In the unyielding world of classical music, African Americans make up only 2.4% of American orchestras, and two-thirds of orchestra repertoires continue to feature compositions primarily from deceased white men. Meanwhile, in Harlem, there are the Harlem Chamber Players, who offer West Harlem diversity in classical music.
The classical ensemble D-Composed started in 2017 in Chicago—the only all-Black ensemble and the only ensemble that focuses exclusively on the works of Black composers. While reflecting on what the classical world could be, they refer to James Reese Europe’s (the Clef Club Orchestra) mission in the early 1900s, when he refused to bend to musical conventions. He responded to such disapprovals by noting, “We have developed a kind of symphony music that, no matter what else you think, is different and distinctive, and that lends itself to the playing of the peculiar compositions of our race.”
On April 4, the Kaufman Music Center presents Pamela Z & D-Composed. The Chicago-based chamber music collective that honors Black creativity and culture, will perform music by Pamela Z and composer, flutist, and vocalist Nathalie Joachim. The event will feature the world premiere of a new version of Joachim’s “In Between,” written for D-Composed and Pamela Z.
Kaufman Music Center is at 129 W. 67th Street; the show is 7:30 p.m.–9 p.m.
For tickets, visit the website kaufmanmusiccenter.org. or dcomposed/upcomingevents.com.
African American folklore was often centered around human and animal tricksters—dubious characters who talked trash with an end game. But some represented hope and resilience, like Walt Disney’s squeaky-clean cartoon character Brer Rabbit. However, in the Black community, folklore became known as toastin’—a hip, enduring poem that rambled with the speed of Charlie Parker’s bebop, often obscene and not meant for those church-goin’ folks. As a teenager in the projects, I remember one told by a neighbor just home from jail. It started, “Let me tell you a tale of Big Black Joe, king of the penitentiary slammer you know, He was so bad even the warden …” Oops, got to stop right there.
This brings up the captivating poetic tale of “Shine on the Titanic,” which revolves around the only Black person on board the luxurious Titanic ocean liner: “Shine,” a stoker, who after attempts to warn the captain of danger without success, leaped overboard and swam to safety on April 14, 1912. There are many poetic versions of Shine and the Titanic that were all collected by Langston Hughes between 1952–55. The most obscene poem was recorded by the comedian Rudy Ray Moore.
The masterful Ishmael Reed was the only playwright with the audacious, humorous wit and revolutionary thought to write a play such as “The Shine Challenge 2024” and bring it to the virtual stage of New York City’s historical Nuyorican Café. Now through April 15.
Reed has brilliantly molded the legendary African American folklore comedic poem of “Shine on the Titanic” into a plausible debate, questioning what really happened on the Titanic. The audience has a courtroom front seat as Shine (superbly played by Brian Simmons) represents himself on the charge of sabotaging the Titanic.
The prosecution stated it was impossible for such a well-built ship, with its state-of-the-art equipment, to simply crash into an iceberg on its maiden voyage. No! It had to be a saboteur: Shine. The elitist prosecutor’s (played with biting humor by Caridad de la Luz) case was his dismay over heavyweight champion of the world Jack Johnson being denied travel on the Titanic because of his race. The average person today has no idea that Johnson had any inclination to make the voyage. Reed’s insertion of Johnson’s situation highlights the problem of race relations, both in America and in Europe, during that period.
Shine efficiently took his witnesses to task for their desperate actions to save themselves, including the ship’s dastardly owner J. Bruce Ismay (played by Emil Guillermo), who downplayed the ship’s inadequacies. His questioning of Captain Edward Smith (played by Jessie Bueno) was an elitist tell-all on the Edwardian England hierarchy’s perspective on class and race, particularly the way third-class ticket holders/Irish immigrants were treated, from boarding to the unfortunate sinking. His grilling of the captain proved to be chock-full of precise facts, reflecting Reed’s in-depth research on England and Titanic details, from its employment to microscopic statistical references.
Reed’s relevance to African American folklore is further depicted through his outrageous introduction of Shine’s animal witnesses: “Polar Bear Sam,” roaring-ly played by Rome Neal, and the sharky humor of “Jack Shark,” played by Maurice Carlton, who wears a rubber shark mask. Shark’s answer to why he didn’t eat Shine as he swam by was simple: “Sharks are allergic to Black meat, that’s why you don’t hear of Blacks being eaten by us.”
Shark even tried to grab a date with the judge, noting his love of her beautiful thighs. Of course, the aristocratic judge—Georgia St. Clair (played by Roz Fox), who was in complete cahoots with the prosecutor—turned him down flat.
As the Titanic slowly sank, ridiculous sums of money and matters of the flesh were no object when it came to aristocrats living another day; if the pay was to go to a Negro, so be it.
Carla Blank, who directs many of Reed’s plays, rates big cheers for this production, which went down another imaginative lane.
“The Shine Challenge 2024” is a crazy, rousing, slapstick tour of African American folklore trickery, with more laughs than “Blazing Saddles” and more facts than Google, floating in the ocean of race, class, inequality, immigration, and what really happened on that ship. Look closely past all that insane humor and pay attention. Reed has pulled the covers off Shine. The truth is the light. Shine on.
I have seen the play three times ,which means it’s worth seeing at least once. Tickets can be purchased online at www.nuyorican.org now through April 15.
Note: The Nuyorican Poets Café is closed for extensive renovations, so this play is being performed online.
With the aggressive onslaught of Harlem’s gentrification, some of its historical landmarks have carelessly been demolished in favor of highrises and banks with a Trader Joe’s on the horizon. Fortunately, there is the “harlem is… Theater, Music, and Dance” multimedia, living history exhibition, completed after a 23-year journey with young people and journalists interviewing more than 100 creative people who have built and are sustaining Harlem’s cultural legacy.
“It is really powerful to be recognized by the community you were born into,” said Vy Higginsen, executive director of the Mama Foundation for the Arts. “Being honored in our community with my fellow journeymen, who have been on the same journey, striving to reach our goals, is so honorable and joyful.”
More than 3 million people have viewed the exhibition through the partnered efforts of Barbara Horowitz of Community Works and Voza Rivers of New Heritage Theater Group to bridge neighborhoods through the arts while sharing Harlem’s rich cultural history across generational lines.
The Harlem community recently came out to celebrate “harlem is… Theater, Music, and Dance” at the Harlem Hospital Center, the exhibitions’ now permanent home. “It feels real good to be honored in my hometown and in the hospital where I was born,” said Bill Saxton, saxophonist and owner of Bill’s Place. “Being around people like Lonnie Youngblood, who I admired and now we are being honored together, is one of those special moments.”
Trombonist and composer Craig Harris, one of the honored Music Legacy Keepers, entertained the SRO audience with excerpts from his commissioned “Harlem is a State of Mind.” He and his band began in jazz mode with vocals swinging into soul that grooved and clapped, from down-home gospel foot-stompin’ hand-clappin’ go-on-and-holla music, standing ovations and shouts. Harris demonstrated what Harlem is all about: theater, music, and dance. The audience brought it all home!Visit the free exhibit Tuesdays, 10 a.m.–2 p.m; Thursdays and Saturdays, 12 p.m.–4 p.m. School and community groups visit by appointment; call 917-757-2242.