What's your November 4 top five? Curtis' "We're a Winner" is still in my car CD player on repeat. I fantasize a resurrected Nina Simone singing "It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me, and I'm feeling good" at Obama's inauguration. I keep feeling Stevie's "Overjoyed." I also keep thinking about this song I heard Hugh Masekela sing at Royce Hall last year, don't know the name but the English lyrics went something like: "This brown color is a winner, it will be my shining armor..." and I thought about my goddaughter, Lotus, whose mother was telling me earlier this year that in pre-school she's already internalizing messages that her combination African American, West Indian, and Filipina brown is not beautiful. Radiant Lotus is and has always been a winner. She's a winner "and everybody knows" she will now have winning role models Malia and Sasha Obama rolling just as beautiful as they wanna be in and out their new house on Pennsylvania Ave. I also loved reading Larry Blumenfeld's Village Voice piece on NYC election night music and politics...apparently Charlie Haden broke into "Amazing Grace" the moment he heard the results in the middle of his Blue Note gig. Blumenfeld reported from New Orleans a couple days later that when John Boutte (if you don't know John Boutte, google and order his music immediately!) was asked to sing "Change is Gonna Come" he said he's not going to sing that song any more because change is here. We're a winner and everybody knows.
What I'm so happy to report locally is that two days before that glory we experienced the most glorious, yes the most victorious launch of "Come Sunday: Jazz on the Sacred Side" with the most transformative performance of Dwight Trible with his tremendous band of John Beasley on piano, Trevor Ware on bass and Clayton Cameron on drums. I had a woman write to me after the show that she was completely healed that afternoon, she specifically said she was "transported to a place where there is no dis-ease"! Come on and heal Mr. Trible! Can't you just feel his power in the photo of Dwight from the "Offer Honey..." post above? I just felt again so overjoyed, overwhelmed, lifted, naturally high (which is why the "smoking out" in this photo of me next to my jazz dia de los muertos altar cracks me up) knowing that this series and this sacred jazz journey is now literally in flight...and rising. I thank Dwight so deeply and I can't thank the crowd of loved ones enough for the support and the reflection of the joy I was feeling. We just had so much fun...you need to know...you need to do whatever you can to experience this gathering in a few weeks when we get to feast together with Nailah on December 7. She's claiming December 7 as her first step to Carnegie Hall...who doesn't want to be there for that historic moment? Please "Come Sunday" December 7 at 3pm at the Jazz Bakery in Culver City.
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