by lajaunessee jordan
and sherri jackson
The Literary Exchange will host their First Annual Chicago Wimmin of Color Music Festival 2000 at the DuSable Museum, 740 East 56th Place, April 8 and 9.
There will be a Wimmin's Sampler Kick—Off party at Star Gaze, 5419 N. Clark, April 8. The festival will bring R&B, blues, jazz, funk, drumming and other musical styles to Chicago's South Side—a variety to please every palate. Several of the women have graduated from the "school of hard knocks," becoming the women and performers they are today.
Multi—racial Stefone ( Rites of Passage ) , known as the "Harmony Queen," will be the festival headliner. She has performed with a number of well—known singers and is now working toward getting a recording contract with a major record label. She had a very challenging teen life and now works with troubled teens. Blueswoman Gaye Adegbalola's solo debut album, Bitter Sweet Blues, is doing well and Gaye along with the other members of Saffire—The Uppity Blues Women will be performing in Chicago at Fitzgeralds April 13. Gaye will be performing solo at the festival. Local jazz sensation Bethany Pickens will perform with her trio at the festival. Funk artist Dani had a mother who was an opera singer and her father, a jazz musician. She overcame a life of drugs, violence and emotional abuse and raised her three young siblings after her mother's death. C.C. Carter and Wild Women Rhythms will also do spoken word performances.
Stefone
Stefone began performing at the age of three. She told Blacklines/outlines she has always thought of herself as a professional singer. At a young age, she told her mother she wanted to perform and did so at a Tupperware party. She has continued since that time. Stefone has contributed her vocal genius to the live performances of Chaka Khan, David Lee Roth and Laura Brannigan. She now has a solo debut album On Our Own, singing from alto to second soprano. She is working on a second album—Stefone: Me, Myself and I. She is a writer in the areas of house and dance to pop and jazz. Stefone said in the past, when attempting to sign with a major label, she has been told by a Black record company that she needs to sign with a white label and told by a white company that she should sign with a Black company. Stefone said she is of Black, white ( French ) , Asian and Native American Heritage.
"I always knew my Mom was not like other Mom's," she said. "She was not the same color as other moms and she was sick," Stefone told Blacklines/ Outlines. This singer's mother died when Stefone was eight. "That winter, around Christmas she told me she was going to die," Stefone said. Her mother died on Valentine's Day from Hodgkins Lymphoma. Stefone said she was "kidnapped by my family" and molested. In her frustration with life she got into trouble often and attempted suicide several times. She realized that art was a healthy method of expression. She chose music because it made her feel better.
At age 16, she was a stagehand with Ain't Mis' Be Havin, starring Nell Carter and Debbie Allen. She said both women were very supportive and inspired her. She turned her life around and began to help teens in trouble with the court system, something she still does. Stefone said she knows about the high suicide rate among gay teens and feels that her experiences and talents can help those teens. She labels herself "a bisexual who chooses to love women," stating, "but I haven't had sex with a man in 20 years." Stefone said she has loved girls since fourth grade. She had an early lesson in racism at that time. "We were at school playing house," Stefone said. "I was 'humping' the girls so we could have babies. They made a big issue ( related to ) the two white girls but did not reprimand the Black girl," she said. Stefone said she is "totally psyched" about coming to Chicago for the fest.
"I hope people come with an open mind and open spirit and be willing to listen," she said. "I'm sure they will like my music. I do hope someday a woman of color and substance can be looked upon as a woman, like a man is just a man."
Gaye
Gaye Adegbalola ( featured in the December 1999 Blacklines ) sings Bitter Sweet Blues ( the title of her solo debut album ) . She is disappointed that there are not many people of color in the audience when she performs. She will not be disappointed in Chicago as many have been buzzing about her music and looking forward to her appearance.
Gaye is trying to preserve the blues in our culture and says part of the beauty is in the writing. She wrote most of the songs on Bitter Sweet Blues ( Alligator Records ) and also writes for Saffire—The Uppity Blues Women, a group which she has been a part of for more than a decade. Gaye's solo album also has songs previously performed by Nina Simone, Smokey Robinson, Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey. She is an "out" lesbian and is on a mission to bring the blues to the gay and lesbian community. She said the blues is the "poor person's psychiatrist and has a lot of healing power." Bitter Sweet Blues was submitted for a gay and lesbian music award with GLAMA. Gaye has a website—www.Adegbalola.com and will soon have "Bitch Gear" available that she says gives a women control of herself.
