Duke Performances & Left of Black Present Robert Glasper In Conversation

In Conversation:  Robert Glasper with Mark Anthony Neal

Friday, March 30, 2012 | 12:00 pm

John Hope Franklin Center (2204 Erwin Rd.)

Rom 240

Free & open to the public

*Conversation will be Stream Live at  http://www.ustream.tv/DukeUniversity

One-of-a-kind jazz pianist Robert Glasper joins Duke Professor Mark Anthony Nealon the set of Left of Black, the weekly video webcast produced in collaboration with  the John Hope Franklin Center at Duke. Glasper and Neal will discuss Glasper's unique and wide-ranging career, which includes equal time in hip-hop (notably as musical director for Mos Def & Bilal) & jazz (leading both the Glasper Acoustic Trio & the electric Glasper Experiment).

About Robert Glasper:

Robert Glasper has long kept one foot firmly planted in jazz and the other in hip-hop. His latest project, the Robert Glasper Experiment, is no exception.  Glasper comes to Durham for a two night stand at Casbah, presented by Duke Performances, to mark the launch of Black Radio, a future landmark album for Blue Note Records that boldly stakes out new musical territory, drawing on jazz, hip-hop, R&B, and rock, but refusing to be defined by any one genre.

The first full-length album from the Grammy-nominated keyboardist’s electric Experiment band — saxophonist/vocoderist Casey Benjamin, bassist Derrick Hodge, and drummer Chris Dave — Black Radiofeatures many of Glasper’s famous friends from the spectrum of urban music, a jaw-dropping roll call of special guests including Erykah Badu, Lupe Fiasco, Bilal, and Me'shell Ndegeocello. Follow Him on Twitter @RobertGlasper.

About Mark Anthony Neal:

Mark Anthony Neal is the author of five books including the forthcoming Looking For Leroy: (Il)Legible Black Masculinities (New York University Press). He is professor of Black Popular Culture in the Department of African & African-American Studies at Duke University and the host of the Weekly Webcast Left of Black. Follow him on Twitter @NewBlackMan.

Robert Glasper Experiment is a co-presentation of Duke Performances and the Casbah Durham.

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Parking Information

Audience members should park in one of the three parking garages near the John Hope Franklin Center. For directions, please click here. Parking vouchers will be available.   

Syl Johnson & Numero Group's Eccentric Soul Revue Come to Durham (11/19)

Numero Group's Eccentric Soul Revue featuring Syl Johnson, The Notations & Renaldo Domino + The Sweet Divines, The Divine Soul Rhythm Band & Horns from D-Town Brass

 

Saturday, November 19, 2011 | 8:00 pm

Carolina Theatre of Durham

$25 general • $5 Duke students

 

Buy Tickets

In its flagship series, Eccentric Soul, the Numero Group of Chicago illuminates neglected soul gems through archival recordings and curated performances. This spectacular review reprises a storied tradition from the heydays of Motown and Stax: three vintage soul acts combine with one smoking band for a night of sweat-soaked entertainment.

The 1960s hit-maker Syl Johnson — a magnetic singer to rival Al Green — is enjoying a massive renaissance thanks to the Complete Mythology box set and a string of fantastic headlining performances. Curtis Mayfield protégés The Notations are a Temptations-style quartet with a rich four decade career, and Renaldo Domino is a best-kept-secret with a voice sweet as sugar. With vocal harmonies and backing by the Sweet Divines and their band, the authority and grit of authentic Chicago soul are revived at the Carolina Theatre. 

Eccentric Soul Revue is a co-presentation of Duke Performances and the Carolina Theatre of Durham.

Duke students may purchase $5 tickets from the Duke University Box Office or the Carolina Theatre in person, on-line, or via phone.

Tickets to performances at the Carolina Theatre and DPAC are not available as part of a Pick-Four/25% package. However, patrons who purchase a Pick-Four package will receive a 25% discount code good for all Duke Performances' shows at the Carolina Theatre and DPAC.

In Memoriam: Solomon Burke, 1940–2010

In Memoriam: Solomon Burke, 1940–2010
by Aaron Greenwald

"He is Solomon the resonator ... the golden voice of heart, wisdom, soul and experience. He's one of the architects of American music." —Tom Waits

In early February 2008, Duke Performances presented Solomon Burke, who died on Sunday, Oct. 10, in a double bill with the Dixie Hummingbirds. Solomon was reared singing gospel music in Philadelphia, and the Hummingbirds have long been ambassadors of that city's terrific church music scene. I sat backstage next to Solomon for the Hummingbirds' set, and he thanked me for the opportunity to see these old friends once more.

At that point in his career, Solomon's contract stipulated that the local promoter provide a throne. Height, width and depth for this piece of furniture were all, rest assured, specified. Solomon had played the Bull Durham Blues Festival four years before, and Lee Hawley in the Duke Scene Shop had built a throne to proper Solomon Burke specifications back then. We retrieved Solomon's seat from storage, and it was ready for King Solomon's arrival.

Solomon needed that throne because, at well over 400 pounds, he was incapable of supporting his own weight for the duration of a concert. (Solomon had, I later learned, spent several weeks over the years at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center.) In order to get him onstage, we turned off the lights. My colleague Paul Overton rolled Solomon onto the stage in a wheelchair. By the time the lights came up, he was in his throne, a gargantuan man in a red sequined suit.

Read the Full Essay @ The Independent