Art

‘Pride & Joy’ Delivers the Motown Sound and Swag in Spectacular Form

WASHINGTON INFORMER — From the very first downbeat and accompanying dance routine, performed to the 1959 tune made famous by Chubby Checker when he added his special touch to the tune “The Twist” just a year later, it seemed evident that “Pride & Joy: The Marvin Gaye Musical” had all the makings of an old-school, blue lights in the basement party, fueled by the phenomenal, new wave of rock and soul that would take the world by storm throughout the turbulent ’60s.

Published

6 years ago

May 12, 2019

D. Kevin McNeir Senior Editor

By D. Kevin McNeir

From the very first downbeat and accompanying dance routine, performed to the 1959 tune made famous by Chubby Checker when he added his special touch to the tune “The Twist” just a year later, it seemed evident that “Pride & Joy: The Marvin Gaye Musical” had all the makings of an old-school, blue lights in the basement party, fueled by the phenomenal, new wave of rock and soul that would take the world by storm throughout the turbulent ’60s.

And while some members of the audience found it impossible to remain seated, they would be even more captivated by a repertoire of subsequent tunes now firmly entrenched in America’s Songbook — part and parcel of songs shared by Berry Gordy Jr. and his Hitsville USA vocalists, musicians and dancers — all members of the Motown Records family.

The musical, which marked its world premiere at the National Theater in the District on May 8, invites its audience to tag along to witness the previously untold fairy-tale romance of the legendary Marvin Gaye and Anna Gordy, one of the boss’s sisters and a highly competent businesswoman who not only bedazzles Gaye as his career takes shape, but also snags his heart — becoming his wife, mother of his firstborn son and co-writer for several of Motown’s most endearing ballads — songs inspired by the twosome’s love, creativity and, at times, volatile clashes.

The play, based on the diaries of Anna Gordy Gaye, comes to the stage with the blessing of Gordy himself who not only reviewed the script but handpicked one of the lead performers, Jarran Muse, for the role of Marvin Gaye in his younger days.

Playwrights for the production come from the collaborative efforts of Marvin and Anna’s son, Marvin Gaye III, Angela Barrow-Dunlap and D’Extra Wiley — business partner and longtime friend of Marvin III who also dons the roles of both Jackie Wilson and Frankie Gaye (Marvin’s brother). The music, of course, comes from the vast Motown catalogue under the guidance of Music Director Cordell Walton, along with energetic, fresh choreography conceived by Tristan Andrews and Angela Blocker-Loyd — each of whom hails from Detroit — the city in which it all began.

No one who really appreciates songs with heartfelt lyrics, beautiful harmonies and intricately-delivered musical accompaniments can honestly dispute the magical touch and impact that Motown, armed with a bevy of unforgettable songs, soloists and singing ensembles, has had on the nation and the world — even 60 years since its founding.

And it’s the sound, the soul and the swagger of the Motown sound that reverberates throughout “Pride & Joy” — with an emphasis on the music written and/or performed by the D.C.’s own Marvin Gaye. And what an amazing portfolio he left for the world.

Two actors share the responsibility of bringing Gaye to the stage and both are superb in their performances — delivering the extraordinary artist during his earlier years, Muse, and in his later years, Chae Stephen. Both gentlemen easily hit the mark, comfortably unleashing the resonating, conversational timber of speech, the svelte, pitch-perfect vocals and the alluring walk and aura that would become second nature to Gaye, making him a household name.

As for confirmation regarding the delivery of the two “Marvins,” this writer only needed to look to the left or right and witness members of the audience, both women and men, young or old, who seemed enthralled by both actors, particularly Muse — singing along, snapping their fingers, rocking their heads, clapping their hands or nodding while the actors’ delivered their lines to signal their approval and pleasure.

In fact, the entire cast does a bang-up job in this production, most notably Tony Grant in his impressive performance and superb vocal delivery in the role of Harvey Fuqua — one of Gaye’s closest friends during his formative years in the business and a talented singer in his own right. Krystal Drake also shines as Anna Gordy Gaye as do both Justin Reynolds, who easily caresses the falsetto riffs made famous by Smokey Robinson, and Kourtney Lenton, who gives a sultry, “song-sational” performance as Gaye’s beloved singing partner, Tammi Terrell.

If you can overlook some of the moments of inertness caused by portions of the script that could have easily been eliminated, or perhaps more effectively delivered by an omniscient narrator, then “Pride & Joy” is a show you don’t want to miss. Even a week later, the songs made famous by the unforgettable duo of Tammi and Marvin, soulfully rendered by actors Lenton and Muse, continue to resound in this writer’s mind, heart and soul.

OK, I’ll admit, this production isn’t as polished — at least not yet — as the similarly-themed Broadway hit, “Motown the Musical.” But it’s still a whole lot of fun and certainly worth the price of admission.

Check it out and get your groove on. I sure did.

