Guitarist Aaron Brown Pays Tribute To His Mentor

 

(WESTCHESTER COUNTY) - Inspired by his mother’s death and his mentor’s massive stroke, R&B/jazz guitarist-bassist Aaron Brown felt a sense of urgency to create new music. As he works on his fourth album that he anticipates releasing in the fall, his BBP Records label offered a preview when the single, “Mr. Jones,” went for radio adds on March 21.

Brown wrote, produced, and arranged the single named after his longtime friend and mentor, Gordon “G-man” Jones. Brown’s sinewy bass leaps to the fore over drummer Gene Faffley’s beats on the cut that features a prominent saxophone lead by guest star Pete Belasco, who admirably carries the melody with impassioned horn play. Dennis Johnson adds keyboard harmonies, embellishing Brown’s nuanced electric guitar.

Brown’s mother was an amazing 101-years-old when she passed away. Thankfully, his mentor survived the stroke and subsequent brain surgery. Jones always encouraged Brown to go from gigging studio session player and on-stage sideman to bandleader. With the two real-life incidents serving as reminders of life’s fragility, Brown got hungry and began to compose new music with fervor. The album will aptly be titled “Resurgence,” which will be issued under the moniker Aaron Brown’s FuBop Collective.

Working on new music provides both a productive and healthy creative outlet for Brown as well as a fortress of solace. As Jones recovers and rehabilitates, working on “Resurgence” serves as a vital connection point for both mentor and mentee.

“Thankfully, G-man survived the ordeal (stroke) with most of his faculties and we continue to spend time together. Working on music keeps him connected to music and keeps us connected at this pivotal moment in both of our lives,” said the New York City-born Brown who resides outside the city in Westchester County.

Brown was a music major who studied performance, composition, arranging, and music theory. While attending The City College of New York in Harlem, he learned to play the bass to add to his versatility. Brown dropped his debut album, “Eclectic Sessions,” in 2009. He has recorded and/or performed with a wide array of decorated jazz and R&B artists, including Roy Ayers, Marcus Miller, Omar Hakim, Freddie Jackson, Glenn Jones, Carmen Lundy, Larry Elgart Big Band, Charlie Palmieri, and the Harlem Boys Choir. Brown was a member of the Columbia Records group Karavan and fronted his own band, Aaron Brown & Moment’s Notice. Today, he runs Bop Brown Productions where he writes, records, edits, arranges, and produces music.

Just as working on “Resurgence” offers Brown a welcome escape, he hopes “Mr. Jones” will serve a similar purpose for listeners.

“I hope ‘Mr. Jones’ brings listeners peace, tranquility, and a few moments of relief from the woes of this crazy world and the crazy times in which we live.”

Casting Set For "Hadestown" Opening April 26

Casting is set for the Los Angeles engagement of “Hadestown” at the Center Theatre Group / Ahmanson Theatre from April 26 through May 29, 2022. The winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards® including Best New Musical and the 2020 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Theater Album will open April 27, 2022.

Hailed by the Los Angeles Times’ Charles McNulty as, “Quite simply one of the most exquisite works of musical storytelling I’ve seen in my more than 25 years as a theater critic,” “Hadestown” is the most honored show of the 2018-2019 Broadway season. In addition to the show’s eight Tony Awards®, it has been honored with four Drama Desk Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Outstanding New Broadway Musical, and the Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical.

The acclaimed new musical is by celebrated singer-songwriter and Tony Award® winner Anaïs Mitchell and was developed with innovative director and Tony Award® winner Rachel Chavkin. “Hadestown” marks the first time in over a decade that a woman has been the sole author of a musical: writing the music, lyrics, and book, and is the fourth time in Broadway history a woman has accomplished this creative feat.

Producers Mara Isaacs, Dale Franzen, Hunter Arnold, and Tom Kirdahy said jointly, “Throughout its development, ‘Hadestown’ has been deeply influenced by audiences around the world. We are thrilled and humbled to now share this beautiful story of hope, faith, and rebirth – written and directed by two amazingly talented women and brought to life by a diverse company of performers – with audiences across North America.”

The show originated as Mitchell’s indie theater project that toured Vermont which she then turned into an acclaimed album. With Chavkin, her artistic collaborator, “Hadestown” has been transformed into a genre-defying new musical that blends modern American folk music with New Orleans-inspired jazz to reimagine a sweeping ancient tale.

The show opened at the Walter Kerr Theatre on Broadway (219 West 48th Street, New York) on April 17, 2019, where it played sold-out houses nightly before performances were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Hadestown” resumed performances on September 2, 2021, as one of the first musicals to reopen on Broadway.

