THE “WATTS HAPPENING COFFEEHOUSE” TO REESTABLISH ITSELF AS A GATHERING PLACE FOR BLACK ARTISTS? . Im all for that. Thats EXACTLY what we need, a place where the communitys OGs can pass their skills on to the upcoming generation. This has been a devastating year for the Black community. Some of our most towering giants of jazz have died without the community even tipping its hat - Yusef Lateef, Horace Silver, Joe Sample, etc. So weve not only lost a vast reservoir of knowledge that we can never regain, but many of us dont even have enough knowledge to know what weve lost. So yes, this would be a great thing, because the community is filled to the brim with brilliant people who arent famous as well. I could name a few right off the top of my head, but I dont want to embarrass them. . Back in the day we youngsters could go to the Watts Happening Coffeehouse and be exposed to some of the greatest poets, writers, and musicians that the community has produced. I remember watching the late Horace Tapscott performing with a full orchestra in the parking lot of a liquor store. We need that again - desperately. It molded our minds and made us who we are today, just as dysfunction is molding the minds of our youth, and making them who theyll be tomorrow. . Okay, a lot of young people arent into jazz; they want to rap. Thats fine, but if they want to rap, the least we can do is have older brothers and sisters get in there and teach them something about poetry, so they wont be going around spewing vulgar nursery rhymes that disrespect the womb of our culture, and only talk about gettin high, wearing bling, and killing each other. So lets support this as a community. . We should also support the efforts of the World Stage on the West side of town. Thats why Im dead set against rumors that it might be moved. That would defeat its purpose. What good would the World Stage for the community if it was located in Burbank? Yes, it might help the World Stage to prosper, but it’s not about what benefits the World Stage. The World Stage was established to benefit the community, not itself. . https://youtube/watch?v=zd6t1Bww5-M
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 14:36:32 +0000
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