Arts and Culture
Askari T. Sowonde Presents Vallejo’s Annual Kwanzaa Celebration, Dec. 28
One of Vallejo’s annual community Kwanzaa celebrations, and the largest, will be celebrated on Saturday, December 28th at the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum, 734 Marin St., from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. The event will be presented by Askari T. Sowonde, who has coordinated the presentation for the past 19 years.
Kwanzaa is a week-long annual celebration held in the United States and other nations of the African diaspora in the Americas, to honor African heritage in African-American culture. It is observed from Dec. 26th to January 1st, culminating in gift-giving and a feast. Kwanzaa has seven core principles (Nguzo Saba), created by Maulana Karenga, and was first celebrated in 1966.
“I originally began the Kwanzaa celebration in my home and I did it for six years,” said Sowonde. “After that, I was approached by a friend who suggested that I offer the celebration to the entire community. Thus began this celebration where hundreds of Vallejo residents participate and join in the festivities.”
“I’m a grass-roots sista who has coordinated events in the community for years, providing local entertainment and educational activities for the community,” noted Sowonde. “Even though this event is not sponsored by the city financially, I’m able to provide programs such as this one through prayer and from the help of people who believe in what I’m doing.”
“This year however, because we are using a venue that is operated by the city, we will be charging $5 for youths and $10 for adults to attend,” Sowande said. “It’s actually a donation with proceeds going to support the cost of presenting Kwanzaa, and to the museum.”
“We will have speakers, entertainment, drummers and lighting of the candles by our youths,: noted Sowonde. “Our theme is ‘Where Are We,’ which speaks to what is happening in the Black community.”
Notably, the Vallejo Kwanzaa will honor people who have given selflessly of themselves to benefit the communities they live in. Those honorees include: Philip “Maui Phil” Wilson, Miss Myla J, The MLK Project, Unite Vallejo (Keyauna Morris) and Eloise Quinn from the NAACP.
In addition to the lighting of the candles, there will be presentations by Distinctive Design, Semaj the Poet, Matthew McCain-Praise Dance, Sharon B-Steel Pan Drummer and a fashion show by Norahs Khan.
The theme speaks to a number of murders of youths in our community by police officers,” said Sowonde. “The last murder was Willie McCoy, who was killed while he was asleep in his car at a Taco Bell restaurant. And there was Eric Reason who was shot in the back of the head while fleeing from a plain-clothes police officer. This has to stop.”
“We, as a people in the community, are outraged,” said Sowonde. “One of our speakers, Kori McCoy, the brother of Willie McCoy, will be speaking about the plight his family has endured and what has transpired since losing his brother.”
“We were warriors in Africa, and we’ve come to a point where we are standing up and saying ‘no more.’ That’s what this is about. To educate, have fun, and talk about us as a proud Black people. It is what is reflected in this year’s poster…Blackness and Kwanzaa.”
For more information about the Kwanzaa celebration, contact Mz. Sowonde at 707.712.3699 or via email at iamblessed3204@comcast.net.
Arts and Culture
Kedrick Armstrong: New Music Director for the Oakland Symphony
The Oakland Symphony Announced Kedrick Armstrong as its Next Music Director. In addition to conducting the orchestra’s public concerts, Armstrong will also actively participate in the Oakland Symphony’s many education and community engagement programs, designed to inspire a love of music in people of all ages.
By Post Staff
The Oakland Symphony Announced Kedrick Armstrong as its Next Music Director.
In addition to conducting the orchestra’s public concerts, Armstrong will also actively participate in the Oakland Symphony’s many education and community engagement programs, designed to inspire a love of music in people of all ages.
Armstrong is the successor to previous music director and Conductor Michael Morgan, who passed away in 2021 after a 30-year tenure at the Symphony.
Armstrong will open the Oakland Symphony 2024-2025 season on October 18.
Armstrong, who is 29 and hails from Georgetown, South Carolina, is currently the creative partner and principal conductor of the Knox-Galesburg Symphony.
The Chicago Tribune has praised Armstrong for his ability to “simply let the score speak for itself.” He enjoys a wide range of repertoire, spanning early music to premiering new works, using his joy and curiosity for all music to cultivate understanding and collaboration within diverse communities.
“I am deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as the new music director of the Oakland Symphony,” Armstrong said. “As a Black conductor, I find it humbling to stand on the shoulders of both Michael Morgan and Calvin Simmons,” the most recent and the first African American music directors of the Symphony, respectively.
Armstrong led three programs at the Symphony between 2022 and early 2024, which showcased his broad knowledge of the classical repertoire and enthusiasm for spotlighting diverse voices.
On his Oakland Symphony subscription debut on Feb. 16, Armstrong led the world premiere of “Here I Stand: Paul Robeson,” an oratorio by Carlos Simon on a libretto by Dan Harder, commissioned by the Oakland Symphony.
