Greetings! Our March “GBE Women’s Herstory and Health Month 2013” continues with special acknowledgment to Lisa Noble, daughter of the late, iconic, brilliant broadcaster Gil Noble. Sister Lisa presented a special, intimate event in honor of her father at the Schomberg Center this past weekend, announcing important new details on the status of the “Gil Noble Archives.” Our thanks also to my brother, Bob Law, a legendary broadcast-activist, filmmaker and entrepreneur who “stood tall” for me at the event. We are looking forward to a major fundraising event coming up tentatively September through October. As the actual date approaches, we’ll keep you all posted in the GBE. For more info, go to www.gilnoblearchives.com or call 201-675-2158.
Theater
- “Motown: The Musical,” based on the book by Berry Gordy Jr. and directed by Charles Randolph Wright, is the real story of “Hitsville,” the creators of the soulful sound that hit the airwaves in 1959 and changed national and international pop culture forever. The show features legendary Motown founder Berry Gordy’s incredible journey from featherweight boxer to heavyweight music mogul. Gordy launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and so many more. Broadway previews begin March 11 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 205 W. 46th St. (between Eighth Avenue and Broadway); official opening April 14. For group sales, call 212-339-6262 or 800-432-7780; regular tickets at www.Ticketmaster.com and at www.MotownTheMusical.com.
- “My Brother Marvin” stars Emmy Award-winning actress Lynn Whitfield, Image Award-winning actor Clinton Powell, R&B sensation Keith Washington, vocal powerhouse Tony Grant and platinum-selling R&B group Az Yet. “My Brother Marvin” tells the story of musical genius Marvin Gaye, exposing “the man behind the music.” Told by his sister Zeola through the eyes of his mother’s “hidden” journals, this show is a riveting ride through the life and times of one of the most intriguing and mysterious musical legends the world has ever known. The official opening is April 11 at the Beacon Theater. Purchase tickets at www.beacontheatre.com/events or www.ticketmaster.com.
- Celebrate Women’s History Month at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at 515 Malcolm X Blvd. Join Shades of Truth Theatre in “I See Freedom,” celebrating the life of Harriet Tubman (the Moses of her people), a runaway slave, lumberjack, cook, nurse, resistance leader, spy, abolitionist and the greatest conductor on the Underground Railroad. Tubman escaped to freedom yet returned to the cradle of slavery time and again to free members of her family and more than 300 slaves. Recommended for grades 6 and up. FREE! Email registration required at SchomburgEd@nypl.org or by calling 212-491-2040. To purchase tickets, call 888-718-4253 or visit www.showclix.com.
Music
- The amazing Jazz Crusaders,–keyboardist Joe Sample, trombonist Wayne Henderson and saxophonist Wilton Felder–bring their Houston, Texas-based funk to the Blue Note Jazz Club & Restaurant at 131 W. 3rd St. Tues. March 5 through March 10. For more information, visit www.bluenotejazz.com.
- “Motown comes to Westbury” with the Temptations and the 4 Tops on Fri., March 15, at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury, 960 Brush Hollow Road, Westbury, N.Y. Tickets are available now at Live Nation and Ticketmaster. www.theatreatwestbury.com/event-calendar.
- The Apollo Theater announces its March 2013 programming. Highlights include the Apollo’s signature show, “Amateur Night,” returning Wed., March 6 with special guest Ruben Studdard. The Wed., March 20 show will be a special salute to Broadway. In celebration of Women’s History Month, the Apollo’s Education Program will be offering a career seminar called “Behind the Scenes: Women of Color in the Arts,” on Mon., March 11. Apollo legend Leslie Uggams’ one-woman show chronicles her historic career from Harlem to Broadway in “Uptown/Downtown” on March 18. Soprano Jessye Norman and Nnenna Freelon join the Manhattan School of Music Chamber Sinfonia and conductor George Manahan for “Ask Your Mama” on March 23. Visit www.apollotheater.org.
- Take 6 and Hezekiah Walker are coming to the NJPAC on Fri, March 29. One Center St., Newark, N.J. Call 1-888 GO-NJPAC or 888-466-5722 or visit njpac.org
- Coming: Alicia Keyes’ “Set the World on Fire Tour,” with Grammy Award-winner Miguel. Prudential Center, Newark, N.J., April 8 at 7:30 p.m. and Madison Square Garden, April 11 at 7:30 p.m. Visit www.ticketmaster.com or www.wbls.com.
Community
- CEMOTAP’s 26th anniversary luncheon will be held at Majority Baptist Church, located at 115-21 Farmers Blvd., St. Albans, N.Y. on Sat., March 23 at 2 p.m. The topic is “What We Need the President to do at Home and Abroad.” Dr. Molefi Asante, world-renowned historian, prolific scholarly author and activist, will address U.S. policy in Africa and the Diaspora. Dr. Gloria Browne-Marshall, a nationally respected legal scholar, will address national issues. Brother Jazz Hayden, a Harlem activist renowned for his work against mass incarceration and stop-and-frisk, will focus on local issues that the president can have an impact upon. Admission is free. Doors open at 1 p.m. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. For more info, call 718-322-8454.
- The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College presents the National Black Writers Conference Biennial Symposium: “A Tribute to the Life and Work of Toni Cade Bambara.” Bambara is a writer, social activist, educator, feminist and filmmaker whose contributions to the African-American literary canon has rightfully earned her a distinguished reputation. Sat., March 30, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Founders Auditorium, Medgar Evers College, 1650 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn. Invited panelists include keynote speaker Farah Jasmine Griffin with Malaika Adero, Keith Gilyard, Linda Janet Holmes, Louis Massiah, Eugene Redmond, Sonia Sanchez and Cheryl Wall. For schedule and more info, call 718-804-8883 or visit www.centerforliterature.org.
Hear Imhotep Gary Byrd on 107.5 WBLS-FM daily with “Imhotep’s On-Air Guide to Black Events” and “Express Yourself,” Sunday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m., and on WLIB-AM with “The GBE Mind Flight,” Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to midnight (simulcast on WLIB-AM/WBLSFM from 7-8 p.m.). The full show can be heard on HD radio at WBLS-HD2. IGB is also heard on WBAIFM 99.5 with the GBE 2.0 “Global Black Experience” and “Global Beat Experience,” Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. We are archived online with both shows at www.wbai.org. To reach us about your event, email gbemail2@yahoo.com, find Imhotep Gary Byrd on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at GBELIFE or call 212-592-3279.