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Harlem Speaks Presents Author and Journalist Herb Boyd |
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Written by Ronaldo Oregano
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Monday, 22 August 2005 |
On Thursday, August 25th, Harlem Speaks closes the summer set of talks at the offices of the Jazz Museum in Harlem with Mr. Boyd, one of the most tireless journalists in the nation's media capital. In addition to discussing the Detroit and Midwest jazz scene of his early years, he is expected to confront controversies in jazz criticism that he has observed over the course of his career.
With 40+ years of journalism under his belt, Harlemite Herb Boyd can speak with authority about his field, especially as it relates to jazz. He's a long-time devotee of the music who has written for DownBeat, first beginning in the 70s as a correspondent from Detroit, his hometown.
Boyd serves as National Editor of the online publication The Black World Today. His byline can be seen on a weekly basis in the Amsterdam News. Boyd's co-editorship of the anthology Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America was awarded an American Book Award for nonfiction; he is also editor of The Harlem Reader, and author of a biography of Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar in Harlem, as well as We Shall Overcome, a gripping account of the civil rights movement. Boyd's biography of jazz musician Yusef Lateef is scheduled for release this winter.
On August 11th band leader Seleno Clarke talked about his 40+ years in the music business. After learning to play the piano as a child, he switched to the saxophone as a teen. In the 60s he played tenor sax in the various clubs in the Harlem loop (including the Apollo) as well as downtown. Clarke and Kenny Dorham were two of the last artists to play the famous Harlem club Minton's Playhouse. But when he heard the hard swinging of Hammond B3 organ masters such as Jimmy Smith and Jack McDuff, he said, "I've got to play that!"
One of the living standard-bearers of the 400 pound organ, Clarke spent time explaining his approach as a band leader, which can be described as stern yet welcoming to young musicians learning the art and craft of jazz. Clarke emphasized his commitment to "giving back" to the place so important to his career, Harlem. That's why every week he can be seen live at Perk's (Tuesday's) and at the American Legion Hall (Sunday's). His latest recordings were performed live at the Harlem club Smoke.
Mark your calendars for September Harlem Speaks!
September 8, 2005: Max Lucas, 94 year-old saxophonist, at the offices of the Jazz Museum in Harlem.
September 22, 2005: Johnny Colon, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, at the offices of the Jazz Museum in Harlem.
 ROy Haynes, photo by Don Berryman
October 6, 2005: Roy Haynes, trap drum master, celebrates 60 years of playing in Harlem, at the offices of the Jazz Museum in Harlem.
October 20, 2005: Congressman Charles Rangel celebrates his 75th birthday at his alma mater, the Frederick Douglass Academy.
The Harlem Speaks series is co-produced by the Jazz Museum in Harlem's Executive Director, Loren Schoenberg, and Greg Thomas Associates. The series normally occurs at the offices of the Jazz Museum in Harlem, located at 104 East 126th Street, between Park and Lexington Avenues, from 6:30pm-8:00pm twice a month on Thursdays. On select occasions, such as the evenings of September 8, 2005 and October 20, 2005, the series will be housed at collaborating venues.
As always, the series is free to the public. Please call for reservations: (212) 348-8300.
The Jazz Museum in Harlem
104 E.126th Street
New York, N.Y. 10035
212.348.8300 p
212.348.5030 f
www.jazzmuseuminharlem.org |
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 Friday, 05 December 2008
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