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Arts & Entertainment
Art pg 17 | Books pg 19 | Travel pg 21 | Jazz pg 23
Your Stars
The boundless imagination of Jean-Michel Basquiat
By HERB BOYD
Special to the AmNews
Back in the late ’50s the unofficial initiation into jazzdom was a recitation or scat version of “Moody’s Mood for Love,” a recording by vocalese artist King Pleasure. Memories of those days returned during a visit to the massive exhibit “Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure” now on display at RXR’s Starrett-Lehigh Building on W. 26th Street. With more than 200 paintings, sketches, sculpture, books, and ephemera—many of which have never been seen before—this is perhaps as close as we’ll get to Basquiat’s diverse and always intriguing artistic vision. “We want this to be an experiential and multidimensional of Jean-Michel’s life,” said his sister Lisane.
Basquiat, who died in 1988 at 27, was as productive as he was inventive, his art a fascinating corpus of images and graffiti, representative of his first Samo brush strokes and words on downtown walls. In his studio, he was totally immersed in these creations, most often accompanied by the music of Charlie “Bird” Parker or the vocals of King Pleasure (Clarence Beeks), especially his version of “Moody’s Mood for Love,” lyrics composed by singer Eddie Jefferson and based on a solo by saxophonist James Moody. The song, we learn, was also a favorite of Jean-Michel’s father.
This extraordinary exhibit, with its winding and twisting galleries, is constructed in such a way that you expect him to appear, to step from the wall as he paints in one of the videos. Scattered in this realistic studio are albums, books, and works in progress, one practically covering the floor. In one corner a record player with LP resting on the turntable is motionless, though his favorite music seems to follow the long line of visitors as they stand agog at the endless elements of his life, and there are even old home movies with Basquiat as a toddler, already in possession of toys and playthings that would later morph into the tools of his trade.
There is a series of interviews with family members, including Lisane, Jeanine Heriveaux, his other sister, and stepmother Nora Fitzpatrick, all of whom were instrumental in mounting this fabulous collection. The exhibit, designed by architect Sir David Adjaye, is sectioned in a dozen or so galleries, and one of them, “Irony of Negro Policeman,” is one in which the most graphic paintings of police brutality were part of “Basquiat Defacement,” an exhibit that focused on the painter’s memorial for the slain Michael Stewart, who was choked to death by a police officer in 1983.
Here and there amid the engaging items are representational drawings and renderings of human anatomy, suggesting that when he wanted to he could depart from his preferred style, one that often blends cartoonish images with macabre skulls and clenched teeth like piano keys. The family has assembled a remarkable curio of Basquiat, enough for viewers to bask in for hours, and it will take hours to absorb this expansive exhibit and the attached Palladium barroom with pictures of the artist with an array of celebrities, few with the magnetism of Andy Warhol.
Not sure how long the exhibit will stand, but let us hope the timeless quality it emits will be available for all to experience Basquiat’s brief but consequential life, and if the exhibit moves on before you can get there, pick up the RizzoliElecta book that captures and extends the sweeping, magnificent assemblage of Basquiat’s boundless imagination.
For more info, visit www. kingpleasure.basquiat.com.
By CHARMAINE PATRICIA WARREN
Special to the AmNews
Bring on spring with dance performances all over New York! Topping the calendar is Nigerian-born Mufutau Yusuf in the New York City and world premiere of the evening-length work, “Òwe” at the Irish Arts Center, April 21-24. With “…Òwe—“proverb” in the Yoruba language—Yusuf seeks to decode his personal identity through the lens of the ancestral, in an evocative confluence of personal, ritual, and digital archives. And through a charged amalgam of traditional and contemporary movement, with music and soundscape, video projection, sculptural set elements, and text, the stage teems with symbolic and literal representations of traditions and histories foundational to, and blurred within, Yusuf’s sense of identity,” according to the release. For more information visit www.irishartscenter.org
Mufutau Yusuf (Davide Belotti photos)
April 14, 20 & 29—At the ISSUE Project Room, Artistsin-Residence Dion TYGAPAW McKenzie, Sydney Spann and Tatyana Tenenbaum will present new works. McKenzie will present the first part of “Devil Woman (Obeah Woman),” an opera in three parts (April 14); “Spann, Cow, Cow, Cow, Rabbit, Recalcitrance, Bunny, Dog, Dog, Dog,” a performance-activated sound installation (April 20); and Tenenbaum’s “For Selma,” a solo for voice, movement, microphone, memory, and textile (April 29). For more information visit www.issueprojectroom.org April 28-30—Rashaun Mitchell + Silas Riener will present RETROFIT: a new age, a four-hour performance installation at Danspace Project.
