'Dealin'' with African drummer Babatunde Olatunji. Program consists of numerous segments related to African heritage, the first of which is an excerpt from a filmstrip on the fall of the Songhay Empire in West Africa by the Afro Audiovisual Company of Boston. Additional segments include 'Bookbeat,' a 'Spotlight' stage performance by actress Beah Richards, 'Dealin'' with African drummer Babatunde Olatunji, 'Information' on traveling to Africa, and 'Commentary' by Sarah-Ann Shaw on the lack of African history lessons in the American classroom. Produced by Marita Rivero. Directed by Conrad White.
Al Jarreau performs 'You Don't See Me'Program focuses on three different African American theater productions. Host Barbara Barrow introduces the topic of Black theater and stage works Raisin (the Tony-Award-winning musical for 1974), The Black Dyad (about Black male and female relationships) and 'Theatre in Reverse,' a Say Brother theater piece with an in-studio vocal performance by Al Jarreau with dance performances (with the intent of drawing the audience's attention to sound and light, rather than to the performers). Program contains excerpts from each production, and an in-studio discussion with writers/directors Evelyn and Melvin Moore about the excerpt 'The Date' from The Black Dyad, which was the only segment of the three aired on the program. Produced by Marita Muhammad Rivero. Directed by Conrad White.
Boston based artists discuss the meaning of Black art. Host Jim Spruill leads a discussion among 17 Boston-based artists on what Black art is and to whom the Black artist speaks. Group assembled includes Orma Jo Flint, Steve Hussein, Hakim Jami, Bob Nellums, Joanne Robinson, Robert Ruff, Joanne Sanders, Ralf Coleman, Ali Yusef, Carolyn Fitchert, Charles Holley, Gary Rickson, Dana Chandler, Jr., Lovett Thompson, John Wilson, and Elma Lewis. Program includes stills of the work of featured painters and sculptors woven into the discussion, with featured performances by the musicians, dancers and poets. Featured performers include Ali Yusef Trio and the Negro Repertory Theatre. Produced by Ray Richardson. Directed by Stan Lathan.
Excerpt from 'Black Nativity,' performed by vocalists from the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts. This musical production is based on the play 'Black Nativity.' by Langston Hughes.
'Blast from the Past' with vocalist Miriam Makeba. Program is divided into two halves: the first consisting of three segments related to African American theater in Boston, the second of newsmagazine-style segments. Harold Stuart, Director of the Boston Black Repertory Company and company actors Mattye 'Mama' Long and Frederick Tyson discuss the differences between 'theater' and 'Black theater,' how Black theater affects members of the community, how talented individuals find the time to act, problems financially supporting Black theater, and why there is so little Black theater in Boston. Following the discussion is an eleven minute excerpt from the Company's latest production, A Raisin in the Sun, and a short interview with two Emerson students who helped film the production (Stephen Farrier and Jacquie Gales, both members of the Emerson student group EBONI Productions). Additional program segments include 'Access' (about the Sav-Mor government-funded security program), 'Blast from the Past' (with an excerpt from a 1971 interview with vocalist Miriam Makeba on how her marriage to Stokely Carmichael affected her singing career and her opinion on Guinea's response to a recent invasion attempt by the Portuguese), 'Information' (on minority recruitment for the Peace Corps' Vista program), the 'Community Calendar,' 'Commentary' by Marita Rivero (who reads a reworked version of 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff'), and three 'Philosophy of Life' segments with musician Herbie Hancock. Produced by Marita Rivero. Directed by Conrad White.
Black Solidarity Day 1972. Program addresses a variety of topics via a magazine-format presentation. Host John Slade introduces the following segments: 'Performance' with rock/jazz musicians Compost, 'Community Events' with Black Solidarity Day organizers Joseph Nkunta, Marie Firman, Karim Atiba Bayete, and Arnold Scott, 'Speak Out!' with Jack E. Robinson, President of the Boston Chapter of the NAACP (who talks about the need for adequate police protection in African American neighborhoods and a responsive police force), 'man on the street' interviews, in which Slade asks people whether or not they would like an African American officer to command their neighborhood's police district, a 'Save Our Cities Expo' review with Melvin Penn (a university student who interviews organizer Reverend Dr. Virgil Wood, Area Chairman of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference), and 'African Notes,' in which the building of the Volta Dam in Ghana is discussed. Program ushers in a new format that incorporates the interviews and expertise of community members. Produced by John Slade. Directed by Russell Tillman.
African American youth and education in Boston. Program consists of numerous community affairs segments, the most prominent of which is a panel discussion directed by Sarah-Ann Shaw on African American youth and education in Boston. Guests include Jean McGuire (Roxbury resident and only Black Pupil Adjustment Counselor for the Boston public school system), Gerald Hill (an African American teacher and nominee for Interim Project Director of the King-Timilty Coalition), Francine Mills (director of a vocational program for Operation Exodus), John Jackson (an African American teacher involved with experimental work-study program of Boston public schools), and Patricia Raynor (parent and member of the Parents' Education Committee). Additional segments include musical performances by Gwen Michaels and The Stark Reality, a poetry reading by Linda Hall, staff reflections on a recent African-style wedding in Boston, and a reading of the community news by Jacqueline Banks. Produced by Jim Boyd. Directed by Stan Lathan.
'Blast from the Past' features and excerpt from an early 1970s Say Brother interview with musician Jerry 'Iceman' Butler where he talks about the difficulties for new performers to be given air time, especially African American musicians.
