For the ancestors, Juneteenth was a celebration. It was on June 19, 1865, that Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, two and half years after the end of the Civil War, to find that news of the Emancipation Proclamation had not yet reached the area and Black human beings were still being physically and psychologically abused, terrorized as non-humans (slaves). That very day, General Gordon Granger formally announced their emancipation. As freed humans, African Americans celebrated throughout the South with parades, storytelling, and food.
Within the federal government, the thought of making Juneteenth a holiday was considered absurd, but in 2020, it came to fruition in the fire of nationwide protests against ongoing racial inequities in the justice system between Black Americans — specifically, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd — and police. President Joe Biden officially recognized Juneteenth as a federal holiday in 2021.
As America contemplates the importance of Juneteenth Day, it is important to acknowledge the horrific conditions our ancestors endured to achieve that point of freedom. Today, we are faced with an evil, racist, totalitarian in the White House, who is attempting to return to those “good ole days” of the South when basic laws didn’t apply for the Black population. In the midst of rejoicing on this Juneteenth, it’s important to organize and strategize! “Sunshine can burn you, food can poison you, words can condemn you, pictures can insult you; music cannot punish, only bless” (Artur Schnabel, “Music and the Line of Most Resistance,” 1942).
On Juneteenth, Dizzy’s jazz club (10 Columbus Circle) will rejoice with C. Anthony Bryant: Juneteenth Jubilee Roads & Pathways. It reflects the ancestors’ moment of merriment with a night of music, storytelling, and community led by the baritone and composer Bryant. His multifaceted journey travels through Black history to life through spirituals, gospel, spoken word, and Afro-futurist sounds.
Presented in three acts, from remembrance to transformation to joy, this inspiring program blends old traditions with fresh energy. Experience the heart, soul, and unstoppable spirit of freedom through music that lifts you up and brings everyone together. Bryant’s potent baritone brings Negro spirituals and gospel words into now. He revels in Black historical culture and its musical lineage. His interpretation of the spiritual “And He Blessed My Soul” is heartfelt, and his NPR Tiny Desk performance of “Breathwork” is an inspirational jaunt with a groove: “Breathe in and out never mind the tone of the day.”
Bryant will be joined by a well-rounded ensemble featuring pianist Mika Nishimura-Abustan, bassist Zwelakhe-Duma Bell le Pere, percussionist Ahmad T. Johnson, trumpeter Nicolaus Gelin, trombonist Rashaan Salaam, and saxophonist Aris Dolce Jr.
The vocalist serves at Park Avenue Christian Church as music leader and First Corinthian Baptist Church (FCBC) as minister of music, after serving seven years at the Abyssinian Baptist Church as minister of music for youth.
Two shows each night, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. For reservations, visit jazz.org.
For Camille Thurman, there is always a large welcome mat awaiting at Dizzy’s jazz club, along with joyous audiences, where she returns with the Darrell Green Quartet. They will appear on June 20–21; two shows each night, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Thurman sings like a nightingale, and her vibrant saxophone licks will knock you off your seat. She is a double threat who immediately holds you wonderfully captive, from her first note until the set’s end, leaving you wanting just a little more. The intuitive play between Thurman and her collaborator Darrell Green and quartet is magic. They create high energy, a fresh swing like a summer breeze, stamped with their interpretations of this 21st century.
The quartet features drummer Green, trumpeter Wallace Roney Jr., pianist Jordan Williams, and bassist Paul Beaudry. For this engagement, they will perform music from their latest release: “Confluence, Vol. 1: Alhambra.”
“Confluence” is a collection of songs recorded during their fall 2023 tour of Spain. “This album sonically captured the spirit of the audience and the live magic we made on stage,” noted Thurman. The album is outstanding — every band member gets mean on this one: Roney’s high-flying riffs with Green’s comp flurries, and, oh, yes, that spirited tenor sax of Thurman, as she effortlessly switches to song, without anyone missing a beat. Pianist David Bryant runs the keys, and bassist Beaudry are burning on her original “Freedom.” The other eight tracks are just as engaging.
Thurman makes her mark on well-traveled standards like “It’s Only a Paper Moon,” “Going Out of My Head,” and “They Long to be Close to You,” but her rendition of “Stardust” is breathtaking and she scats with Roney’s muted trumpet. Her vocals on “Love Vibrations” reflect glimpses of the great Phyllis Hyman.
Nina Simone, Shirley Horn, Carmen McRae, and Hazel Scott were all great pianists and singers, but Thurman has blossomed on tenor and soprano, and her singing talent makes her a rare treasure. With Thurman, we are watching a rising star ascending into the stratosphere.
For reservations, visit jazz.org.
As Black Music Month grooves along, I would like to suggest any music by Babs Gonzales, a spoken word hipster (early hip-hop pioneer), bebop singer, songwriter, and promoter, who performed with James Moody, Eddie Jefferson, Jimmy Smith, Bennie Green, and Johnny Griffin. He recorded six albums; my suggestion would be “Sunday Afternoon with Babs Gonzales at Small’s Paradise” (Dauntless, 1961), although all are quite interesting and well worth a listen.
By all accounts, Babs was a character, but well-known and somewhat accomplished on the jazz scene; a native of Newark, N.J. While living in Harlem (1958), he owned a nightclub called Babs’ Insane Asylum, in Sugar Hill at St. Nicholas Place and 155th Street. His house band featured the likes of pianist Hank Jones, bassist Milt Hinton, and drummer Roy Haynes.
Gonzales had a PhD of the streets, and a gift of gab with an eye always on that dollar. He wrote and self-published two books, I Paid My Dues: Good Times … No Bread (1967) and Movin’ on Down de Line (1975). The books were mainly autobiographical, featuring his exploits in the fast life of “shyster” agents, hustlers, pimps, prostitutes, and all those folks, who took to the streets after dark. Babs Gonzales was a true jazz hipster.
“Men profess to be lovers of music but for the most part, they give no evidence in their opinions and lives that they have heard it. It would not leave them narrow-minded and bigoted.” Thoreau’s Journal.