(originally aired June 03, 2007 )

when the music goes around, everybody goes to town
but, here’s something you should know, ho, ho, baby, ho ho ho

Ella Fitzgerald – A-Tisket A-tasket
Louis Armstrong – When the Saints come marching in
Billie Holiday – Swing! Brother, swing!
Harry Belafonte – Day -O
Nat King Cole – Route 66
Nina Simone – My Baby Just Cares for me
Ella & Duke Ellington – It don’t mean a thing (if it Ain’t got that swing)
Frank Sinatra – That’s Life
Diana Krall – Hit that Jive, Jack
The Manhattan Transfer – The Boy From New York City

HARRY BELAFONTE

One of the songs we listen to every year while we’re decorating our Christmas tree is “Mary’s Boy Child,” sung by Harry Belafonte, who first recorded it for an album in 1956. When it was reissued as a single, it reached No. 1 on the charts in Britain the following year. It was the first song to sell a million copies in England. Mahalia Jackson also recorded it in 1956. It has been covered by dozens of other artists ranging from the Maori soprano Kiri Te Kanawa to the disco group Boney M, which took it back to No. 1 in the UK in 1978.

JESTER HAIRSTON

It isn’t widely known, but this song was written by Jester Hairston — an unusually talented and versatile figure in American music and entertainment. Hairston (1901-2000) was a composer, songwriter, arranger, choral conductor, and actor. The grandson of slaves, he was born in North Carolina but lived from an early age outside of Pittsburgh. He graduated with honors from Tufts University and studied music at the Julliard School. His lifelong passion was for choral singing, and he conducted ensembles on Broadway and all over the world. In 1985, when such events were rare, he took the Jester Hairston Chorale, a multi-ethnic group, to sing in China.

SIDNEY POITIER

Hairston did a lot of musical work for films. His most familiar work is probably the song “Amen” from the 1973 movie “Lilies of the Field” in which Sidney Poitier plays a young handyman who gets bamboozled into doing a lot of heavy labor for an order of German nuns in Arizona. Poitier won an Oscar for that performance, the first best-actor award to a black man. Poitier didn’t do any singing in that film, however. He lip-synched “Amen”; the voice was Jester Hairston’s.

Hairston had a lot of small roles in films — some of them demeaning, some without credit. He also appeared in the radio and television versions of “Amos ‘n Andy” — notably as Henry Van Porter, a high-end member of the Mystic Knights of the Sea lodge, which was the epicenter of much the action on the television series in particular. He also played Leroy, the brother-in-law of George “Kingfish” Stevens. More recent television audiences might remember Hairston for his role as Rollie Forbes in the series “Amen” that ran from 1986 to 1991.

You can hear Belafonte’s version of “Mary’s Little Boy” by clicking HERE. You can watch an amusing video HERE of Jester Hairston conducting a large choir in Odense in 1981 as they learn to sing the Christmas song in Danish.

There are interesting biographical notes about Jester Hairston HERE and HERE.

Jester Hairston, as Henry Van Porter, is front and center in this "Amos 'n Andy" publicity shot with -- clockwise from left -- Nick Stewart, Alvin Childress, Johnny Lee, Tim Moore, Spencer Williams Jr. and Ernestine Wade.

Rickie Lee Jones - Malibu, California, 2009. (photo by Greg Allen)

This week on Studio 360, Kurt unpacks the songwriting inspirations of Rickie Lee Jones, the reigning “Duchess of Coolsville.” In this gem from the cutting room floor, she discusses the songwriter who makes her think “we’re made from the same part of God’s clay.” (Plus, don’t miss Kurt’s five-second debut as a back-up singer.)

Listen to Kurt’s full interview with Jones:

And check out Jones singing “The Moon Is Made of Gold” live in Studio 360.

Rickie Lee Jones’s new record is Balm in Gilead.

- Jess Jiang

An international cast of luminaries who traveled to Cuba and met with Fidel Castro, as well as top members of his government and military, talk about their experiences with the man who ruled the island for 49 years in U.S. documentarian Estela Bravo’s “Anecdotas Sobre Fidel,” or “Fidel Anecdotes.”

“You really see Fidel the man, a little more of who he is,” Bravo said Thursday at a screening of her new 46-minute movie, part of Havana’s annual film festival.

A longtime island resident married to a Cuban, Bravo made the 91-minute-long, sympathetic documentary “Fidel: The Untold Story” in 2001. For that film, she interviewed Hollywood stars, American authors and political leaders who had met Castro, as well as Cuban government and military leaders and those who knew Castro as a child. Bravo used leftover, unedited material from those interviews between 1996 and 2000 to produce her latest documentary. She said she had long believed footage left on the cutting room floor was worth releasing and felt compelled to make the film now, since Havana’s humid and salty air was destroying her recorded material.

Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson visited Cuba in 1994. He and Castro visited a school so Castro could show off Cuba’s education system. Jackson asked if, to return the favor, Castro would accompany him to a Cuban church service. “He said, ‘I haven’t been to church in 27 years,’” Jackson says, recalling the shocked faces of the Cuban priests when the pair appeared the following day.

Gabriel García Márquez, a Castro confidant and frequent visitor even after a 2006 health crisis forced him to disappear from public view and cede the presidency to his brother Raul, tells of Castro complaining about never having time to read anything but government reports. On a subsequent visit, the Nobel Prize-winning author says he decided to bring his friend what he called “best-sellers,” the first of which was Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.” The following day, Castro showed up bleary-eyed, saying “that book won’t let me sleep.”

The film features footage of a visit to Cuba by Aaron, who asks Castro if he was a better baseball or basketball player growing up. Basketball, Castro replies, adding, “At least I thought I was good.” Aaron then says in an interview with Bravo that he still cherishes four baseballs Castro autographed for him.

“Once in a lifetime you can get someone like President Fidel Castro to sign a baseball for you,” he says.

A small group of ordinary Cubans lined up in front of a gracefully decaying 1950s Havana movie house for the screening — though most of those in attendance were Ministry of Interior officials or other VIPs, including Alberto Granados, an Argentine who accompanied revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara on his 1950s tour through South America that inspired the film “The Motorcycle Diaries.”

In one of Bravo’s interviews, famed U.S. novelist and frequent Cuba visitor Alice Walker says Castro “maintains his child’s mind and that is very wonderful.” Castro told 1960s radical-turned academic Angela Davis that he got nervous before making his interminable speeches, something she says has helped her overcome stage freight. “He’s a big star,” says late filmmaker and actor Sydney Pollack. “Whether he’s a villain or not, he’s still a star.”

Castro’s co-star in the documentary is food: Cubans and visitors alike discuss his passion for cooking and his overbearing presence in the kitchen. García Márquez tells how his wife smuggled “contraband,” including meats and other ingredients prohibited for importation into Cuba, so that Castro could make baklava on an island plagued by frequent food shortages. American singer and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte tells of bringing a large block of cheese to Castro — a gift that caused a stir because security agents hadn’t ensured it wasn’t poisoned. “He took a tiny bite,” Belafonte says. “Then he ate more and more.”

For the original report go to http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iSybvEO_Kc_B3EukipU-NBkWpEGAD9CGM8EO0

AP Photo/Franklin Reyes.

December 9, 2009 marks the 28th Anniversary of the death of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner.

Let us pray for Officer Faulkner and his family and let us not forget those ignorant individuals who stand up and support wesley cook (aka mumia abu jamal,) a cold blooded cop killer.

They include:
Ed Asner, The Black Eyed Peas, Jackson Browne, Tim Robbins, David Dinkins, Rage Against the Machine, The Beastie Boys, Michael Moore, Oliver Stone, Woody Harrelson, Samuel Jackson, Casey Kasem, Spike Lee, Salman Rushdie, Susan Sarandon, Michael Stipe, Alice Walker, Maya Angelou, Bad Religion and Harry Belafonte.

(For a complete list visit http://www.danielfaulkner.com/docs/SupportersofMumiaAbu-Jamal.pdf)

It is disgusting that these individuals choose to support jamal, despite the overwhelming evidence against him.

And while everyone is entitled to an opinion, to simply dismiss the facts of the case and stand on the other side of reason, is not acceptable. Remember this next time you support these idiots.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Harry Belafonte
Live In Concert At The Carnegie Hall
(RCA Records, 1959)
more details ↔ link in comments

So I don’t know how this came up, but I was speaking about this movie the other day. It’s one of those films that didn’t really go anywhere or never got mentioned again so you wonder if it ever actually existed or if you made it up in your head. But sure enough, I remember seeing the trailer for this movie when I saw “Panther” in the theatre with my mother. As a kid, I remember thinking,’wow, this is the most interesting Plot ever!’.
but now as an adult, as I go back and watch this Melodramatic and albeit Cheesy 90’s VHS trailer version, it occurred to me, what is it saying?

It’s painfully obvious that there’s a statement being made here. The film was presented in a way to spark controversy – whether or not it did, we can figure out by how many of you reading this have even heard of this movie.

What’s the most interesting to me is that the filmmakers chose to make this plot situational and based on 2 opposing families mainly, but begs a question that’s pertains more to a bigger social arena. It asks what if things were reversed? That’s a WTF question for sure, cause at first I’m wondering..is this a white person’s acknowledgement that they actually control most of the known world??

