Ahmed Abdullah, Jazz: A Music of the Spirit
Our music director at Sistas’ Place, Ahmed Abdullah, has a must-read essay on Jazz: A Music of the Spirit (Monique Ngozi Nri and Louis Reyes Rivera contributed also). Mr. Abdullah defines the type of jazz that is played at Sistas’ Place as “Jazz: A Music of the Spirit,” just like Randy Weston determined that his music should be called “African Rhythms.” Mr. Abdullah further illustrates “A Music of the Spirit” by showing how it was exemplified by Duke Ellington, Sun Ra, John Coltrane, Mary Lou Williams, Betty Carter and Nina Simone. Bless yourself and read Jazz: A Music of the Spirit.
Randy Weston, interview
[The word] Jazz doesn’t really give the full story. What have African people contributed to the U.S.? America is so young, compared to most countries on the planet. So what we call jazz in African-Americans’ contribution to the United States. So if you look at it that way, it gives you the understanding, also the genius and the spirituality of all these people. How do they do what they do? How do they make music out of a broom, out of a bottle? In Africa, people make music out of anything. For them, music is the voice of the creator… I want everybody to understand more about what African people have contributed to America. I think if they understand that, we’d have a different approach of who we are, what we did, despite all the slavery and the racism. But all the beauty that we gave, it’s amazing.
Read the entire Extended Interview.
Craig Harris, Liner Notes for Brown Butterfly
Craig Harris’ new Tribute CD, Brown Butterfly, is dedicated to Muhammad Ali. Brown Butterfly is a timeless soundtrack to Muhammad Ali’s divine, eternal dance–and the liner notes soar also. Read the liner notes.
Jazz Oral History in Brooklyn’s Historic Bedford-Stuyvesant Community with Roger Wareham and Viola Plummer
Several years ago as part of a jazz oral history project exploring the rich history of the music in Brooklyn’s historic Bedford-Stuyvesant community, I [Roger Wareham] conducted a series of oral history interviews with friend and colleague Jennifer Scott for the Weeksville Heritage Center. For those not familiar with Weeksville it is the oldest African American community in Brooklyn. Three of those interviews focused on the vibrant alternative space for jazz known as Sista’s Place, located at 456 Nostrand Avenue at the corner of Jefferson Avenue. Interviewees include Ahmed Abdullah, Roger Wareham and Viola Plummer.
Read more.
Brooklyn’s Jazz Renaissance
By Robin D. G. Kelley, The Brooklyn Rail, April 2005.
… While predominantly white “downtown” audiences squeeze into the Blue Note or the Vanguard to be entertained by the hip, across the bridge Brooklyn’s black activists and artists are reclaiming the music’s roots and employing it for the political, social, and spiritual uplift of the community. Read more.
Black Star News Review: That Night at Sistas’ Place was a “Jazz Night” to Recall
December 27, 2015, Black Star News, Shaheed A. Muhammad.
I suppose if there is such a place as the hallowed heavenly realm of jazz where the transitioned ancestral giants of the culture might presently reside, Jackie McLean is there and must have been beaming with the joy of a fatherly pride on a recent Saturday.
His son, RENE McLean, versatile contemporary jazz giant in his own right, was featured with his sextet at the recently acknowledge land-marked “SISTAS’ PLACE”, jazz club/cultural center, at 456 Nostrand Ave. in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, New York. That night the sextet rendered outstanding performances of compositions of legendary jazz masters such as JOHN COLTRANE, THELONIOUS MONK and others. Read more.
Drummer Brandon Sanders Makes Long-Awaited Debut With the August 25 Release of Compton’s Finest On Savant Records
By TERRI HINTE PUBLICITY, July 6, 2023, Reprinted from All About Jazz.
As a kid I was introduced by everyone from James Brown, John Coltrane, and Sarah Vaughan to Stevie Wonder and Duke Ellington. My new album is a reflection of all the joys I experienced growing up listening to that music.
—Brandon Sanders
The only thing drummer Brandon Sanders has to prove on Compton’s Finest, set for an August 25 release on Savant Records, is his musicality. Making his recording debut at the age of 52, Sanders is past the youthful need for flashy pomp and circumstance. He instead focuses on serving the material—and supporting an ace roster of bandmates that includes vibraphonist Warren Wolf, tenor saxophonist Chris Lewis, pianist Keith Brown, and bassist Eric Wheeler—with taste and maturity. Read more.