of music. Norman Richmond can be contacted Norman@ckln.fm

RANDY WESTON:PAN-AFRICANISM ON THE PIANO

By Norman (Otis) Richmond

When most people grow older they tend to get shorter. Not pianist, band leader, and composer Randy Weston. When Weston recently performed at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, Jazz FM’s Larry Green said Weston stands 6’ 8’’. However, on the liner notes of his new CD Zep Tepi, he is listed as standing 6’9’’. When I pointed this out to Weston during a recent telephone interview on CKLN-FM 88.1 he broke into his trademark thunderous laugh and said, “Actually my feet have gotten bigger. I used to wear a size 15 shoe but the last time I went to buy a pair of shoes the salesman said, ‘Mr. Weston you now need a size 16’”.

Weston is celebrating his 80th birthday with the release of Zep Tepi. The translation into English is "First Time," which is the name of the ancient Egyptian creation story. This CD is also Weston's first trio recording in decades. Weston is joined by Neil Clarke on African Percussion, and the Panamanian–born and Brooklyn raised Alex Blake on bass. The ten compositions on this recording range from Weston’s well know compositions like “ High Fly”, “Blue Moses” , the Ghanaian Guy Warren’s (Kofi Ghanaba) chestnut “Love, The Mystery Of” and new material like “Ballad For T” and “Tamashii”.

Zep Tepi is an instant classic which captures ancient Africanism and 21st century urbanisms. While Weston was born in the West, he is not of the West and this is reflected on his latest masterpiece.” It’s the first trio recording I’ve done since the 1970s. My last trio recording was a date I did for Duke Ellington, which came out on Arista Freedom. It was called Berkshire Blues.” Weston said he began with a trio but later stretched out with orchestras, small groups and symphonies but he felt he wanted to return to his roots. He also feels that Blake, who he first heard playing with Dizzy Gillespie’s Big Band when the bassist was a mere lad of 16 and Clarke on African Percussion is a match made in heaven.

Weston also has a new label. After years of being with Verve he is now with the independent Random Chance Records. Random Chance Records is a small independent company that offers Weston the maximum freedom to continue to create great African rhythms. The company bills itself as a “Blues Jazz & Whatever” label. He spoke about the label in positive terms. Said Weston, “It’s my first recording for the company. I think they record Gerry Gonzales and some other artists. They are pretty young. I met the owner. We had a meeting and we came to terms. He seems like a very nice guy so I wish him luck.” The company has a beautiful web site, http://www.randomchancerecords.com/

One of the tracks on Zep Tepi is “Portrait of Frank Edward Weston”, who was Weston’s Panamanian born father. Weston squarely places the blame for his lifelong love of Africa and African people on the senior Weston. His father always told Weston that he was, “an African born in America”. “He told me I had to learn about myself and about him and about my grandparents,” Weston went on to say, “and the only way to do it was I’d have to go back to the motherland one day.”

That day would come in 1961 when he visited Africa for the first time, along with the African American poet Langston Hughes and a number of other African American and African artists, to perform at a festival in Lagos, Nigeria. He would return again in 1963 along with a painter, Elton Fax, where they lectured in Nigerian universities and at various schools.


While many African American jazz musicians, writers, and others chose to move to France and other European nations, Weston chose Africa. He would move to the North African nation of Morocco in 1967 and open up his own jazz club there, the “African Rhythms Club”. Weston remained for six years before returning to the U. S.

Frank Wilson Weston’s legacy continues to open up doors for Weston. Martin Torrijos, the current president of Panama, recently offered Weston Panamanian citizenship if he wanted it. While Frank Wilson Weston was born in Panama his father had been born in Jamaica. Weston was able to use his connections in the Pan African world to help his friends and comrades. One of the people who benefited from Weston’s international links was Melba Liston.

Trombonist/ arranger Liston had a special relationship with Weston. The relationship began in 1960 when Liston arranged Weston’s groundbreaking album Uhuru Afrika “After we did Uhuru Afrika which at that time was controversial it became difficult for her to get work. We had a concert coming up at Central Park. I wanted to bring up a traditional reggae band Count Ozzie and the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari as well as the guitarist Ernest Ranglin.

“My father’s side of the family is Jamaican. Melba and I went to the then Minister of Tourism P.J. Patterson (who later became the Prime Minister) and Rex Nettleford (the Caribbean Renaissance man) that was it. Melba liked it so much we got her attached to the University of the West Indies at Mona and she stayed there five years.”

“When Randy Weston plays a combination of strength and gentleness virility and velvet emerges from the keys in an ebb and flow of sound seemingly as natural as the waves of the sea” is how Langston Hughes describes Weston’s playing. For more information about Weston, or to purchase his latest CD, Zep Tepi, visit Weston in cyberspace http://www.randyweston.com/
Norman Richmond can be contacted Norman@ckln.fm