But no, this is actually the creation of  a Japanese American – the same writer behind such a true to life gritty urban classic as American Me.

I thought it would be pretty ill if this question was approached in some kind of surreal setting where it showed life in general in a way where blacks/minorities were on the higher side of the global spectrum: more affluent and privileged and carried a sense of entitlement.
Now I can only speak from viewing the trailer, because I never actually saw this movie, but the fact that it focuses Primarily on John Travolta and Harry Belafonte’s grossly exaggerated characters and seems to rely on heavy cliche and archetypical imagery to display the disparity that exists between the races, downgrades everything. It ’s almost counter productive because if this question is what if the roles were reversed between Blacks and Whites, what is it saying about Black People on average??

Is the everyday Black Man a barely Blue Collar, poorly accented, country sounding, angry and inevitably violent guy, struggling to make ends meet? If that’s the case, then I’m surprised that John Travolta’s character is even at home with his wife and kids! You know Niggas don’t do that!

And on the other side of that coin, is it saying that the average White person is wealthy and could care less about the plight of his fellow man?

That being said, it’s still the only movie like this that I’ve ever heard of that was released by Hollywood. Clearly this is from the John Travolta comeback Period after Pulp Fiction raised his career from the dead and he was taking on any role that would be a standout. And tho it looks like something Robert Townsend would create, with less than Tongue-in-cheek attempts to be thought provoking and emotional, I still think it makes one curious enough to find it (if you can) and watch to see what the hell they were on when they made this.

And with that, I’m off to Netflix or the Video store. Who’s coming with me?

The Cinema Society hosted a screening of “Me And Orson Welles” at Clearview Chelsea Cinemas yesterday in New York City. The cast, including Zac Efron, Claire Danes and Christian McKay were all in attendance.

Models Amber Rose and Lydia Hearst were also scout’d at the screening.

Natalie Portman and Tobey Maguire were snapped at the premiere for the new film “Brothers”, featuring both of them in lead roles. The film tells the story of two brothers, Captain Sam Cahill (played by Maguire) and  Tommy Cahill (played by Jake Gyllenhaal). Sam is about to embark on his fourth tour of duty. He’s married to his high school sweetheart, Grace (Portman), but when he goes missing, Tommy moves in to take care of Sam’s family (two daughters and Grace), and eventually falls in love with his brother’s wife….

Model Agyness Deyn and actor Terrence Howard were also in attendance.

The premiere of new musical “Fela!” on Broadway at Gotham Hall went down last night in NYC. Among those who turned up = Jay-Z, Spike Lee, Harry Belafonte and of course Bill T. Jones (who wrote the book alongside Jim Lewis).

Kunstler: Defending the Universe, a documentary directed by the late civil rights lawyer’s daughters Emily and Sarah Kunstler, features Harry Belafonte together with Daniel Berrigan, Herman Badillo, and Jimmy Breslin, among others. This moving and fascinating documentary is an honest effort to present both a collective and personal history of a man whose most controversial work puzzled his frightened children. For them, “Disturbing the Universe” is not only an accomplished film but good therapy.

For Kunstler’s daughters, the film is an attempt to separate the legend from the father they knew.

Bellafonte is among those interviewed about their recollections of Kunstler, with whom he worked closely through many civil rights campaigns.

For a review of the film go to http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/movies/2010311701_mr20william.html

Caribbean-born actor, singer and producer Harry Belafonte will speak at 7 p.m. Nov. 17 at Syracuse University’s Goldstein Auditorium. Belafonte’s speech will address the “lack of accurate representation of diverse people in the media,” says the Black Communication Society’s news release about the event. “Just him being a person of color who possesses a huge impact on society, especially in a world where there is a lack of representation of positive images like himself, highlights the importance of his visit to the SU campus,” says Shavon Greene. “Through his speech, we hope that he encourages students to not just attain the highest achievements but to use it as a tool to help advance the communities that they belong to.”

The presentation is open to the general public. Tickets are $4, available at the Schine Student Center box office.

Belafonte is a winner of Tony, Emmy and Grammy awards for his stage, TV and music work. The social activist marched with Martin Luther King Jr., and has been honored by presidents John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton.

For the original report go to http://blog.syracuse.com/entertainment/2009/11/harry_belafonte_to_speak_at_sy.html

I watched Beetlejuice and many other Tim Burton movies last month, so naturally the songs featured in the movies are stuck in my head. Today my head sings for the “Tally Man” to “tally me banana”. What I didn’t know is Belafonte didn’t write this song. It is a cover of a Jamaican folk song. It is actually, “a song from the point of view of dock workers working the night shift loading bananas onto ships. Daylight has come, the shift is over and they want their work to be counted up so that they can go home.”