Armstrong was selected unanimously by the Oakland Symphony’s board of directors and musicians after an extensive two-year search. “The search committee was overwhelmed by Kedrick’s scholarship and curiosity about all kinds of music, from classical and jazz to gospel and hip-hop,” said. Dr. Mieko Hatano, executive director of the Oakland Symphony. “We are thrilled to have him join us at the Oakland Symphony.”
Arts and Culture
Faces Around the Bay Dr. Carl Blake, Pianist
Born in Liberty, Missouri, Carl Blake, a virtuoso and respected pianist, made his most recent migration to the East Bay in 1999. One might have seen him performing recently at Noontime Concerts in San Francisco, or at the Piedmont Center for the Arts in Oakland. He is Director of Music at The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco. He was also co-organizer and collaborative pianist at Herbst Theater for The Majesty of the Spirituals concert in 2022 and has held several church positions in the Bay Area.
By Barbara Fluhrer
Born in Liberty, Missouri, Carl Blake, a virtuoso and respected pianist, made his most recent migration to the East Bay in 1999.
One might have seen him performing recently at Noontime Concerts in San Francisco, or at the Piedmont Center for the Arts in Oakland. He is Director of Music at The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco. He was also co-organizer and collaborative pianist at Herbst Theater for The Majesty of the Spirituals concert in 2022 and has held several church positions in the Bay Area.
Blake obtained a Bachelor of Music from Boston University and continued post-baccalaureate studies in Jamaica before earning a Master of Arts in Music at San Jose State University. He was the recipient of two Fulbright residencies in Honduras and completed a third residency at the University of St. Petersburg in Russia. He has a Doctor of Musical Arts from Cornell University.
At age 19, Blake, then an undergraduate piano major at Boston University, was “discovered” by Impresario Dr. W. Hazaiah Williams, who is the Founder and Director of Today’s Artists/Four Seasons Arts.
Williams honored Blake by awarding him the first Marian Anderson Young Artist Award. Anderson personally presented the award at the Masonic Auditorium in S.F. Subsequently, Blake was presented by Dr. Williams in his San Francisco debut at The Herbst Theatre. Williams subsidized a year of study abroad for Blake at the Paris Conservatory of Music. Additionally, Williams sponsored Blake’s New York Weill Hall debut, where he has performed twice since. Blake performed several times at the Yachats Music Festival in Oregon.
Blake continues to perform nationally and abroad. His hobbies are reading, baking and travel. He says, “I’m still pumping ivories, as Belgian pianist Jeanne Stark described the disciplined practice of concert piano.”
Arts and Culture
Oakland Jazz Great Offers Master Class as City Declares “John Handy Day”
World-renowned jazz master saxophonist John Handy, a McClymond’s High School graduate, was presented with a Mayor of Oakland Proclamation declaring Feb. 12, as John Handy Day in the city. Handy is most notably known as the featured saxophonist for Charles Mingus on “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” from the album “Mingus Ah Um” (1959) and on “Hard Work” from his own album “Hard Work” (1976).
By Conway Jones
World-renowned jazz master saxophonist John Handy, a McClymond’s High School graduate, was presented with a Mayor of Oakland Proclamation declaring Feb. 12, as John Handy Day in the city.
Handy is most notably known as the featured saxophonist for Charles Mingus on “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” from the album “Mingus Ah Um” (1959) and on “Hard Work” from his own album “Hard Work” (1976).
“John Handy is a jazz icon and an inspiration to musicians everywhere,” said Ayo Brame, a 16-year-old Oakland tenor saxophone player who is enrolled at the Oakland School for the Arts.
In celebration of this day, the reception in downtown Oakland at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle was a gathering of artists, young and old, coming together in his honor and celebrating his 91st birthday.
Handy presented a Saxophone Colossus free masterclass for musicians. This class afforded a rare opportunity to learn about the saxophone from an aficionado. The class was free and open to all – saxophonists, vocalists, aficionados, students, and casual listeners.
“As a longtime friend for over 60 years, and fellow musician who has had numerous opportunities to share the stage with John, it has always been a pleasure performing with him and hearing his creative interpretations of the music and his gift of ease inspiring the next generation of jazz musicians,” said Roger Glenn, a multi-instrumentalist.
-
Community2 weeks ago
Financial Assistance Bill for Descendants of Enslaved Persons to Help Them Purchase, Own, or Maintain a Home
-
Activism4 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of April 3 – 6, 2024
-
Business3 weeks ago
V.P. Kamala Harris: Americans With Criminal Records Will Soon Be Eligible for SBA Loans
-
Activism3 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of April 10 – 16, 2024
-
Community3 weeks ago
AG Bonta Says Oakland School Leaders Should Comply with State Laws to Avoid ‘Disparate Harm’ When Closing or Merging Schools
-
Community2 weeks ago
Oakland WNBA Player to be Inducted Into Hall of Fame
-
Community2 weeks ago
Richmond Nonprofit Helps Ex-Felons Get Back on Their Feet
-
Community2 weeks ago
RPAL to Rename Technology Center for Retired Police Captain Arthur Lee Johnson