Greetings! As the weather heats up, so do the politics across the nation in the wake of the not guilty verdict in the Zimmerman trial. During a concert on Sunday in Quebec City, Canada, my longtime friend, brother and creative partner the legendary Stevie Wonder announced he would not perform in Florida until the controversial Stand Your Ground laws are repealed throughout the country.
Wonder’s statement in part reads: “I decided today that until the Stand Your Ground law is abolished in Florida, I will never perform ther
e again. As a matter of fact, wherever I find that law exists, I will not perform in that state or in that part of the world.” You can read Wonder’s full remarks at www.amsterdamnews.com.
See “Community” for Harlem Week 2013’s “Songs in the Key of Life” tribute information.
THEATER
“Motown: The Musical,” directed by Charles Randolph Wright and with the book written by Berry Gordy Jr., features 2013 Tony nominee Valisia LeKae as Diana Ross and Tony nominee Charl Brown as Smokey Robinson. It’s playing at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 205 W. 46th St. (between Eighth Avenue and Broadway). For group sales, call 212-339-6262 or 800-432-7780; purchase regular tickets at www.ticketmaster.com and at www.motownthemusical.com.
“The Trip to Bountiful,” directed by Michael Wilson and featuring Oscar winner Cuba Gooding, Tony nominees Vanessa Williams and Condola Rashad and legendary three-time Emmy Award winner and 2013 Tony Award winner Cicely Tyson, is now playing at the Sondheim Theatre, 124 W. 43th St. For more information or tickets, call 800-901-4092 or visit www.newyorkcitytheatre.com.
“Lucky Guy,” featuring 2013 Tony Award winner Courtney Vance and Hollywood icon Tom Hanks, is playing at the Broadhurst Theatre, 235 W. 44th St. (between Eighth Avenue and Broadway). For more information, call 212-239-6200 or visit www.shubertorganization.com/theatres/broadhurst.asp.
The Classical Theatre of Harlem presents the Shakespeare classic “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” directed by artistic associate Justin Emeka, this summer in Harlem’s Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in Marcus Garvey Park at 18 Mt. Morris Park West at 112nd Street. For more information, contact cheryl@cherylduncanpr.com.
MUSIC
New York’s premiere Brazilian music and arts festival Brasil Summerfest returns on July 20-27 at several high-profile venues in Manhattan, including Central Park Summerstage, City Winery, Joe’s Pub, South Street Seaport, Nublu, Standard East, Brooklyn Public Library and more. On Saturday, July 20, the lineup at Central Park SummerStage will include the U.S. debut of showstopping performer Gaby Amarantos, touted as the “Brazilian Beyoncé.” More artists will be added soon. For more information, go to www.centralpark.com/guide/attractions/summerstage.
R&B supergroup TGT is heading to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center this summer! Don’t miss Tank, Ginuwine and Tyrese live on July 20. Get your tickets at all Ticketmaster outlets, at www.ticketmaster.com or at the NJPAC box office. For more information, visit www.wbls.com.
“Smooth Cruises” presents Najee on Wednesday, July 31 at 6:30 p.m. or 9:30 p.m. on the Spirit of NY/Pier 61. For more information, go to http://marqueeconcerts.com or www.wbls.com.
COMMUNITY
Newark’s Lincoln Park Music Festival (LPMF) returns for an eighth year for four days of music, dance and safe family fun in the Lincoln Park Neighborhood of Newark, NJ on July 25–28. LPMF offers attendees an arts and crafts marketplace, great food from scores of vendors, education about getting in shape in the health and wellness pavilion and concerts.
LPMF features the Bernie Worrell Orchestra on the first day of the festival at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in downtown Newark. (NJPAC’s “Sounds of the City” and the LPMF are co-presenting this FunkFest event.)
For jazz lovers, there will be a musical tribute to the legendary Wayne Shorter by Amiri Baraka’s Jazz All-Star Newark Arkestra, with an all-star line-up. For house music lovers, LPMF welcomes Terisa Griffin and Jihad Muhammad. For lovers of gospel music, there will be Will Brown and Another Level plus Jules Bartholomew and JudaCamp. For lovers of the golden era of hip-hop, Newark native Redman, Lords of the Underground and Black Thought of the Roots will be on deck.
The event takes place in Lincoln Park, located at 1035-1071 Broad St., Newark, N.J. For information about the Lincoln Park Music Festival, call 973-242-4144 or visit www.lpccd.org/arts-culture/music-fest.
Harlem Week 2013 kicks off with “A Great Day in Harlem” on Sunday, July 28. The event will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation with an amazing schedule of events, including a concert tribute, “Songs in the Key of Life,” celebrating 50 years of Stevie Wonder at Grant Memorial Park, 122nd Street and Riverside Drive. For a full schedule and more information about Harlem Week 2013, go to www.harlemdiscover.com.
The 15th annual Dr. John Henrik Clarke tribute, “Failure is Not an Option,” will take place on Sunday, July 28 at 2 p.m. Participants include Imhotep Gary Byrd, Lisa Noble, Regent Adelaide Sanford, Councilman Charles Barron, Assemblywoman Inez Barron, the Rev. Herbert Oliver, Nana Camille Yarbrough, Newark City Councilman Ras Baraka, Sister Betty Dopson, Brother Bernard Gassaway and more! The event will be held at Boys & Girls High School, 1700 Fulton St., Brooklyn, N.Y. Admission is free.
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 7-9 p.m., and on WLIB-AM with “The GBE Mind Flight,” Sunday evenings from 9 p.m. to midnight. The full show can be heard on HD radio at WBLS-HD2. IGB is also heard on WBAI-FM 99.5 with Radio GBE: The “Global Black Experience” and “Global Beat Experience,” Saturdays from 5-7 p.m. We are archived online with both shows at www.wbai.org. To contact us for bookings or to reach us about your event, email igbexp@gmail.com, find Imhotep Gary Byrd on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @GBELIFE or call 212-592-3279.