Treme Season One (HBO-DVD) could’ve been worse and should’ve been better. The first season, anyway. Even with Khandi Alexander (The Corner, NewsRadio, Sugar Hill) Wendell Pierce (The Wire, B.B. King and I) and Clarke Peters (The Wire, Legacy) starring. Treme is filmed as documentation of and in homage to those in New Orleans who […]
Arts + Culture
A space for local and national arts and entertainment stories, with an emphasis on stories pertaining to the African American experience.
Posted inArts + Culture, News, Opinion
I Will Follow: little-known film gem from a Black woman director
By Dwight Hobbes Contributing Writer A problem with living in a small market, especially if you happen to be a movie nut, is that many flicks, even those with major stars, don’t make it here to the Twin Cities. There just aren’t enough theaters, not even with the multiplex venues. And, of course, there are […]
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New Primitives: Latin funk-rock band drops long-anticipated 2nd CD
The New Primitives album AmericaNomad, after more than a decade, is finally a reality. You can count on one hand — actually one finger — the number of Twin Cities bands playing Afro-Cuban rock, a genre that gave the music industry such legends as Santana and War. New Primitives is that band. They’re the winners […]
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Honeydripper: New play tells bittersweet tale of the blues
By Lavasia McMillion Contributing Writer When you think of a “honeydripper,” you may think of honey’s slow and calm glide from the dripper. It takes its own time and falls just as it may. A honeydripper is meant to dispense the luxurious honey. There is no way the honey can be held captive. It goes […]
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Wayman AME Church crowns Miss Seventh Avenue
On the evening of March 31, 2012, Antonique Martin was crowned Miss Seventh Avenue. The pageant was sponsored by the lay organization of Wayman AME Church located on Seventh Avenue North in Minneapolis. Antonique attends Patrick Henry High School; her future plans are to attend college and law school to become an attorney. First Runner-Up […]
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Shelley Halima: ‘Indie Gypsy’ author a publishing success
By Dwight Hobbes Contributing Writer Shelley Halima, brilliantly gifted novelist (Blinding Mirror, Los Morenos, Azucar Moreno), has turned ingeniously astute entrepreneur with her flourishing company Indie Gypsy (www.indiegypsy.com). Blinding Mirror(Indie Gypsy Publications), lyrically crafted, is a dark foray into just how ruthless one can be when it comes to clawing one’s way out of a […]
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Ramsey Lewis the epitome of jazz crossover success
Big non-jazz audiences: What does it take for a jazz artist to reach them? And if they do, does that still make them serious jazz artists, or something else? Is their aim, when presenting new music to the masses, one that has to do with the mainstream? The music being presented to jazz audiences now […]
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Eric Benét: Soul singer on new daughter, new self-owned label, new movie role
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer It’s been almost a year since Eric Benét’s mid-life maturation took place: He got remarried last July and starred a month later in his first leading film role. Then last fall he was nominated for a Grammy and a Soul Train award, followed by the birth of a baby girl […]
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Hobbes holds nothing back in ‘what’s on my mind’ tell-all — MSR contributor publishes collection of essays, columns
A book review By Marcie Rendon Contributing Writer Something I Said: Essays on Domestic Abuse, Rape, Relationships and Other Critical Social Issues (Papyrus Publishing, Inc.) is a collection of previously published commentaries and essays by Dwight Hobbes. He is a man who on one hand throws down hardcore thoughts faster than most folks dare to […]
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Deforce documentary depicts Detroit’s decline
Racism, politics ravaged once-mighty industrial metropolis By Charles Hallman Staff Writer It was once seen as the U.S.’s “most important city in the 20th century” and was America’s most industrialized, modernized city that became a jobs magnet for Southern Blacks and other ethnic groups. This is Detroit, a city that at one time boasted a […]
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Movies, Media & More — Gil Noble: Passing of a Black TV news pioneer
By Dwight Hobbes Contributing Writer Word of Gil Noble’s death stopped more than a few folk cold. Black journalism today is what it is — quality reporting — because Noble, Sue Simmons, Bob Teague, Carole Simpson and their contemporaries broached the field. In the late 1960s, African America had truly had enough of putting up […]
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MSR talks with New Orleans trumpeter Irvin Mayfield
By Robin James Jazz Columnist Irvin Mayfield (IM) recently spoke with MSR. Among the topics: the music of New Orleans, jazz vocalists that interest him now, his leadership as artistic director of Jazz at Orchestra Hall, and his upcoming CD A Love Letter to New Orleans, in conjunction with the April 6 concert by the […]
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Spring starts strong with jazz bandleader concerts
It’s springtime, and romance is in the air. So, lately I got to thinking… Why is the music of New Orleans so romantic? Go check out Irvin Mayfield at Orchestra Hall on April 6 at 8 pm and find out. If you can’t make the gig, no worries. He’s got a book and an album […]
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Cab Calloway doc introduces show-biz legend to new generation
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Emmy-winning filmmaker Gail Levin says her father often urged her to do something on Cab Calloway (1907-1994), who broke the color barrier with his signature song “Minnie the Moocher” that features the “Hi de ho” refrain. He was one of the first Black musicians to tour the segregationist South during […]
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That’s My Face depicts a journey seeking African images, affirmation
Filmmaker finds himself reflected in Afro-Brazilian culture By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Thomas Allen Harris did what his grandfather always wanted to but didn’t get the chance — embark and complete a mythic journey to the motherland. “My grandfather emphasized Marcus Garvey and always wanted to go to Africa, but he wasn’t able to go […]
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New music from Lionel Loueke, Grégoire Maret, Branford Marsalis
Among all the emails, press releases and newsletters received, believe it or not, there is real news. Below is just a sampling of the mix. With so much competing for our attention these days, it helps to plan your free time and make time for some musical enjoyment. Thanks to all for continuing to keep […]
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I’m Goin’ to Chuuch: New play seeks to bring timeless spiritual messages
By Lavasia McMillion Contributing Writer We’ve all been to church, but have you ever been to “chuuch?” You know, that good-stomping, soul-searching, all-around spiritual utopia? Well, if you have not been, you might want to treat yourself to a new play called I’m Goin’ to Chuuch. DaJuan Savage of Savage Media & Film wanted to […]
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Recognition of Black women in American film industry still the exception, not the rule
Movies, Media & More Dwight Hobbes You really have to wonder whether Black women are ever going to get from the American film industry the break they have long since earned, which is to say it’s gravely doubtful. White men who wield the power don’t show any signs of doing anything of the kind. Nor […]
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Idris Elba: Versatile actor shines in sci-fi/fantasy films
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Idrissa Akuna “Idris” Elba recently won a Golden Globe award for his starring performance as Detective John Luther in the BBC television show Luther. Luther “is a great character,” says Elba in a phone interview with the MSR. “It was very exciting for me to get the recognition.” Born in […]
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A season of musical romance for jazz lovers on CD, in concert
When I think about the reasons I first fell in love with jazz, I think of tenor saxophonist Kirk Whalum. Among some of my most prized recordings, signed copies of his albums Unconditional (Warner Bros., 2001) and For You (Warner Bros., 1998) are included. We met in Chicago. Whalum was kind enough to grant me […]