LIVE WIRE MOTHERS OF INVENTION
Front Cover Photos (L - R): Bessie Smith, Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, Lizzie "Memphis Minnie" Douglas, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton
LIVE WIRE: MOTHERS OF INVENTION For as long as I can remember, all I have ever wanted is to be fully expressed. I latched on to any sight or sound that felt like freedom. The sound of freedom is varied and any time you hear it, it sticks out as something you’ve never heard before because in a way every human being that exists is an anomaly. There has been nothing exactly like you before you. As individuals, we are a synthesis of everything we have ever seen or heard. In that truth, as a race of beings we carry within us all the sounds that have ever existed before. When I stepped out in to the world to claim myself as an artist, I brought with me every sound that had fed and nurtured my soul. I was often praised for being the only girl, black person, black girl ’who is doing this out here’. But as I stumbled along the path I was introduced time and time again to women who had blazed trails and birthed movements. The road I traveled along was not a paved one but a well-trodden path that was often concealed by the thorny weeds of racism and misogyny. In learning my musical family tree, I initially felt like I had become a member of a special club. Any decent music head knows that the catalyst for most 'friendships' in music you form is the ‘knowledge of the obscure’. Over time I have found my tribe and we’ve engaged in the ritual roll call: Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Memphis Minnie, Big Mama Thornton, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Betty Davis, Polystyrene, Maxayn, Joyce Kennedy, and so on… Over time, the sense of novelty diminishes and you just feel cheated. How might my life have been different had this knowledge been as American as Apple Pie and Hamburgers which aren’t actually American at all but the Blues is. So why did I have to excavate the stories of my foremothers? Could you imagine the theory of relativity without honoring Einstein? or the law of gravity without celebrating Newton? Then why is the factual statement ‘Rock n Roll was initially a black art form that came out of rhythm and blues formerly known as Race Music’ a cause for debate in some circles and how is it that these ‘Mothers of Invention’ remain secret code words for entry into a club of elite blues collectors and music aficionados when their stories are an integral part of American Music History? What is the cost of enjoying the fruits without acknowledging the roots? Tamar-kali Curator Apollo Live Wire: Mothers of Invention March 2016
LIVE WIRE: MOTHERS OF INVENTION - PANEL BIOGRAPHIES Brooklyn born and bred artist Tamar-kali is a 2nd generation musician with roots in the coastal Sea Islands of South Carolina. As a songwriter and vocalist Tamar-kali has defied boundaries and blended styles to craft her own unique sound. Her 5 piece outfit enchants you with its melody, while delivering a swift kick to the gut with its incisive emotional core. The works she composes and arranges for her Psychochamber Ensemble blend the classical music of her Catholic upbringing with the fire of the hard rock she came to love. Her powerful vocals have been featured in the award-winning film Pariah (2011, Focus Films) and in HBO’s recent biopic Bessie, starring Queen Latifah. The uninitiated may have caught a glimpse of her artistry in the documentary AfroPunk with incendiary performances and her contribution to its soundtrack introducing viewers to a rare and unique talent. Tamar-kali speaks her lyrical truth with a supreme passion and a voice that will shake your foundation and shatter your expectations with its soulful intensity. Her eclectic sound and versatility has allowed her to perform on variety of domestic and international stages with a diverse list of artists from Paramore, Fishbone and The Roots to Me’shell Ndegeocello and Viay Iyer. Gracie Aghapour is a queer, femme community organizer who has been working with Girls Rock! Camps for 5 years. Girls Rock! Camps are youth programs that use music as a vehicle for social change. She currently works as the Program & Communications Director of Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls in Brooklyn, and sits on the international Girls Rock Camp Alliance board. Previously, she was organizing with Girls Rock! Charleston in South Carolina and Southerners On New Ground, an intersectional queer liberation organization based in the American South.
LIVE WIRE: MOTHERS OF INVENTION - PANEL BIOGRAPHIES LaRonda Davis believes that people should be able to nurture, express and protect the art within them. To that end, she serves as the national president of the Black Rock Coalition, is on the Board of Directors for Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls, is co-owner of Flaming Yoni Productions and Primordial Punk, acts as road manager for the New York-based Burnt Sugar Arkestra, and is a graphic designer for friends. An Associate Creative Director by day, LaRonda's ad campaigns pay the bills‌ but music advocacy serves the soul.