This article originally appeared in the Washington Informer.

D. Kevin McNeir Senior Editor

Posts by D. Kevin McNeir Senior Editor

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Art

Brown University Professor and Media Artist Tony Cokes Among MacArthur Awardees

When grants were announced earlier this month, it was noted that seven of the 22 fellows were African American. Among them are scholars, visual and media artists a poet/writer, historian, and dancer/choreographer who each receive $800,000 over a five-year period to spend as they see fit. Their names are Ruha Benjamin, Jericho Brown, Tony Cokes, Jennifer L. Morgan, Ebony G. Patterson, Shamel Pitts, Jason Reynolds, and Dorothy Roberts. This is the third in the series highlighting the Black awardees.

Published

2 months ago

November 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Tony Cokes. Photo courtesy of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Special to The Post

Tony Cokes

Tony Cokes, 68, is a media artist creating video works that recontextualize historical and cultural moments. Cokes’s signature style is deceptively simple: changing frames of text against backgrounds of solid bright colors or images, accompanied by musical soundtracks.

Cokes was born in Richmond, Va., and received a BA in creative writing and photography from Goddard College in 1979 and an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1985. He joined the faculty of Brown University in 1993 and is currently a professor in the Department of Modern Culture and Media.

According to Wikipedia, Cokes and Renee Cox, and Fo Wilson, created the Negro Art Collective (NAC) in 1995 to fight cultural misrepresentations about Black Americans.^[^5]

His work has been exhibited at national and international venues, including Haus Der Kunst and Kunstverein (Munich); Dia Bridgehampton (New York); Memorial Art Gallery University of Rochester; MACRO Contemporary Art Museum (Rome); and the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts (Harvard University), among others.

Like a DJ, he samples and recombines textual, musical, and visual fragments. His source materials include found film footage, pop music, journalism, philosophy texts, and social media. The unexpected juxtapositions in his works highlight the ways in which dominant narratives emerging from our oversaturated media environments reinforce existing power structures.

In his early video piece Black Celebration (A Rebellion Against the Commodity) (1988), Cokes reconsiders the uprisings that took place in Black neighborhoods in Los Angeles, Detroit, Newark, and Boston in the 1960s.

He combines documentary footage of the upheavals with samples of texts by the cultural theorist Guy Debord, the artist Barbara Kruger, and the musicians Morrisey and Martin Gore (of Depeche Mode).

Music from industrial rock band Skinny Puppy accompanies the imagery. In this new context, the scenes of unrest take on new possibilities of meaning: the so-called race riots are recast as the frustrated responses of communities that endure poverty perpetuated by structural racism. In his later and ongoing “Evil” series, Cokes responds to the rhetoric of the Bush administration’s “War on Terror.”

Evil.16 (Torture.Musik) (2009–11) features snippets of text from a 2005 article on advanced torture techniques. The text flashes on screens to the rhythm of songs that were used by U.S. troops as a form of torture.

The soundtrack includes Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” and Britney Spears’s “… Baby One More Time,” songs known to have been played to detainees at deafening decibel levels and on repeated loops. The dissonance between the instantly recognizable, frivolous music and horrifying accounts of torture underscores the ideological tensions within contemporary pop culture.

More recently, in a 2020 work entitled HS LST WRDS, Cokes uses his pared-down aesthetic to examine the current discourse on police violence against Black and Brown individuals. The piece is constructed around the final words of Elijah McClain, who was killed in the custody of Colorado police. Cokes transcribes McClain’s last utterances without vowels and sets them against a monochromatic ground. As in many of Cokes’s works, the text is more than language conveying information and becomes a visualization of terrifying breathlessness. Through his unique melding of artistic practice and media analysis, Cokes shows the discordant ways media color our understanding and demonstrates the artist’s power to bring clarity and nuance to how we see events, people, and histories.

Oakland Post

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Art

A Prolific Painter: Artist and Advocate Lois Mailou Jones

Lois Mailou Jones was a prominent African American artist whose career spanned more than seven decades, from the Harlem Renaissance to the modern art movement. She was not only a prolific painter but also an influential educator, bridging cultural gaps and challenging stereotypes through her vibrant and diverse works.

Published

2 months ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

Courtesy of National Archives, Washington, D.C.

By Tamara Shiloh

Her unique journey of self-expression, dedication to art, and advocacy for African American and African themes made her a crucial figure in the evolution of American art.

Jones was born on Nov. 3, 1905, in Boston. Raised in an intellectual and supportive family, she demonstrated an early interest in art, encouraged by her mother, who believed in the importance of creativity. Lois studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where she faced racial challenges but persisted in pursuing her passion.

Her pursuit of higher education led her to the prestigious Design Art School, where she perfected her skills in textile design. Later, Jones attended Harvard University and received further training at the Académie Julian in Paris. This European experience greatly influenced her style and broadened her perspective on art.