The North American touring production of “Hadestown” stars Drama Desk Award® nominee Nicholas Barasch as Orpheus, Morgan Siobhan Green as Eurydice, Tony Award winner Levi Kreis as Hermes, Kimberly Marable as Persephone, and Olivier Award® nominee Kevyn Morrow as Hades.

The Fates are played by Belén Moyano, Bex Odorisio and Shea Renne. The Workers Chorus features Lindsey Hailes, Chibueze Ihuoma, Will Mann, Sydney Parra, and Jamari Johnson Williams. The swings for the touring production include Tyla Collier, Ian Coulter-Buford, Alex Lugo, Eddie Noel Rodríguez, and J. Antonio Rodriguez.

Following two intertwining love stories — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone — “Hadestown” invites audiences on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back. Mitchell’s beguiling melodies and Chavkin’s poetic imagination pit industry against nature, doubt against faith and fear against love. Performed by a vibrant ensemble of actors, dancers, and singers, “Hadestown” delivers a deeply resonant and defiantly hopeful theatrical experience.

The creative team features Tony Award® winner Rachel Hauck (set design); four-time Tony Award® nominee Michael Krass (costume design); two-time Tony Award® winner Bradley King (lighting design); Tony Award® winners Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz (sound design); Chita Rivera Award® winner and three-time Bessie Award® winner David Neumann (choreography); Liam Robinson (music supervision and vocal arrangements); Tony Award® winners Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose (arrangements and orchestrations); Ken Cerniglia (dramaturgy); and Stewart/Whitley (casting).

“Hadestown” electrified audiences with its 2016 world premiere at New York Theatre Workshop, which is the longest-running show in that celebrated theater’s 40-year history. The production then received its Canadian premiere at Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre in 2017 and then a 2018 sold-out engagement at the London’s National Theatre. “Hadestown” was developed with funding from the Eli and Edythe Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center and was further developed by The Ground Floor at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. “Hadestown” was co-conceived by Ben t. Matchstick.

The Grammy® winning “Hadestown” Original Broadway Cast Recording is now available at Hadestown.com/music. The album is produced by David Lai, Sickafoose, and Mitchell on Sing It Again Records.

Casting Set For Taper's "Blues For An Alabama Sky"

 

Director Phylicia Rashad and the cast of
"Blues For An Alabama Sky"
courtesy photo

Casting has been announced for “Blues for an Alabama Sky” directed by Center Theatre Group’s Associate Artist Phylicia Rashad at the Mark Taper Forum April 6 through May 8, 2022. Set in 1930’s Harlem, this revival of Pearl Cleage’s rich and beautiful work opens April 13, 2022.

Tony Award-winning actress Phylicia Rashad, who originated the role of Angel in the world premiere of “Blues for an Alabama Sky” more than 25 years ago, returns to direct this timeless piece that was first presented in 1995 by Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre. She leads a cast that features Joe Holt, Nija Okoro, Dennis Pearson, Greg Alverez Reid, and Kim Steele.

The creative team includes John Iacovelli (scenic design), Wendell C. Carmichael (costume, wig, and hair design), Elizabeth Harper (lighting design), and Jeff Gardner (sound design), with an original composition by Dontae Winslow. Casting is by Kim Coleman, CSA, and Michelle Blair is the production stage manager.

Angel is a free-spirited Cotton Club singer who's out of luck but never out of dreams. Guy is a costume designer waiting for Josephine Baker to invite him to join her in Paris. Delia, a young activist, is trying to give the women of Harlem a choice about their future. Sam, a prominent physician, is either delivering babies or out at the club letting the good times roll. And Leland, who recently arrived in Harlem from Alabama, is haunted by the wide-open skies and lost love he left behind. The lives and dreams of these men and women converge with passion and politics as the art and celebration of the Harlem Renaissance give way to the harsh realities of the Great Depression.

Tickets for “Blues for an Alabama Sky” are currently on sale at Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum and start at $30. They are available through CenterTheatreGroup.org, Audience Services at (213) 628-2772 or in person at the Center Theatre Group Box Office (at the Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012). Performances run Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Call for exceptions.

Andre Braugher Joins "The Good Fight"

 

André Braugher

March 9, 2022 – Paramount+ today announced Emmy Award winner André Braugher (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) will join the upcoming sixth season of the critically acclaimed Paramount+ Original series THE GOOD FIGHT. Now in production, THE GOOD FIGHT is set to return this summer, streaming exclusively on Paramount+.

Braugher will star as Ri’Chard Lane, a showman lawyer, and rainmaker who is forced on Liz as a new name partner. A force of nature, Ri’Chard is a wild mix of brilliance, geniality, religion, and joyful hedonism. In short, he’s a handful.

