To say NEA Jazz Master bassist and educator Reggie Workman is a walking legend, or an icon, would still not represent his broad-spectrum resume. The native Philadelphian has played on some of the most significant jazz albums ever recorded with the likes of Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, John and Alice Coltrane, Art Blakey, Max Roach, Wayne Shorter, Archie Shepp and Trio 3 (one of the most inventive collaborations in jazz history). The educator is a respected elder and a brilliant jazz bassist whose style ranges from bop to hard-bop and beyond.
On May 11, Workman will continue his musical odyssey in a collaborative theatrical script with his daughter, actress Ayana Workman, “that explores the resistance of women in today’s society,” accompanied with improvised music by the bassist and multi-instrumentalist and singer Jen Shyu, and movement directed by choreographer, dancer, poet and writer Maya Milenovic Workman.
“I found a junction across impulse produced by avant-garde jazz music unified with physical theater, poetry and film,” said the choreographer. “I believe that improvised sound, which extends into any space, merges with movement in a collapsed, expanded, and elevated mosaic of possibilities.”
The multi-dimensional free musical event takes place at St. Paul’s Chapel Trinity Church Wall Street, at 209 Broadway (7:30pm). You MUST reserve a spot; visit the website at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reggie-workman-pulling-tickets-881007827127
Bill Withers’s music tells a story, and not just any story, but a soulful reflection of life with a rhythmic cadence that transported listeners to a Baptist church on Sunday morning; it was the tambourine on his “Moanin’ and Groanin’” that made you feel so good. His vocals preached a beautiful lyricism that expressed his soul, cemented in ethics that, like an oak tree, refused to bend and instead sang “Grandma’s Hands,” “Lean On Me,” and even when there “Ain’t No Sunshine,” if you just have faith there will be a “Lovely Day,” in “Harlem.”
These legendary songs became major hits across the United States, and anthems in some parts of America. “My father understood humanity’s pain and shared songs of loves and losses in a world that needed hope,” said daughter Kori Withers.
Celebrate Mother’s Day Brunch on May 12 with a special musical tribute to Bill Withers and his iconic song “Grandma’s Hands,” at Manhattan’s City Vineyard (233 West St. at Pier 26) at 12 p.m. The singer and songwriter Kori Withers, who follows in the tradition of her father, and special guest, the legendary singer Valerie Simpson, will deliver a soulful rendition of Withers’s classic hits. They will be accompanied by guitarist Marcus Machado, music director and percussionist Everett Bradley, and bassist Winston Roye.
Bill Withers’s iconic song “Grandma’s Hands” has been released as an illustrated book and an animated music video to celebrate his memorable song. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event. Kori and Marcia Withers, his daughter and wife, have been promoting the children’s book with special readings across California.
The delightful 32-page rainbow-colored picture book breathes warmth into “Grandma’s Hands” with vivid, touching illustrations portraying a young Bill finding joy and unconditional love in the care of his grandmother. It demonstrates the profound impact elders have on our lives. For old folks like me, it sparks memories of my grandmother making pecan raisin cookies, letting me lick the bowl once she was finished, and the many times she saved me from getting my butt beat by my parents. The artwork is by award-winning illustrator R. Gregory Christie. “Grandma’s Hands” is published by Freedom Three Publishing.
“My mother and I felt the best way to honor Dad and his grandmother was [by] doing this book on ‘Grandma’s Hands,’ one of his favorite songs,” said Kori. “We hope the book will serve to champion Grandparents Day. We are trying to pave the road he forged, to make it easier for those coming through.”
For tickets visit citywinery.com/city-vineyard-nyc.
On May 10, join Kori and Marcia Withers for “Grandma’s Hands” story time at the Harlem Library, 9 West 124th Street at 10:30am. At 3:30pm they will be at Grandma’s Place Harlem, 84 West 120th Street.
The singer, songwriter, and model Betty Davis was an innovator and an avant-gardist who consistently forged her own path without apology. As in a Shakespearean play, Davis was the Shrew who could not be tamed. She had success in Europe, but in the United States, she was denied television performances. However, her live performances and recordings gave her a devoted cult following. Her looks, her sound, the fashionable Afro-funk style and sexuality of it all, immediately mesmerized her audiences.
Davis is credited with introducing her husband trumpeter, Miles Davis, to self-styled rocker guitarist Jimi Hendrix and funk rocketeer Sly Stone. Davis’s album “Filles de Kilimanjaro” (Columbia 1968) features Betty on the cover and includes a song named after her “Mademoiselle Mabry” (Miss Mabry).
On May 16, Symphony Space (2537 Broadway) will present Nona Hendryx: A Funk-Filled Tribute to Betty Davis. Hendryx (the mother of Afro-Future Funk) is another inventive musician, songwriter, and record producer forging her own path. Hendryx, along with an all-woman band with musical director Etienne Stadwijk pays tribute to the fierce soul star, whose influence has rippled through the decades.
“Betty Davis was an iconoclast, a shape shifter, and a woman on fire—singing and setting alight everything in her path,” said Hendryx. “With eyes ablaze, heels pounding, strutting across a stage, she was a phantasmagorical peacock, speaking her truth. Like quicksilver, she imagined and defined her own beliefs and visions.”
An independent documentary directed by Phil Cox entitled “Betty: They Say I’m Different” was released in 2017; two years later “A Little Bit Hot Tonight,” was released, her first new song in over 40 years, which was performed and sang by Danielle Maggio, an associate producer on “Betty: They Say I’m Different.”
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Betty Davis’s self-titled debut in 2023, Light in the Attic Records reissued three of her albums: “Betty Davis: They Say I’m Different,” “Is It Love Or Desire?” and her first official release of 1979 tracks, “Crashin’ From Passion.”
This presentation is part of Nona Hendryx in Residence at Symphony Space. For tickets, visit the symphonyspace.org.