'Blast from the Past' features an excerpt from a 1971 interview with vocalist Miriam Makeba. She talks about her concerts in Europe and Africa, as well as her marriage to Stokely Carmichael and how this has affected her singing career.
Cannonball Adderley and the Cannonball Express. Program contains numerous 'magazine-style' segments, of which the most prominent is host John Slade's interview with musician Cannonball Adderley. Accompanying the interview, in segments before and after, is performance footage of Adderley's jazz band Cannonball Express (with Bobby Timmons, Walter Booker and Roy McCurdy) shot live at Paul's Mall in Boston the night before the interview. Other segments include a performance by the Immala Blakely Dancers, an interview with Harvard psychiatry professor Dr. Alvin Pouissant about his book Why Blacks Kill Blacks, a demonstration of self-defense techniques using karate with black belt Harry Gardner, and a performance by jazz group The J.R. Mitchell Experience. Produced by John Slade. Directed by Russell Tillman.
Alvin Pouissant on the rise of Black on Black murders. Program consists of a number of magazine-style segments, including a Stephen Curwood interview with Dr. Patricia Frazier (of Robert B. Brigham Hospital) and Henrietta Aladjem (author of the book, The Sun Is My Enemy) on the disease lupus, two studio performances by Stanton Davis and the Ghetto Mysticism Band (who perform 'Funkified Tofu' and 'Crescent Gypsies'), an 'Open Platform' debate moderated by Melvin Moore on whether or not Massachusetts should fund Medicaid abortions (with debaters Dr. Mildred Jefferson, President of the both the Massachusetts and the National Right to Life committees, and Niki Nichols Gamble, Executive Director of the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, and panel reporters James Drummey, news editor of Review of The News magazine and Susan Sprecher of WBCN Radio), the 'Say Brother News' with Karen Holmes, Margaret Tarter, Leah Fletcher, Eric Sampedro, and Tanya Hart, and the 'Community Calendar.' Tarter's report features an interview with Jack Hayes, editor of The Circle (a Boston paper for Native American residents); Fletcher's report features an interview with Dr. Alvin Pouissant, who discusses 'Black on Black' violence and the reasons for it. Produced by Barbara Barrow. Directed by David De Barger.
'Black Nativity.'A Say Brother special presentation, 'Christmas in Color', features the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts' musical adaptation of Langston Hughes' 'Black Nativity,' which was performed in-studio. Additional segments include a mime performance by Halim Adbur Rashid (Fred Johnson) and a 'Christmas Cabaret' featuring four songs by vocalist Chip Garnett with back-up vocalists Cheryl Freeman and Sheryl Shell. Produced by Barbara Barrow-Murray.
Action for Boston Community Development. Program discusses a variety of topics via a magazine-style format. Host John Slade introduces a moderated discussion led by Say Brother filmmaker Henry Johnson with Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) employees Barbara Brydie, Arnett Waters, and Russell Hill (who discuss the agency's threatened status due to a proposed withdrawal of federal aid in President Nixon's proposed budget), an interview and performance by vocalist Eddie B. with the Contemporary Jazz Trio; and an interview conducted by John Slade with Helaine Simmonds, Clarence Dilday, and Benjamin Jones of the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association (on Governor Francis Williams Sargent's judgeship nominations). Produced by John Slade. Directed by Russell Tillman.
African drummer Babatunde Olatunji talks about the formation of the Olatunji Dancers, Singers and Drummers as a reaction to the misconceptions of Africans and the culture of Africa portrayed in the Hollywood films of the 1950s.
Dick Lane remembers Dinah Washington. Program focuses on the music of Dinah Washington and the tradition of African American female musicians that she participated in. Host Hayes Burnett, a bass player, provides brief biographical information about Washington and interviews both Washington's husband Dick Lane and vocalist Mae Arnette (who was early in her career when Washington was at the height of hers). Both guests discuss what Washington was like, the origins of her music, the difficulties inherent to being a female, African American, musician, and what her life was like just before she died. Additional segments include a vocal performance by Arnette, a bass performance by Burnett (with accompaniment), 'Information' (on the origins of African American music), and 'Commentary' by Hayes Burnett (on the great African American female musicians). Produced by Marita Muhammad Rivero. Directed by Conrad White.
'District 1,' 1978, which was one of the first dance works created for the New Television Workshop. Choreographer Rudy Perez and visual consultant Stephen Price worked with Fred Barzyk to create this work, which features a large group of dancers working in downtown Boston at City Hall. The choreography is comprised of simple movements that interact with the architecture of the site. Still photographs are incorporated. At several points, marching bands enter the picture, creating a built-in sound score. Produced and directed by Fred Barzyk. Perez made several visits to WGBH to prepare for the creation of 'District 1.' One trip was devoted to scouting locations. On a second trip, Perex brought visual consultant Stephen Price and a group of dancers with him. Using still photography, portapak equipment and a small crew, Perez was able to create a series of studies for the work, which were used to carefully plan shots during the production of the actual work. 'District 1' was originally broadcast as a segment on 'Dance for Camera' and later excerpted in Summer Dances and 'Dance in Open Spaces.' 'Dance for Camera' was the earliest series created by the Dance Workshop, which was coordinated at the time by Nancy Mason. The series was broadcast in 1976. Carmen De Lavallade, a former dancer with Lester Horton, John Butler and others, recorded introductions for the shows. The series appears to have been broadcast nationally. Some of the works were rebroadcast as part of the 'Frames of Reference' series.
Barbara Barrow-Murray interviews the vocalist and actress Eartha Kitt about her difficult childhood, her experience of not being a wanted child, and the pride she feels at having survived the prejudice of her childhood.
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