April 14-May 1—La MaMa Moves! Dance Festi- For more information www.danspaceproject.org val, curated by Nicky Paraiso, returns for the 17th edition featuring new works by nine dance artists/ companies including Tiffany Mills Company, John- April 29-30—Crossroads, curated by Pioneers nie Cruise Mercer, Gerald Casel Dance and many Go East Collective’s Gian Marco Lo Forte Riccamore. For more information visit www.lamama.org rdo, Anabella Lenzu, and Philip Treviño offers two evenings of performances featuring emerging artists Nattie Trogdon + Hollis Bartlett and
April 19-May 1—Celebrating its 75th anniversary, the Same As Sister (April 29), Angela Schöpke GonLimón Dance Company returns to The Joyce Theater zalez, Jenny Pommiss, and Aya Soatome (April with two programs of classic and premier works. Pro- 30), and films by BAIRA, Anabella Lenzu, and Pigram A: Doris Humphrey’s “Air for the G String” (1928), oneers Go East Collective. For more information Limón’s “Psalm” (1967) and “Chaconne” (1942), and visit www.pioneersgoeast.org Olivier Tarpaga’s “Only One Will Rise” (2022). Program B: Limón’s “Waldstein Sonata” (1971/1975) completed by Dr. Daniel Lewis, Limón’s “Danzas Mexicanas” April-May 1—The WestFest Dance Festival (1939/2022) and Raúl Tamez’s “Migrant Mother” returns and will feature works by ZCO/DAN(2022). For more information visit www.joyce.org CEPROJECT, Graham 2, The Bang Group, Capoeira Luanda lead by Mestre Jelon Vieira, The Echos
April 21-22—The dance series E-Moves at Harlem Stage of Africa Dance Collective, BOiNK! Dance & Film, returns in-person with performances by Dormeshia, The DynamitExperience, Rachel Lieblein-Jurbala, Sydnie Mosely, Du’Bois A’Keen, Vinson Fraley, and Leslie The Jamal Jackson Dance Company and more. For Cuyjet. For more information visit www.harlemstage.org more information visit www.westfestdance.com
April 23—Join Danspace Project’s catalogue launch at Conversation Without Wall facilitated by Christopher “Unpezverde” Núñez and conversation between Judy Hussie-Taylor, mayfield brooks, Rashaun Mitchell, iele paloumpis, Silas Riener, and Ogemdi Ude, focusing on the Dancespace Project upcoming Platform. For more information visit www.danspaceproject.org
By MARGRIRA
Special to the AmNews
My favorite price to pay for anything is “free” and you can tap into that low, low price of “free” for you and your family and join BAMkids on Saturday, April 23, for a full day of fun outdoor and indoor performances, interactive activities, and showcases of local talent celebrating the spirit of spring and themes related to environmental advocacy and care.
This free event is presented in collaboration with Downtown Brooklyn Partnership BAMkids SpringFest and celebrates the spirit of the season and themes related to environmental advocacy and care. Highlights include a program of springtime ragas from Indian classical musicians that melodically evoke joy and renewal; a kick-off concert from Grammy-nominated children’s musician Uncle Jumbo; mural-making with visual artist Ebony Bolt; and a closing concert where Flaco Navaja serves up old school South Bronx salsa. BAMkids SpringFest is co-curated by the BAMkids Parent Advisory Circle.