Bethany
Bethany Pickens, a native Chicagoan, is a jazz musician who has recorded with Branford Marsalis and played with Dee Dee Bridgewater. She has played keyboards for 32 years—since childhood. She had a great teacher—her father, Willie Pickens, who is a world—class jazz pianist and has his own trio.
Pickens also trained on first clarinet and cello. She was with the Kenwood Academy High School Jazz Band and the All—City Jazz Band. In college she received a number of outstanding pianist and composer awards.
Pickens began her career as a regular classroom teacher. She now teaches music for the Chicago Public Schools at Ray School in Hyde Park. She does jazz clinics and teaches music history and interpretation. Pickens' work is part of several documentary films, including shows for PBS and the Discovery Channel. She is negotiating a record contract. The Bethany Pickens trio will perform at the fest.
IYA ILU
IYA ILU is a group of female musicians, dancers and percussionists. They are a division of KenYetta Dance Theatre, performing music and dance from throughout the Diaspora including Yoruba and South African chants, songs and dances, Brazilian sambas, gospel hymns and spirituals, and folk tales from West Africa.
This group is lead by musical director Linda Thomas Jones and Artistic Director Yvetta Eley. They are in demand in schools, universities, festivals, and other events. As teachers, both Linda and Yvetta are dedicated to using the arts as a proven effective tool for furthering education.
Vibing With Dani
How did Dani go from being straight—up addicted to drugs and alcohol, homeless and sleeping on park benches in Harlem, to releasing a solo, full—length, smooth and soulful sounding album?
New York native Danielle Dubois can tell you how! She is giving this message to us with her new CD entitled One "N" and One I. Dani lives and writes the words she sings and raps with a funky, jazzy melody. Her music is deep, and with much meaning to the community. She has no problem letting you feel her flow and the struggles she has gone through.
Dani's mother was an opera singer and her father a jazz musician. She came from a strong background in music—the Harlem music scene was a big influence in Dani's early years. Dani's parents were prominent Blacks living on Sugar Hill—a very influential community in Harlem. Her family was known as the "Oreos" up on the hill.
At age five Dani began singing in the church and discovering her love of music. As a teen, she studied dance and the Theater of Harlem.
Dani liked to hang out on the rough side of Sugar Hill, where the drug dealers and street hoods roamed. She had some pretty heavy issues, feeling that she did not fit in and pressure from her mother to do better. She began facing her lesbian feelings, too. Dani was emotionally abused and also faced with incest issues. Down on the hill she found so—called friends and turned to drugs to get high. Here on the hill is where she learned to escape from her demons. Soon Dani found herself staring down crack pipes, with a heavy addiction and serious alcoholism.
She literally became a bum on the streets. She did not bathe. She stole and she sold her body for a place to live. Her family moved to New Jersey, Dani's mother became tired of giving her money and not seeing her for months at a time.
As she was telling me this, I was thinking "What a story, and what a lesson to tell through your music." She finally broke the cycle of drugs—her mother died and Dani took on the responsibility of raising her three younger siblings.
She has overcome much adversity, all of which helped make her the artist she is today. Dani's music is in comparison with Meshell N'Degeocello if I were to describe her vibes. Dani said, "I do not like being compared to others, but Meshell is cool. We our two individuals with different walks of life."
Dani said she wants to leave an impression. "I try to write music that will inspire people and uplift them," she said. "I want to bring out the good in everyone because I truly feel I can incite one's spirit," she said.
Dani tells me she and the folks at the record label have been pushing this CD about a year now: "We our an 'underground' so we are an independent label," she said. "It is very hard to push an album when you are on your own, such as myself."
I grooved to the sounds titled Mama's Luv, a record about her mom. I also enjoyed the hip hop cut called Raise My Hands and Pray—it is described as a spiritual song. You all must check this lady's sounds out—I am sure some of us can relate to her journeys. Dani tells me she is already in the process of making her next CD. But, she would like to share the CD One "N" One I another year. She hopes that possibly in 2001 her new CD will be out for us to hear. With a chuckle she says, "I am going to be a little more funky on the next CD."
Dani will perform at Star Gaze April 8, 9 p.m., in addition to performing at the festival. You can contact the LE Hotline for information at ( 773 ) 509— 6881. Men are welcome to the 7— 9 p.m. Diva reception and the Sunday Festival. If you would like more info about Dani, call ( 212 ) 591— 2330; see the webpage Bizman Entertainment at www.Bizman 2000.com; or e—mail bizman@bizman2000.com .
Call 773— 509— 6881 for details on this conference, and LE's upcoming May Wimmin of Color Writer's Conference.
