You’ve heard of Sheila E, but have you heard of Terri Lyne Carrington? If not you may want to check out this Grammy winning percussionist, composer, record producer and entrepreneur.
The talented Ms. Carrington has played with jazz legends Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Clark Terry, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Joe Sample, Al Jarreau, Yellowjackets.
In recent years, she has included Esperanza Spalding, Geri Allen, Helen Sung, James Genus, Bob Hurst, Patrice Rushen, Tineke Postma, Ingrid Jensen, Nona Hendryx, Chihiro, Everette Harp, Greg Phillinganes, Lori Perry, Robert Irving III, Dwight Sills, Lawrence Fields, Randy Runyon, Gary Thomas, Aruan Ortiz, and Munyungo Jackson in her band configurations.
In Summer 2011, she appeared with Wayne Shorter (with John Pattituci and Danilo Perez) in South America, and is the Musical Director of the international “Sing The Truth” Tour … featuring Dianne Reeves, Lizz Wright and Angelique Kidjo (with Romero Lubambo, Geri Allen, James Genus and Munyungo Jackson).
Carrington was born in Medford, Massachusetts, into a musical family: her mother played piano as a hobby and her father was a saxophonist and president of the Boston Jazz Society.[2][3] At the age of 7, Carrington was given a set of drums that had belonged to her grandfather, Matt Carrington, who had played with Fats Waller and Chu Berry. After studying privately for three years, she played her first major performance at the Wichita Jazz Festival with Clark Terry. At the age of 11 she received a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music. When she was 12 years old she was profiled on the PBS kids’ biography program Rebop.
At Berklee College of Music she played with leading musicians such as Kevin Eubanks, Donald Harrison, Greg Osby and others. She also studied under master drum instructor Alan Dawson and made a private recording entitled TLC and Friends, with Kenny Barron, Buster Williams, George Coleman and her father, Sonny Carrington, before turning 17.
Throughout high school she traveled across the country doing clinics at various schools and colleges.
In 1983, encouraged by her mentor, Jack DeJohnette, Carrington moved to New York, where she worked with Stan Getz, James Moody, Lester Bowie, Pharoah Sanders, Cassandra Wilson, David Sanborn, and others.
In the late 1980s Carrington relocated to Los Angeles, where she gained recognition on late-night TV as the house drummer for The Arsenio Hall Show, then again in the late 1990s as the drummer on the late night TV show VIBE, hosted by Sinbad. In 1996 she collaborated with Peabo Bryson on “Always Reach For Your Dreams”, a song commissioned for the 1996 Olympic Games.
In 2007 she was appointed professor at her alma mater, Berklee College of Music, where she received an honorary doctorate in 2003.
She also serves as Artistic Director of the Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival.
In 2011 her fifth album, The Mosaic Project, which featured a number of singers won the 2012 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album.
Take a look at the video above as she talks about her latest project which is certain to win her another Grammy.
There is always something there to remind you of your road to the present. Steve Harvey found that out recently while taping his television show. In a show celebrating his 56th birthday, Harvey broke into tears when a voice from the past gave him a birthday shout out.
Rich Liss and his wife, Becky, were early supporters of Harvey. First they supported the Kings Of Comedy comedian when he was a 26-year-old trying to operate fledgling carpet cleaning business, and later when he started as a standup comic.
“I was struggling,” Harvey said, wiping tears away. “I didn’t have nothing. And these people… took me in.”
You can listen to the whole teary story which also brought the audience to tears by watching the video above.
Will he or will he not? That is the question surrounding Chris tucker and the final Friday movie.
Friday, the 1995 movie directed by F. Gary Gray is a classic comedy about two neighborhood buddies in south central LA. The film revolves around 16 hours in the lives of a recently fired Craig Jones played by Ice Cube and and unemployed slacker Smokey, who must pay a drug dealer $200 by 10:00 PM on Friday night. Smokey who smoked up the $200.00 of weed is played by Tucker.
Other than a quick trip to the corner liquor store, the two finds lots trouble as they sit on the Jones family front porch.
Will Chris Tucker reprise his role as Smokey? Listen as talks to Tom Joyner about the subject.
Last week I caught Barry Levinson’s Diner on Turner Classic Movies. Set in Baltimore, Maryland, during the last week of 1959, Diner tells the story of a group of male friends who reunite for the wedding of one of their group. The title refers to the group’s late-night hangout.
Watching the film reminded me of growing up in the south during the civil rights era. We had our own diner. Although we would eat at the Woolsworth’s five and dime in downtown Greensboro, our diner was located at the Edmonds drug store in the Southgate Shopping Center. It was located near Gillespie Park School.
It was 1969, and I was enrolled at Gillespie Park School. I had attended a different middle school before Gillespie, but I was sent kicking and screaming to Gillespie. Unbeknownst to me, I uprooted from Lincoln Junior High as a result of my mother making a promise to her sister in law who was dying from breast cancer. My aunt wanted me to attend Gillespie with her daughter. The promise was made before my aunt died on December 5, 1968. I was enrolled at Gillespie in September of 1969. By this time, my cousin, who was 1 year older than I was in High School.