Song Recommendations

If you like this song, I also suggest:

• The Foundations
• Marcia Griffiths
• Bobby “Boris” Pickett

Click here for more info on Harry Belafonte – “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)”.

The MP3 may be purchased here:

Harry Belafonte - Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)

Molly woke up only once last night, around 1 a.m., nursed a whole bunch, and slept until 5:30 at which point we noticed on the monitor she was awake but peacefully playing with her feet.

So today, like the superstitious hockey fan before playoffs, I tried to do everything exactly the same as yesterday so as not to upset whatever magic gave us all such a great night. Three bottles today, three hours apart, three short naps… and when mom came home, snacks on spoons! Specifically a little rice cereal tonight.

Honestly, some of it did get into her tummy. For fun mom smooshed a little banana for her to try, but she didn’t care for it. I’ll have to explain it’s hard to sing the Banana Boat Song without bananas. Harry Belafonte is still our go-to guy, whether it’s watching him on the Muppets or just singing his stuff, it’s always a hit. The worst moment for Molly can be turned 180 degrees instantly if mom or I start singing any of Harry’s famous work. It’s magic, I tell you.

I wonder where I can send a thank-you card. Mr. Belafonte, if you’re reading this, thank you thank you thank you.

I have to add this. Why? Two reasons.
1. WRD serenaded me the past four days with the song.
2. The thought process behind the video goes a little something like this…
“Harry Belafante can suck it. I know what the viewers want! They want bananas! And god damnit I’m going to give it to them!”

Since it’s just gonna be in my head all day anyways…let’s do this thing up proper!

Sing along:

Shake, shake, shake Senora, shake your body line
Shake, shake, shake Senora, shake it all the time
Work, work, work Senora, work your body line
Work, work, work Senora, work it all the time

My girl’s name is Senora. I tell you friends I adore her.
When she dances oh, brother,
she’s a hurricane in all kinds of weather.

Jump in the line rock your body in time.
O-kay! I believe you. (3 times)
Jump in the line rock your body in time.
Oh!

Shake, shake, shake…etc.

If you don’t start dancing right here you are no son of mine…

You can talk about cha-cha, tango, waltz or the rhumba.
Senora’s dance has no title.
Jump in the saddle hold on to the bridle.

Jump in the line rock your body in time.
O-kay! I believe you.
Jump in the line rock your body in time.
Rock your body, Child!
Jump in the line rock your body in time.
Somebody help me!
Jump in the line rock your body in time.
Oh!

Shake, shake, shake…etc.

Senora she’s a sensation, the reason for aviation.
And fellas you’ve got to watch it.
When she wind up she bottom, she go like a rocket.

Jump in the line rock your body in time.
O-kay! I believe you.
Jump in the line rock your body in time.
Hoist those skirts a little higher!
Jump in the line rock your body in time.
Up the chimney!
Jump in the line rock your body in time.
Oh!

Shake, shake, shake…etc.

Senora dances calypso. Left to right is the tempo.
And when she gets the sensation,
she go up in the air come down in slow motion.

Jump in the line rock your body in time.
O-kay! I believe you.
Jump in the line rock your body in time.
Somebody help me!
Jump in the line rock your body in time.
O-kay! I believe you.
Jump in the line rock your body in time.
Oh!

–The Magnificent Harry Belafonte

It could be one of those random quiz items – what do Robert de Niro, Rudy Guiliani, Nelson Mandela, Arnold Palmer, Harry Belafonte and Colin Powell have in common?

The answer is that all of them have had prostate cancer, been treated in a variety of ways, (from surgery to radiation to hormone therapy), survived to tell the tale and with a couple of exceptions (mainly de Niro) have been willing to talk publicly to encourage other men to get tested.

In Rudy Guiliani’s case that openness included acknowledging the issue that is still only reluctantly discussed by many men when facing up to prostate cancer – impotence as a possible side effect of treatment.

During divorce proceedings in 2001 Mr Guiliani said he had been impotent for a year as a result of his prostate cancer treatments (hormone therapy followed with radiation in implanted pellet form and 25 external radiation treatments).

Outcome Can’t Be Predicted

Temporary or permanent impotence can affect up to 70 per cent of men with prostate cancer, and doctors says as of now there is no way to determine who will be affected or for how long after treatment. Even in the best conditions, 10 per cent of patients may be impotent afterwards.