LaFrae Sci is an internationally sought composer, drummer and educator who teaches at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and is also a founding teaching member of the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls in N.Y.C. As a Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. State Department, she has taught master classes and performed on over 30 countries. Her band, The 13th Amendment?, is also an educational collective that has taught about the genius of the Black American musical contribution to history in over 100 NYC public schools, served as artists in residence at schools in Atlanta, Ga and Dayton, Oh. and performed in NYC, Suriname, Albania, Paris and recently participated in the world premiere of her Jazz orchestral work written for 36 pieces inspired by the Russian novel The Master and Margarita , in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. Currently LaFrae is involved in a second orchestral jazz project in Siberia, as well as a special project with the Afro - Guatemalans in the Livingston, Guatemala region.
LaFrae has played drums for The Burnt Sugar Arkestra,
The Black Rock Coalition Orchestra, Valerie June, Keziah Jones, Sandra Bernhard, Eli Yamin, Vernon Reid, Kelis, Nancy Sinatra(w/ Morrissey), Blues greats Jr. Mack and Pinetop Perkins, Irene Cara, Bumblefoot, Cyndi Lauper, Reuben Wilson, Rachel Z, Kelis, and Dr. Lonnie Smith.
LIVE WIRE LISTENING STATION Scan the QR code to hear selections from Tamar-kali’s playlist on Spotify Bessie Smith “After You've Gone” Ida Cox “One Hour Mama” Ma Rainey “See See Rider” Memphis Minnie “Hoodoo Lady” Sister Rosetta Tharpe “Strange Things Happening Every Day” Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton “Ball N' Chain” Victoria Spivey “Black Snake Blues”
To learn more about the lives and careers of the “Mothers of Invention” visit http://bit.ly/1RnZ0Oc or scan the QR code.
UPCOMING EVENTS MASTER CLASS
Hip Hop Performance: The Cypher with Toni Blackman Saturday, April 16 10:30 a.m.—1:30 p.m.
The Business of Hip Hop with Wes Jackson Saturday, April 16 2:30 p.m.—5:30 p.m.
LIVE WIRE
Identifyin(g) & Signifyin(g): Harlem's Queer Arts Legacy Moderated by John Reddick Thursday, May 26 6:30 p.m.
Bad/Dangerous/Invincible: Michael Jackson’s Epic Years Moderated by Mark Anthony Neal Thursday, June 16 6:30 p.m.
Photos: Top Row (L-R): Toni Blackman, Wes Jackson; Bottom Row (L-R): John Reddick, Mark Anthony Neal; Background: Apollo Theater Jewel Box Revue
For more information, tickets and reservations, please visit apollotheater.org or call (212) 531- 5363.
ABOUT THE APOLLO THEATER The Apollo is a national treasure that has had significant impact on the development of American culture and its popularity around the world. Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo Theater has played a major role in cultivating artists and in the emergence of innovative musical genres including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul, and hiphop. Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Sammy Davis, Jr., James Brown, Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, and countless others began their road to stardom on the Apollo’s stage. Based on its cultural significance and architecture, the Apollo Theater received state and city landmark designation in 1983 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
APOLLO EDUCATION PROGRAM The Apollo Theater Education Program extends the Apollo’s commitment to enhancing the life of the community. The Education Program focuses on four distinct areas of learning and engagement: residencies, workshops and tours for schools; curriculum materials aligned to state and national learning standards and study guides derived from the Theater’s history; career development for teens and adults through the Apollo Theater Academy; and discussions and lectures for the public that highlight the history of the Apollo and its impact on American art, culture and entertainment.
LIVE WIRE Produced by the Apollo Theater Education Program, Apollo Live Wire is a discussion series that focuses on the arts, culture, entertainment and other topics pertinent to the legacy of the Apollo Theater. @ApolloEd
@ApolloEdHarlem
Education at the Apollo Theater
Podcasts of Career Panels and Live Wire: mixcloud.com/ApolloEd/
Leadership support for Apollo Education Programs provided by
THE RONALD O. PERELMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION Additional support from Conscious Kids Inc., Con Edison, Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, General Motors Foundation, Insperity, The Reginald F. Lewis Foundation, Pinkerton Foundation, the QBE Foundation and public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.