In the Fishman Space, Indian classical musicians offer a program of springtime ragas that melodically evoke joy and renewal. Performances include sitar with Abhik Mukherjee; bansuri, sitar, and tabla with Jay Gandhi, Abhik Mukherjee, Sameer Gupta; and the Mitali Bhawmik Group featuring Mitali Bhawmik (vocals), Dibyarka Chatterjee (tabla), Anish Dharam (harmonium), Ariaki Dandawate performing Kathak dance, and Shankhadip Chakrabarty on tanpura and vocals.
Drop by the Hillman Studio for interactive activities such as creating zines with Annaliese Rozos, and Madhubani, Warli, and Rangoli coloring with Anju GuptaModak. Add your colorful spin to the Earth and Family Interactive Mural with designer Ebony Bolt. Learn the power of plants with herbalist Laura Ruocco and connect with “The Joy Meister,” Joel Jeske on the Stutz Terrace.
Please visit www.bam.org/bamkids-springfest-2022 to view the full schedule of events taking place on Saturday, April 23, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Plaza at 300 Ashland & BAM Fisher: Fishman Space, Hillman Studio, and Stutz Gardens.
Remember this is a free event but you are advised to RSVP (RSVP here BAM.org). Please take note that all visitors ages 5+ and staff are required to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination.
To learn more about safety protocol, visit BAM’s safety protocol page.
The New York International Antiquarian Book Fair (NYIABF) makes its much anticipated return to the Park Avenue Armory from April 21-24, 2022, for its 62nd edition. Widely considered the world’s finest antiquarian book fair, this year’s NYIABF is thrilled to showcase nearly 200 exhibitors from around the world, continuing its legacy of being a highly international event. Exhibitors will present a vast treasure trove of items: rare books, maps, illuminated manuscripts, incunabula, fine bindings, illustrations, historical documents, rare prints, print ephemera, and more. For more information and for tickets, visit www.nyantiquarianbookfair.com.
Ailey, Alvin. (1931–1989) & de Lavallade, Carmen. (b. 1931) [Rapport, Will]. Blues Suite - Signed Photograph. Original ca. 1960 Will Rapport photograph of the dancers in performance in “Blues Suite” (sometimes also titled “Roots of the Blues”) which launched the Ailey company in 1958 and is often documented as the choreographer’s first masterpiece.
Signed Swedish reissue of the jazz drummer’s 1960 album, “We Insist!” inscribed on the back “For Ken, Max 11/26/80” and also signed at a later date by singer Abbey Lincoln, whose signature is dated 1983. Jazz drummer Max Roach and singer Oscar Brown began work on the “Freedom Now Suite” in early 1960, intending to perform it in 1963 on the 50th anniversary of Emancipation. A recording was released in December of 1960 under the title “We Insist!” The work was consciously and explicitly political, with movements spanning slavery, emancipation, the Civil Rights Movement, and African independence movements. The photograph on the cover evokes the lunch counter sit-ins that were a regular feature of civil rights protests.
Ira Aldridge. African tragedian. Member of the order of Art and Science conferred by his Majesty King William 4th of Prussia and holder of the medal of Leopold and the White Cross etc. A rare, inscribed portrait of the famous actor. Dated Berlin 1861, it is inscribed to “Madame Arline Bach with the best wishes of Ira Aldridge.” Born in New York City, Ira Aldridge (1807-1867) attended the African Free School and opted for a career on the stage rather than the clergy, as his father preferred. While he got his start in the Brown’s Theatre (known as the African Theatre), New York, his prospects were brighter in England and he emigrated in 1824. Aldridge’s debut came the next year in a production of “The Revolt of Suriname” in which he played the enslaved prince Oroonoko. Other roles followed quickly, such as “The Ethiopian,” “The Libertine Defeated,” and “The Negro’s Curse,” which was written for him. For the next seven years he performed under the stage name the “African Roscius.” Importantly, his first performance as Othello was in 1826, making him the first actor of African descent to perform the role.