Andrew Penman, chief executive of the Cancer Council of NSW, (Australia) says doctors who suggest testing younger men PSA levels to identify possible cancers must also tell them at the first interview about ”flow-on issues.”

It very much depends on a range of factors including the size and aggressiveness of the tumor, the patient’s age, lifestyle, and overall health, and the treatment option chosen.

Treatment Options & Risks

• Hormonal therapy – Testosterone is either reduced or its uptake blocked. Erectile dysfunction and a loss of desire usually occur after two to four weeks of treatment.
• Surgery – The prostate and surrounding cancerous tissue are removed. If nerve-sparing surgery is used, erectile function can return within the first year. Recovery of erectile function after a non-nerve-sparing surgery is unlikely, but possible.

• Radiation – The tumour area may be blasted with external beam radiation, more tightly targeted for proton radiation, or implanted with radioactive pellets for continuing therapy. ED is the most common complication and usually occurs six months after treatment.

• Observation – Often called “watchful waiting,” this strategy may be appropriate in some cases where disease progression is slow.

How Effective Are Oral Erectile Dysfunction Drugs?

• Following surgery Web MD reports that as many as 60 to 70 per cent of men who have had nerves spared on both sides of the prostate will regain erections. Results are less favourable for men who have had a single nerve spared or no nerves spared.
• Following radiation therapy Overall, 50 to 60 per cent of men regain erections with Viagra following radiation for prostate cancer. However, current data are rather limited, especially for patients treated with radioactive seed implants.
• Hormone therapy Specialists at the Cleveland Clinic find that men treated with hormone therapy do not respond well to any erectile dysfunction treatments, including Viagra, but data are limited.

Can I Use Herbal Supplements?

There is continuing research into natural ingredients that may be of benefit for prostate health, including saw palmetto and the tomato-based active substance lycopene. Tribulus terrestris in herbal supplements like Herbal Ignite is NOT recommended without doctor’s approval because it stimulates testosterone levels which may be counter-productive to treatment.

Prostate cancer survivor Jim Tucker’s Prostablog contains a comprehensive section on natural ingredients and therapies which is regularly updated.

South Charleston, Ohio

Sound clip – They’re Coming to Get You, Barbara

Southern Culture On The Skids – Zombified

Radio Ad for Zombie

Deadcats – Crypt Zombie Hula

Harry Belafonte – Zombie Jamboree

Pentru cei care iubesc, pentru cei care nu iubesc, pentru cei care spera, pentru cei care nu mai spera, pentru mine, pentru voi, din suflet, pentru suflete sensibile, un cantec sensibil.

Pour ceux qui aiment, pour ceux qui n’aiment pas, pour ceux qu’ils ont des espoirs, pour ceux qui n’ont plus d’espoir, pour moi, pour toi, de toute mon ame, pour les ames sensibles, un chanson sensible.

For all those who love, for all those who do not love, for all those who hope, for all those who do not hope anymore, for me, for you, from all my heart, for sensitive souls, a sensible song.

Photography by Delwin Kamara

Settling back into normalcy after two whirlwind weeks of traveling, de-cluttering and baby showers (my cousin’s), it was nice to spend a few moments outside with friends the other day.

Now in October (can you believe it?), the New York City air is steadily getting crisper, and the excitement of changing leaves and layered clothing lay on the tip of everyone’s reddening noses.

In my previous post, I mentioned that my latest fashion inspirations were the classic looks of the 40’s and 50’s. I am drawn to icons like Gene Kelly and Harry Belafonte, with their tailored shirts and high-waist pants, muted color palettes and chic shoes. Their looks were mostly simple, yet forthright. While they were indeed fashionable, their authority and professionalism were never overshadowed. I like this idea, as well as the look and feel of this style.

The outfit pictured above was entirely thrifted. I found these wonderful Chartreuse pants in a Harlem thrift store, and they have instantly become my new favorites. In the same store I discovered a beautiful pair of narrow, leather shoes. They are still a little tight when I wear them, but I am hoping they are going to stretch with continued use. Here’s a great tip when purchasing shoes from the thrift store:

Take them to the shoe repair.

The neighborhood shoe repairman added a new heel, fixed the inside lining that was peeling, and cleaned and buffed them for 20 dollars. It was a worthwhile investment, especially considering the shoes were only 6 dollars.

I paired these great finds with a blue thermal, a simple silk scarf, a distressed leather bag and old leather belt. They were all thrifted finds!

I am looking forward to fall in the City

Photography by Delwin Kamara

Såg på Beetlejuice igår. Älskar den här scenen! (Om någon av någon anledning har lyckats missa den här filmen, så handlar det om ett par spöken som försöker skrämma bort den jobbiga familjen som flyttat in i deras hus.)