“Our dream of an actor is always someone who can mix comedy and drama equally, and André Braugher is exactly that,” said Robert and Michelle King, series co-creators, showrunners, and executive producers. “His work on ‘Men of a Certain Age,’ ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ and ‘Homicide’ has been amazing and funny. We’re ecstatic that he finally has time in his schedule to come play.”

The series is produced by CBS Studios in association with Scott Free Productions and King Size Productions. The series is distributed worldwide by Paramount Global Content Distribution. 

Most recently, Braugher completed an eight-season run on NBC’s hit comedy “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” as Captain Ray Holt. He won two Critics Choice Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and received four Emmy Award nominations for his role. Braugher also won an Emmy Award and received a Golden Globe nomination for his starring role in FX’s miniseries “Thief.” In addition to his success on television, Braugher can be seen in numerous feature films including “Baytown Outlaws,” “Salt,” “Passengers,” “The Mist,” “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” and “Poseidon,” among others. On stage, Braugher has performed for the New York Shakespeare Festival in “Measure for Measure,” “Twelfth Night” and “Henry V,” earning him an Obie Award for the titular role. Other credits include performances with Joseph Papp’s Public Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, and the Williamstown Theater Festival.

The sixth season of THE GOOD FIGHT has Diane feeling like she’s going crazy, struggling with an uneasy sense of déjà vu, with everything from Roe v. Wade to voting rights to Cold War aggressions returning. Meanwhile, the lawyers of Reddick & Associates wonder if the violence that they see all around them points to an impending civil war.

 

 

 

Movement Is At The Heart of Alonzo King's World

Alonzo King LINES Ballet dancer

By Darlene Donloe

It’s cold in New York, but Alonzo King doesn’t mind. He’s there heating things up by doing what he loves, choreographing ‘something’ for the American Ballet Theater (ABT).

On March 16, he will bring his talent to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa where he will present a new, untitled World Premiere, featuring music by jazz artist Jason Moran, scenery, and costumes by Robert Rosenwasser, and lighting by Jim French.  This is King’s first for the ABT. 

The American Ballet Theatre, the official dance company of Segerstrom Center for the Arts, presents ABT Forward, a mixed repertory program performed March 16–19, 2022, with three impressive works highlighting the company’s incredible artistry and athleticism, and the inspiring visions of King, Ratmansky and Lang. 

The King piece joins two other offerings from the company in a full evening of mixed works, including ZigZag by Jessica Lang, featuring the music of Tony Bennett (and one of his duets with Lady Gaga), and an Alexei Ratmansky work to Bernstein music - played by the Pacific Symphony.

A visionary choreographer who is said to be altering the way the world looks at dance, King calls his works “thought structures” created by the manipulation of energies that exist in matter through laws, which govern the shapes and movement directions of everything that exists.  

Talking to King, it’s obvious his zest for his artistry hasn’t waned. In fact, in some ways, even after decades of sharpening and perfecting his craft, he’s just beginning. 

An affable sort, King is known for creating an unforgettable dialogue between movement and music. 

A world-renowned trailblazer who was born in Georgia to civil rights activist parents, he’s never at a loss for words, has a quick wit, and has found his own form of expression through the language of movement. 

He attended the School of American Ballet and the Harkness School of Ballet, and in 1982, founded Alonzo King LINES Ballet, a San Francisco-based contemporary ballet company that nurtures dynamic artistry and the development of authentic, creative expression through dance. 

I recently caught up with King during a recent phone interview while he was in New York.  He was in a great mood. We spoke about the Alonzo King/LINES Ballet currently celebrating its 40th anniversary, what audiences can expect from his upcoming show, and his career as one of the most talked-about and inspirational dancer/choreographers in the world. 

Alonzo King

DD: When you are choreographing, what do you see in your mind’s eye? 

AK: I look for energies. Working with people new to you – you look at how they move. You don’t put them in a mold. You do a lot of intuitive tuning in. Sometimes you put something on someone and there’s no understanding. In any first meeting, there is this period of grace when you’re trying to smell each other – if you know what I mean. In my head, I go to the idea. Some dancers don’t go to the idea. I play in the realm of ideas. It’s a trust thing.

DD: What happens when you and the dancers don’t mesh? 

AK: I think when you're a tailor, you have to make a suit. You are either going to find stalwarts who are going to do the job, or you’ll find real resistance and no contributions. If you’re not jumping into the world of ideas – what are you here for? You can’t stand there like an empty cup. 