That decision changed the course of my life and created two new relationships that have endured peaks and valleys through the years.
It was Mrs. Salters French class.and I was the new kid. That class was filled with some smart kids. Diana and Paula sat next to each other in the front of the class. I sat two seats behind Diana. On this particular day, I was bored and feeling a little mischievious. Mrs. Salters had started class. She was writing on the board so she had her back turned to the class. As I looked down, I saw a pencil which had been broken into pieces. I picked up a piece of the pencil and decided to throw it to back of Paula’s head. I hit her. She looked back, but didn’t know what happen. Of course I was looking at Mrs. Salters. Paula turned back around. I waited for a minute and threw the remaining piece hitting her again in the back of her head. That did it. She was upset and her outburst got Mrs. Salters attention. Paula accused me of hitting her, but no one really saw me throw the pencil. Everyone was talking as Mrs. Salters scribbled out some French dialog on the black board. Of course I denied Paula’s allegation. Paula was upset and by the time we got to our class it had spread like wild fire that Paula was going to settle the score after school. Bell rings, and school is out. Kids are rushing out to see the fight. There was only one problem. Marty was also new at the school, and he knew me from our old school. Marty wasn’t having it. Nobody was going to mess with me. Marty who had a reputation as a little scrapper escorted me off campus to the lunch counter located in the back of Edmonds’ Drug store. After we ate our cheeseburger and fries Marty went his way and I headed home taking the scenic route.
Just as I approached the park, there was Paula in a change of clothing crossing Benbow Road. As we walked towards each other I could tell she was still steaming. I really didn’t want to fight, but if I had to I was ready. Instead of fighting we talked. She wanted to know why I picked her. I had no answer then, and I have no answer now.
A week later I called her on the phone. That started a conversation with she and Diana whom she had called to discuss why the new kid was calling her on the phone. Diana had told her that maybe I wanted to be friends. Friends is what all three of us became. We shared many a moment at Edmonds over cheeseburgers and fries.’ We experienced styling converse high tops, school integration, proms,and house parties. We defied the times by driving school buses. We worked summer jobs and attended college together. Paula and I went on to attend grad school together. Despite any disagreements we had growing up, and we did have disagreements, the bond remained strong.
Paula and I moved away, promising to return to Greensboro one day. Diana who left long enough to earn her PH.d now teaches at our Alma Mater: NC A&T.
Paula went to work for Pittsburgh Paint and Glass (PPG). I went on to law school and practiced law.
At PPG Paula rose from a customer service representative to Vice President. With a can do attitude she shattered glass ceilings at PPG’s Pittsburgh headquarters. She and her husband raised two fine young men.
Today at the age of 57 Paula returns to Greensboro on a flight with her mother and sister. I will not be there when they roll her coffin off the plane. On Saturday December 22, 2012, Paula lost her battle with colon cancer. With her family by her side, she fought to very end.
I can’t bear to see her in a coffin or lowered into a grave. I want to remember her as being the no non-sense, yet loving and caring person that she was. As long as I have the ability to remember, I will remember the good times as well as the bad times. You see death ends a life, but it doesn’t end the relationship which will endure forever.
Gloria Reuben is probably one of the most versatitle entertainers of our time.
You may remember the Canadian born thesbian from her stint on the television drama ER. There she portrayed an HIV infected Physician Assistant named Jeanie Boulet.
After the sixth season, Reuben exited right onto to the stage as a backup singer for Tina turner’s 24/7 tour.
Since the Tina Turner tour, she has had interesting roles in television series and films.
Ms. Reuben who garnered two Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe nomination for her Jeanie Boulet role also won the Lucille Lortel Best Actress Award for her portrayal of Condoleezza Rice in David Hare’s play “Stuff Happens” at New York City’s Public Theater.
As we are approaching awards season, Oscar buzz is now circulating about Gloria’s performance in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln. In Lincoln, Ms. Reuben plays Elizabeth Keckley, Mary Todd Lincoln’s personal modiste and confidante.
Madam Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley
Elizabeth Keckley was a former slave who became a successful seamstress, civic activist and author in Washington, DC. She was best known as the personal modiste and confidante of Mary Todd Lincoln, the First Lady. Keckley had moved to Washington in 1860 after buying her freedom and that of her son in St. Louis. She created an independent business in the capital based on clients who were the wives of the government elite. Among them were Varina Davis, wife of Jefferson Davis; and Mary Anna Custis Lee, wife of Robert E. Lee.
Gloria discusses the role above during a recent interview on the Los Angeles Fox affiliate Good Day LA.
Linclon which also stars Daniel Day Lewis as Lincoln, and Sally Fields as the first lady Mary Todd Lincoln is now showing in theaters.
