Cesária Évora (1941 – 2011) By Carol Cooper Buried on her home island of São Vicente the Tuesday before Christmas amid nationwide mourning in her native Cape Verde, singer Cesária Évora enjoyed more artistic recognition … Continue reading
By Carol Cooper “….[W]e believe the $50 million allocated for the arts in the stimulus package was a fiscally responsible decision. Every community the performing arts’ presenting industry represents across the country equates to jobs, jobs and more jobs.” –Sandra … Continue reading
Writing this now even as it runs live on TV, I can already say that the Shrine memorial event for Michael Jackson defended his legacy in ways MJ himself could not. Stevie Wonder, himself an ex-child star rising through … Continue reading
By Carol Cooper Last night at Joe’s Pub in lower Manhattan I witnessed a quintessential “downtown” event: the simultaneous launch of a sultry caberet-rock album and a feature-length video memoir. It was D.I.Y. multimedia at its finest! First, … Continue reading
Actor Danny Glover is one of the producers of a new documentary celebrating the role of song and courageous student activism in the American Civil Rights struggle. Interspersing archival television footage of the protest marches on Selma, Birmingham, and … Continue reading
Just got a copy in the mail of the new independant film *Hot Flash*, a short documentary about the female blues band Saffire! Uppity Blues Women. If you don’t already know them, the Saffire ensemble currently records for … Continue reading
Last month two pivotal figures in New York-based Latin music passed away. One was the key concert promoter and artist manager Ralph Mercado, and the other was bandleader Manny Oquendo. I knew Ralphy and most of his … Continue reading
The last time New York went through an “economic downturn”, Bronx-native Sal Abbatiello started using his father’s South Bronx bar to showcase local hip-hop deejays and rappers, while Michael Brody and Larry Levan threw contruction parties for the soon to become legendary Paradise Garage! Continue reading
The world’s greatest hippie musical returns while Rockefeller-era drug laws wave bye-bye. Continue reading