Jones’s career began in textile design, creating works that were used by leading textile companies. However, her true passion was painting. During the Harlem Renaissance, she moved away from textile design to focus on fine art, exploring themes that reflected her heritage and the African diaspora.

Her early works were influenced by European Post-Impressionism, featuring landscapes and still life, but Jones’s style evolved over time. After spending time in Haiti, she was deeply inspired by Caribbean culture, and her palette became more vivid, her subject matter more symbolic. The influence of African and Caribbean culture is evident in her later works, where she used bright colors and geometric patterns to convey the spirit and stories of the people she encountered.

Her contributions to African American art were significant during a time when Black artists struggled for recognition. She often focused on themes of African heritage, pride, and unity, blending African illustrations and portraits with Western artistic techniques to create a unique visual language that celebrated Black culture.

She was also a dedicated educator. She began her teaching career at Palmer Memorial Institute in North Carolina and later became a professor at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she taught for almost 50 years. Through her teaching, she influenced generations of young Black artists, encouraging them to explore and express their cultural heritage through art.

In the 1930s and 1940s, she worked to exhibit her work alongside other Black artists, helping to create a platform for voices that had long been excluded from mainstream galleries.

Recognition and Legacy

Jones achieved significant recognition throughout her lifetime, both in the United States and internationally. She exhibited her work across the globe, including in Paris, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Jones continued painting until her death in 1998, leaving behind a rich legacy of artistic achievements and contributions to art education. She broke boundaries by celebrating Black identity and heritage at a time when these themes were often marginalized.

Oakland Post

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Art

At Oakland Symphony’s 2024-25 Season Opening, Music Director Kedrick Armstrong Will Make History

Music Director Kedrick Armstrong will make history with his debut performance at the Oakland Symphony’s 2024-25 Season Opening Concert on Oct. 18, at 8 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland. Armstrong, who is from Georgetown, South Carolina, is the ninth music director in the organization’s almost 100-year-history. His appointment follows in the footsteps of the late Oakland Symphony Music Director and Conductor Michael Morgan.

Published

2 months ago

October 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Music Director Kedrick Armstrong. Photo by Scott Chernis.

By Oakland Post Staff

Music Director Kedrick Armstrong will make history with his debut performance at the Oakland Symphony’s 2024-25 Season Opening Concert on Oct. 18, at 8 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland.

Armstrong, who is from Georgetown, South Carolina, is the ninth music director in the organization’s almost 100-year-history. His appointment follows in the footsteps of the late Oakland Symphony Music Director and Conductor Michael Morgan.

Armstrong, 30, is not a new face to Oakland as he has been an active partner with the Oakland Symphony over the last few years both on and off-the-stage.

From 2022-24, Armstrong led three Oakland Symphony programs and guest-conducted the orchestra, showcasing his broad knowledge of the classical repertoire and enthusiasm for spotlighting diverse voices.

On his Oakland Symphony subscription debut on Feb. 16, Kedrick led the World Premiere of “Here I Stand: Paul Robeson,” an oratorio by Carlos Simon on a libretto by Dan Harder, commissioned by the Oakland Symphony.

On April 16, 2023, Armstrong conducted the Oakland Symphony’s Family Hype concert, presented in partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Bay Area. Armstrong first led the orchestra for a free “Summerstage at City Hall” concert at Oakland City Hall on Aug. 4, 2022.

The music program “Kedrick Armstrong Inaugural Inextinguishable Oakland!” will include commissioned works from master drummer Allison Miller and Bay Area artists – Ethiopian artist Meklit and Latin percussionist John Santos – in celebration of Living Jazz’s 40th anniversary.

Oct. 18 musical program:

Julia Perry: A Short Piece for Orchestra

Celebrate the 40-Year Anniversary of Living Jazz with three jazz-rooted compositions.

“Valley of the Giants” (for Eddie Marshall); Allison Miller, composer; arranged and orchestrated by Todd Sickafoose. Featured artist: Allison Miller, Drum Set; guest artist: Dayna Stephens, Saxophone.

Medley: “Ethio Blue, My Gold, Stars in a Wide Field”

Songs and Lyrics by Meklit; arrangement and orchestration by Sam Bevan. Featured artist: Meklit, Vocals; guest artists: Sam Bevan, Bass, Colin Douglas, Drumkit, Marco Peris Coppola, Tupan/Percussion.

“Un Levantamiento (An Uprising)”

Composer, percussion: John Santos; arrangers: Saul Sierra and John Santos. Featured artist: John Santos, güícharo, bongo; guest artists: Pedro Pastrana, Puerto Rican cuatro; Maria Cora, spoken word.

Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 4, “The Inextinguishable”

Pre-concert talk by John Kendall Bailey begins at 7:05pm.

For tickets, go to: https://oaklandsymphony.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/events/a0SUu0000001rYXMAY