UrbanProWeekly - OCTOBER 2 - 8, 2014
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COMMUNITY
HAPPENINGS
Event is novel way to boost literacy Star Wars Reads Day is an international event launched by Lucasfilm in 2012 to promote literacy, reading and of course – Star Wars. Book publishers Abrams, Chronicle Books, Dark Horse, Del Rey, DK Publishing, Klutz, Random House Audio, Scholastic, Quirk Books, Disney Book Group and Workman Publishing have partnered with Lucasfilms to create a day to celebrate reading across the world. On Saturday October 4th, the Augusta Headquarters Library will host the event for the third year in a row. Corey Rogers, curator/historian at the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History, is coordinating the event, which will involve book readings and cosplay activities in the Children’s area. An amazing exhibition of Star Wars memorabilia will occupy the entire third floor of the library and adult cosplayers will be present in full Star Wars regalia.
Costuming for fun and profit Dressing up in costumes is not just for kids By Vincent Hobbs An important aspect of the upcoming Star Wars Reads Day this weekend is the legion of Star Wars characters that will be on hand to liven things up. Jen Belin and Jana Ashing will be among the cosplayers that will be participating. So why do adults find such an event so attractive and why do they spend hours attempting to look the part? UPW wanted to get a clearer look at the allure of Star Wars and Star Wars cosplay. For Star Wars enthusiast Jana Ashing, the investment of one to three hours of body painting to transform herself into the custom character of Jana Kiva, a Twi’lek smuggler for the Galactic Empire, yields a big payoff. Cosplaying (or costume play) is simply something that she loves to do. Ashing, a married 30-year-old corporate professional who owns a costume and prop design business, is also a competitive dancer with Asuhndree Fusion Dance Company. Jen Belgin is known for her costumed portrayals of a Star Wars Clone Trooper and Director of Imperial Intelligence, Ysanne Isard. The 39 year-old mother of two school-aged boys is a costuming entrepreneur, and an advocate for ladies in sci-fi and
small business owner. Both Belgin and Ashing say it started with the costumes. “I don’t think I ever grew out of the dress-up phase that most kids go through. When I discovered that cosplay for adults is a “thing”, I knew right away that I had found my outlet. I love the creative process of each new costume!,” Ashing said. For Elgin, there was a different focus. “For me the fun is primarily in the creation of the pieces. I was always a fan of Halloween, so costuming is something of a lifelong passion, but I started seriously building in 2011 when I moved to Augusta. I had become a part of the growing community of Star Wars fans in social media and discovered the 501st Legion. My initial costume was the first of it’s kind in the Legion (Bo-Katan from The Clone Wars) and I’ve been hooked ever since. Joining the 501st Legion has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It’s an exceptional group of friends, and my fellow members of the Georgia Garrison are family. The love of Star Wars stimulates both cosplayers. “The Star Wars Universe is both gritty and incredibly beautiful. I’m inspired by everything from the court cos-
Jana Ashing and Jen Belgin in full regalia. tumes of the Theed Palace to the dusty robes of Tusken raiders on the planet Tatooine,” Ashing said. “Saturday, at Star Wars Reads Day, I’ll be a Black Sun syndicate smuggler,” she said. Belgin has always been a fan of Star Wars. “I think Sci-Fi in general has a mass appeal and the original trilogy is so rich in characters and story that it’s hard not to feel kinship to the characters. I actually have four Star Wars tattoos, one of which features Han Solo and the brilliant phrase, “Never tell me the odds.” Belgin has turned her passion into a small business and is the owner of Darth Cleavage (http://darthcleavage. com) with a shop on Etsy.
JAZZ
REVIEW
YOSVANY TERRY New Throned King 5 Passion
By David Inman In 2010, Cubanborn saxophonist Yosvany Terry (who has lived in New York since 1999) returned to the country of his birth to study the Arará tradition in Matanzas (about 50 miles from Havana, on the other side of the island from his native Camagüey) with drummer-teacher Mario Rodríguez “Maño.” (Terry has dedicated this album to Maño, who died in 2011.) The saxophonist was joined by his brother, bassist Yunior Terry, and what the two of them learned during the yearlong initiation involved complexities that could confuse even an ethnomusicologist. The chants and rituals of the Arará Sabalú—one of three branches of a cabildo formed in the 1600s in Matanzas—come from the people who descended from the West African kingdom of Dahomey, modern-day Benin. Though the tradition is in some ways similar to the more well-known, Nigeria-derived Santería and Yoruba traditions, Arará has remained a fairly well-kept secret outside of Matanzas. Central to the music performed here is a set of specially commissioned Arará drums, played by Pedro Martínez (on the apitlí, or medium-sized drum); Román Díaz (on wewé, the smallest drum); and Sandy Pérez, who first introduced Terry to Maño and here plays the lead yonofó drum as well as the largest drum, akotó, on six of the 10 tracks. Despite the complexity of the proceedings, this stunning music will be completely accessible to anyone who enjoys Afro-Cuban jazz, folk music or any type of world music. Martínez serves as lead vocalist, supported by the coro (chorus) of both Terrys, Díaz and a fourth vocalist, Gema Corredera, on four tracks. The songs feature multilayered percussion, Martínez’s soaring chants and Terry’s fluid, postbop saxophone lines. Each musician on the disc entered into a sort of crucible with Terry and the Arará tradition: Martínez and Díaz, each deeply embedded in Yoruban culture and its music, had to master new Arará chants and rhythms; Congolese guitarist Dominick Kanza was also open to adapting to a new style. The opening track, “Reuniendo La Nación,” features Haitian sound designer Val Jeanty and pianist Jason Moran, who help create an eerie underlying texture for Terry’s questing sax solo. By completing a serious study of folkloric traditions and then applying his own compositional gifts to the form, Terry should earn the approval of adventurous music fans everywhere.