New Pittsburgh Courier
B6
ENTERTAINER
NOVEMBER 25-DECEMBER 1, 2009
www.newpittsburghcourier.com
Cover To Cover
Legends gather for Pitt Jazz Seminar
‘Barack and
Michelle’
THE 39TH ANNUAL PITT JAZZ
SEMINAR AND CONCERT featured the
greats of jazz history. From left: George
by Terri Schlichenmeyer
Cables,, one of the most prolific and dy-
namic pianists in jazz; Benny Golson,
For New Pittsburgh Courier
tenor saxophone, legendary composer
You were definitely ill-pre-
of “Killer Joe;” Donald Harrison, alto
pared.
saxophone, the swinging saxophone of
There you were, ready to
Donald Harrison/Terrance Blanchard;
“take the plunge” and get
Jimmy Owens, trumpet, formerly with
married, when you sud-
Charles Mingus; Yotam Silberstein, gui-
denly realized you didn’t
tar, Israel’s critically acclaimed rising
know a thing about where
star, Leon Lee Dorsey, bass, formerly
you were diving.
with Art Blakey and The Lionel Hampton
Big Band; Lew Soloff, trumpet, the ex-
You were in deep already,
plosive trumpet sounds of Blood, Sweat
that’s for sure. Deep pock-
& Tears; and Terri Lyne Carrington,
ets (weddings can get out of
drums, the hottest young drummer in
hand), deep confusion (who
jazz.
are all these people, any-
way?), and deep dismay (do
you really know your fi-
ancé?). But then it was over
and you started life to-
gether, sink or swim. You’ve
been floating along side-by-
side ever since.
Now imagine living your
married lives with an inter-
ested audience of several
billion people. Read more in
“Barack and Michelle: Por-
trait of an American Mar-
riage” by Christopher An-
derson.
The child-
hood and
early years
of Barack
and Mi-
chelle O-
bama has
been vis-
ited and re-
visited by many biographers PHOTOS BY ROSSANO P. STEWART
and journalists. She was
MASTER OF CEREMONIES—County HALL OF FAME—Benny Golson is inducted into Pitt’s Jazz Hall of Fame SPECIAL AWARD—Terri Lynn Carrington re-
working for a law firm, he
Councilman Bill Robinson. by N. John Cooper, dean of arts and sciences. ceives Pitt’s Committee Jazz Award.
was a law student. She was
assigned to be his in-office
mentor, he insistently wooed
her. That, of course, is how a
strong-willed leader-type
born in Hawaii ended up ‘Women of the Hill’ explores legacy
married to a strong-willed
leader-type born on Chi-
cago’s South Side.
by Tameka L. Cage
African-American commu-
nal experience, from work-
But what most people For New Pittsburgh Courier
place discrimination
don’t know are the behind-
the-scenes scenes in the
At first glance, the Hill against the kinky curliness
marriage of our current
District may seem to have of African-American hair,
president and his wife.
a one-dimensional story: to being devalued and ig-
From the time he started
what was, and what re- nored based on African-
college at Columbia Univer-
mains. But “Women of the American skin color alone.
sity in New York, Barack
Hill” featured the drama- Their stories carried with
(Anderson refers to both
tized stories of six women them a feeling of pride
Obamas by first name) was
raised in the historic Hill that these women, most of
an easy-going idealist who,
District, determined to not whom blazed a new path
perhaps due to his grand-
only only remember the of existence, carved them-
parents’ blue-collar back-
past glory of the place selves into spaces where
ground, wanted to “give
Pittsburghers adoringly no other African-American,
back” and “change the
call “the Hill,” but to to man or woman, had gone.
world.” Michelle shared his
boldly proclaim that the While there were six
views, but was easily irri-
Hill, in all its splendor, will women occupying the
tated by what she saw as ir-
live again. As they told the stage, there was a seventh
responsibility. Because Ba-
tales of their lives in har- performer on stage as well:
rack eschewed the private
monious fashion, the audi- the Hill itself. The Hill
sector and doggedly pursued
ence laughed and cried, ap- manifested itself as a tri-
lower-paying employment
plauded and cheered, and umphant place of African-
with higher social returns,
remembered a time when American socio-cultural
the couple struggled with
the Hill boomed with di- experience that was rich
money problems. His ab-
versity, and was self-suffi- and expressive, sensual
sences while pursuing pub-
cient and self-sustaining. and strong, similar to the
lic office made her feel like a
Perhaps the “Women” also social makeup of Harlem.
single mother. She hated his
encouraged the audience Through the six women,
smoking habit and his
not to count the Hill out the Hill told its story, of
messiness. He hated being
yet, and that there re-
apart from his family.
mains gold nuggets in the
‘WOMEN OF THE HILL’—Seated: Charlene Foggie-Barnett. Standing, from left: Norma J. Thompson,
change through riots and
Brenda Tate, Kimberly C. Ellis, Ph.D. (aka Dr. Goddess), Phillis Lavelle and Marlene Ramsey.
racism, and the greed of
They fought.