Jason Moran

DD: Talk about your collaboration with Jason Moran. How do you two make it work?

AK: I chose Jason Moran. He’s incredible. He’s so good at what he does. We’ve done a lot of collaborations together. We have a sense of what we both need and like. We are comfortable with each other. Adjustments are easy. We choose the dancers and begin to build the work. We come together. Like the Amish, we build a barn. We have the willingness, fearlessness, cooperation, - everything we want in humanity.  It’s not always smooth, but we work it out.

DD: The Alonzo King LINES Ballet is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary season.  Does it feel like 40 years? 

AK: No, not at all. It feels like this is the work I do. I do it and I’m in the moment. When you’re involved in the work, you’re not looking up. You’re not looking at the clock. You’re just in it. Now, it does feel like it when it comes to fundraising. Then, it feels like 100 years. When I’m choreographing, it feels like 30 seconds because you are drunk in the world of discovery. You think, how can I go deeper? You are obsessed.

Alonzo King with one of his dancers

DD: You have been at this for a long time.  How has your approach to dance changed over the years? 

AK: I’ve become more succinct and human. The ideas behind the movement and what movement is – science tells us the body is an electromagnetic wave. The body is fireworks. That’s what life is. We don’t tell our heart to beat, our eyes to water or blink, it just works. When it doesn’t, it’s trauma. This machine is miraculous.  We are a miniature of the macrocosm. The Bible says, ‘Know ye not that you are gods.’

DD: Tell me what audiences will see when they check out your new work.

AK: The most accomplished and beautiful dancers in the world, from the most accomplished dance theater in the world. They will see a work of love and logic. 

Alonzo King LINES Ballet dancers

DD: In Los Angeles, there are many entertainment options. Why should people spend their money and come see your new show? 

AK: There is something about coming out of the commercial world and stepping into the world of personal views, views that aren’t concerned with pleasing, or concerned with box office. Views that speak to our commonality in humanness. A human commonality. The music, watching people who are supremely concentrated. People not looking at their phones. They are living in the moment.

DD: Is everything about movement?

AK: Yes, if you think of the Big Bang Theory. What happened first - movement or sound? They are inextricably linked. There is motion. The piano has to be struck with fingers. It’s movement that is making sounds. Yes, everything we do begins with thought. We behave because of what we have thought. Behavior is movement. 

DD: What is the message of your new work or do you leave the interpretation to the audience to see whatever they see?

AK: It’s both. The Talmud (religious text) says – ‘We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are.’ For me, it’s back to the idea that we have within us unimaginable power, and if we can get a glimpse of that on stage to remind us - we can be fearless, generous, risk-taking. Those qualities are in the artist. This is what I see. You don't’ have to go by what someone told you you should see. 

Alonzo King rehearses with his dance company

DD: Tell me about the moment you knew you wanted to dance. 

AK: I was always dancing. I couldn’t keep still. My mother was a dancer. She taught me some things. It blew my mind. Watching her move would burst my head open. She moved so differently from other people. She manipulates music. I never stopped. In high school, I had a lot of scholarships to big schools. My father said, ‘Do what you want.’ My mother said, ‘Go to one of these schools.’ I said, ‘Mom, I don’t want to.’ She said, ‘Please, for one semester.’ I didn’t go. I went to dance. 

DD: How did your mom feel about that? 

AK: She became very proud. 

DD: Why is dance important to you? What does it do for you?

AK: It is an embodiment of the world that has no words. It’s a step beyond the five senses into an eternal world that is enormous. It’s where creativity emerges from. It’s personal. It's the realm of spirit. The arts began with people going into meditative states to get bliss.  Dancing was a form of prayer.  We still have that today. 

Alonzo King LINES Ballet

DD: Are great dancers/choreographers born or are they taught? 

AK: If you have an obsession you can become anything. Talent is fire. You believe in yourself even when there is no external result. You have to have the, ‘I will die trying mentality,’– that’s real talent.

DD: Has your feeling about dance changed over the years? 

AK: What I’ve learned over the years is that as much as I love movement, stillness is the place where profundity begins. Stillness is the doorway into spirit.

American Ballet Theatre, ABT Forward, March 16-19, World Premiere by Alonzo King – music by Jason Moran; Alexei Ratmansky’s Bernstein in a Bubble – Leonard Bernstein’s (Divertimento), performed live by Pacific Symphony; Jessica Lang’s ZigZag – songs are sung by Tony Bennett with a special duet with Lady Gaga; Segerstrom Center For The Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA; March 16-18, 7:30 p.m.; March 19, 2 and 7:30 p.m.; tickets start at $39; 714 556-2787.