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From Composition to Release: New Album a Decades-long Effort
IN 2003, LENORA HELM HAMMONDS, D.M.A., received a Chamber Music America New Jazz Works grant which she used to compose a jazz suite, Journeywoman. She performed it at the Schomburg Center in Harlem and later at Merkin Hall, both in New York City, where she then lived.
“Live performances were required to get the grant,” said Hammonds. “They didn’t require that you recorded.”
Years passed. In 2005, Hammonds began working at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) and in 2007 moved to the area. She taught, composed, coordinated community engagement, conducted research, presented papers, served on boards, developed a certificate program, performed, wrote lyrics for well-known jazz musicians, won awards and otherwise developed a resume long enough to choke a hiring manager.
Still, she never forgot about the 12 songs she had composed.
“The stories and music were deep, and I had to live some more life and grow into the stories,” Hammonds said.
The album, titled “Journeywoman,” concerns the odyssey of an archetypal woman who struggles with birth, death and self-definition, and experiences victories gained through self-love, perseverance and affirmation. It covers a variety of jazz styles including ballad, swing, waltz, Latin and tone poem settings.
Nineteen years later, she decided it was time to record. She gathered a mix of nine area musicians and NCCU colleagues –a nonet in musical terms – and recorded it in April 2022. It was a challenging time.
“I was just going into the role of interim department chair in the fall and was finishing the post production as I went into that new role,” Hammonds recalls. “Two of the faculty members had passed away, and I was learning the ropes of an interim department chair while trying to synthesize and put together the package and hire a creative team.”
Hammonds, who performs and records as Lenora Zenzalai Helm, succeeded with mentoring by her dean and department faculty who rallied around her.
Journeywoman by Lenora Zenzalai Helm & Tribe Jazz Orchestra Nonet was released on Sept. 8, 2023.
In other news, Jazz Roads Creatives awarded Hammonds a $40,000 grant in July 2023. She was one of 20 winners out of more than 220 applicants, according to a press release.
“I was really stunned I got it,” Hammonds said. “It’s a really competitive grant.”
Hammonds plans to use the grant to teach young musicians of color in Michigan who are emerging artists how to compose music, particularly telling stories.
“Jazz is the kind of music where your technical prowess is often what’s on stage,” Hammonds said. “Thus, young composers can benefit from thinking about both, the story and the music.”
BY MARK LAWTON
The Nccu Jazz Combo 1 Performed At The Monterey Jazz Festival
The NCCU Jazz Combo 1 performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival in September 2023 after winning the festival’s first ever HBCU Jazz Combo Challenge in May.
The Monterey Jazz Festival is the world’s longest continually running jazz festival in the world.
Interview with a Cancer Expert about Pancreatic Cancer
ntonio Baines, Ph.D., is a cancer pharmacologist at North Carolina Central University (NCCU). He is an associate professor in the department of biological and biomedical sciences with a joint appointment in the cancer research program in the Julius L. Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Research Institute (JLC-BBRI). He began working at NCCU in 2006.
What is the pancreas and what does it do?
The pancreas is a gastrointestinal tract organ that has two main functions. It makes various hormones such as insulin that help to control blood sugar levels in your body. It also makes numerous digestive enzymes that get carried into the small intestine to aid in digestion.
Is it difficult to detect pancreatic cancer in its early stages?
Yes. There is no cancer biomarker to detect pancreatic cancer. A biomarker is a biological molecule, such as a protein, that can be detected and be an indication of the presence of cancer. A big area of research is to try to find a specific biomarker to detect pancreatic cancer early. This cancer is usually found by accident. When it is found by accident, the cancer is usually at a late stage and has progressed far enough along that it is causing issues, such as pain.
Is pancreatic cancer difficult to treat?
Yes. Surgery is the primary way to treat cancer, especially if it is in the early stage. But when it is found, it has usually already spread or metastasized to other parts of the body and surgery is not an option. Chemotherapy is the next step.
The problem with chemotherapy is many pancreatic cancers are resistant to or develop drug resistance to chemotherapy.
What percentage of cancer cases in the United States are from pancreatic cancer? 3% of all cancers in the United States.
That seems like a small percentage? It is also the third most common cause of cancer deaths in the United States. It is believed it will become the second most common between 2025 and 2030.
There is no cancer biomarker to detect pancreatic cancer. A biomarker is a biological molecule, such as a protein, that can be detected and be an indication of the presence of cancer.
—ANTONIO BAINES, PH.D.
What is the survival rate for someone with pancreatic cancer?
The five-year survival rate of patients with pancreatic cancer is 12%. When I started over 15 years ago it was 6%. It has become better, but it still has one of the lowest survival rates of most major cancers. If you catch cancer early, your survival rate is much greater.
What is your goal as a cancer pharmacologist?
[We] try to find potential new drug targets that we can make drugs against: a protein, an enzyme, one or more cells signaling pathways. [Our approach is to] stimulate the cancer cell to die or prevent it from growing or to sensitize it to drugs. Drug resistance is the biggest problem.
Is pancreatic cancer more common among African American people?
Unfortunately, it is. There is a huge health disparity with pancreatic cancer in African Americans. They have a 50-90% higher incidence of pancreatic cancer compared to Caucasians. It is usually diagnosed at a much later stage in African Americans than other groups. Also, African Americans have fewer surgeries performed for the disease than other groups.
What, if anything, can the public do to decrease its risk of pancreatic cancer?
For cancer in general, try to live as healthy a lifestyle as you can. Avoid smoking and being excessively overweight, eat more fruits and vegetables and less processed meats and red meat. Physical activity is important. Try to reduce stress. Stay on top of medical check-ups. If anything seems weird with your body, get checked out as soon as possible.
It is important to make sure you trust your physicians. If you feel you are not getting the best care, try to find another one. Not all physicians are the same. Studies have shown there can be some implicit bias with how some physicians treat their patients.
What should a person do if they contract cancer?
If you find yourself with cancer, I encourage trying to get connected to a cancer center known for performing surgeries and treating pancreatic cancer. Go to someone with a track record of treating pancreatic cancer.
Additionally, consider reaching out to advocacy groups such as PanCan (Pancreatic Cancer Action Network). They are great resources for patients, survivors and family members.