Hill that will light a path those who care more about
Though infidelity wasn’t an
of restoration for this his- destroying the Hill than
issue, she was angered when
toric region. Ramsey, Brenda Tate and that include unwed preg- sobriety. These stories preserving it. Based on the
his star started rising and
From the moment they Norma J. Thompson were nancy, alcoholism, being blended, one atop the women’s telling, the great-
women aggressively flirted
emerged, “Women of the the dramatists, and the au- called a “maid,” despite a other, so that each woman ness of the Hill will re-
with him. He, too, was taken
Hill” owned the stage. dience ate from their up- high-ranking position in told the stories of another, main as long as they can
aback by it, but he was fo-
They marched to their turned palms, filled with the workplace. Triumphs: proving that we are one breathe and tell its story.
cused: he thought he had a
seats like women on a mis- the sweetness of personal raising a child alone, and and the same. And even beyond.
shot at the presidency. She
sion. And, in fact, they success and fond memories becoming a pillar of hard The stories of the (“Women of the Hill” was pro-
told him that if he didn’t win
were. Charlene Foggie Bar- of life on the Hill, and the work and determination in “Women” were not only duced by the August Wilson Cen-
in 2008, there wouldn’t be a
nett, Kimberly C. Ellis, tart reality of racial injus- the community, earning a specific to their individual ter for African American Culture,
second go at the job...
Ph.D., Phillis Daniel tice and life’s disappoint- bachelor’s degree later in experiences, but also en- and directed by Ping Chong and
Being familiar with author
Lavelle, Marlene Scott ments. Disappointments life, and a disciplined life of compassed snapshots of Talvin Wilks.)
Christopher Anderson’s past
works, I was surprised that I
really didn’t like this book at
New Horizon opens late
first. Much of what’s in the
first hundred pages of
“Barack and Michelle” is a
re-hashing of what we al- with ‘TopDog/UnderDog’
ready know, including info
from Barack Obama’s own
by Genea Webb
director who hail from New committee to select the
books. I didn’t need to read York City. Newsome has ap- plays for this season and
that old news again.
For New Pittsburgh Courier
peared in several films in- they came up with that
Despite that, though, I Although the 2009-2010 cluding the “The Pick Up one,” said Meggerson-
began to enjoy Anderson’s season opened fairly late Artist,” and “The Brother Moore. “The play chal-
take on the lives of the Oba- due to Go. Ed Rendell’s From Another Planet.” lenges your comfort zone
mas, as well as their chil- budget snafu, New Horizon New Horizon chairperson because it has strong lan-
dren and surrounding fam- Theater’s new season Joyce Meggerson-Moore guage and it deals with is-
ily. In the end, yes, this book started with a heavy but said Newsome was happy sues like abandonment and
reiterates what we already humorous production of to return to New Horizon as things that make people
know, but, perhaps because Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer a director. uncomfortable.”
of some teasing “Wow!” tid- Prize winning play, “Top “I was talking to Herb “Top Dog/Underdog,”
bits and a few little-known Dog/Under Dog.” about our funding issue and which Parks penned in
stories, Anderson seems to The play runs at Law- that the governor didn’t 2001, tells the story of
make it all fresh. renceville’s Grey Box The- give us any money and we brothers Booth and Lincoln
Supporter or detractor, if ater until Nov. 22. It was di- were looking for a project who were abandoned by
you long to make sense of the rected by actor Herb New- that wouldn’t cost us a lot of both parents and left to
man (and wife) behind the of- some. money but one that would fend for themselves. As a
fice. Newsome expertly per- give our audience a good result, they rely on each
(“Barack and Michelle: Portrait formed his one-man play, show,” Meggerson-Moore other to survive. As they
of an American Marriage” by “Freeman In Paris” last said. “Herb said he had two reach their 30s, the boys
PHOTOS BY RICHENA BROCKINSON
Christopher Anderson, Wm. Mor- season for New Horizon. plays that he wanted to do.
row, $25.99, 326 pages.) He is an actor, writer and “I relied on a program
SEE TOP DOG B7 DARKNESS
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