Arts + Culture

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Gordon Parks High School, a year-round school in the St. Paul School District, serves students who prefer individual and small-group instruction. Principal Michael Thompson says 65 percent of its students are Black, 20 percent are Asian, “and [there are] a few White kids, Hispanic kids and Native American kids. Kids […]

Cedar Cultural Center 416 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls., 612-338-2674 or www.thecedar.org Fri., June 24, 8 pm: Group Doueh, with Food Pyramid Tickets are $18 in advance and $20 the day of show. Epic Event Center 110 N. 5th St., Mpls., 612-332-3742 or www.epicmpls.com Thurs., Jun. 30, 10 pm: Young Jeezy Tickets are $30 in advance; […]

Recently Roy Haynes appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, and all the jazz world was abuzz. He’s pushing 90, but watching him deliver a spell-binding solo on June 8, you wouldn’t know it. Indeed, it was a moment to savor. And he didn’t miss a beat. Hopefully you tuned in, but if not […]

Epic Event Center 110 N. 5th St., Mpls., 612-332-3742 or www.epicmpls.com Sun., Jun. 19, 10 pm: Musiq Soulchild Tickets are $25 in advance. Standing VIP is $40 and seated VIP is $60 in advance. This is an ages-21+ event. Thurs., Jun. 30, 10 pm: Young Jeezy Tickets are $30 in advance; VIP is $50 in […]

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Sexual harassment unfortunately has become common at every state of education and considered a rite of passage for young people. Students are targeted due to their race, national origin, religion, disability, gender or sexual orientation in schools from coast to coast, says Girls for Gender Equity (GGE), a New York-based […]

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer While in the Twin Cities recently, actress Pam Grier was asked did she ever imagine her iconic impact. “I didn’t have a crystal ball,” responded Grier, who was the first Black woman to make the cover of Ms. Magazine (August 1975), named as one of the “100 Most Fascinating Women […]

Artists’ Quarter Jazz Club 408 St Peter St. St. Paul, 651-292-1359 or www.artistquarter.com Fri.-Sat., Jun. 10-11, 9 pm: Eric Kamau Gravatt & Source Code Tickets are $12. Cabooze 917 Cedar Ave., Mpls., 612-338-6425 or www.cabooze.com Sat., June 11, 9 pm: Naughty by Nature, with Carnage and Divine Collection Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 […]

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Initially her goal was to make movies, but instead Pam Grier became an icon by starring in them. “I was very reticent about being an actor,” she explained, “because you act, then you are unemployed, then you act [again]. And it’s subjective: You’re hired by your looks and height. I’m […]

State Theatre 805 Hennepin Ave., Mpls., 612-373-5665 or www.hennepintheatredistrict.org Sun., June 12: “Northside: A Twin Cities Community Benefit” Featuring Robert Robinson, Soul Asylum, the Sounds of Blackness, Larry Long, Billy McLaughlin and Sara Renner Proceeds will go to The Minneapolis Foundation, which has set up a North Minneapolis Recovery Fund. Concert time and ticket information […]

D.C. Unmasked & Undressed is a memoir. The story of my life includes events, characters and insights related to my miserable childhood, my legal career, and my varied sexual adventures. It can be summarized as: Girl from dysfunctional family meets boy from same… I worked hard and played hard, too. Along the way, and for […]

• Bunker’s Music Bar & Grill 761 Washington Ave. N., Mpls., 612-338-8188 or www.bunkersmusic.com Fri., May 27, 9:30 pm: International Reggae Allstars Cover is $7. Sat., May 28, 9:30 pm: The Maxx with special guest London Taylor Cover is $7. Tues., May 31, 9:30 pm: Jay Bee and The Routine Cover is $5. • Wilson […]

• Jumping the Broom Various metro-area theaters Two families from divergent socioeconomic backgrounds clash at a weekend wedding at Martha’s Vineyard. Starring Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, Laz Alonso and Paula Patton. • Seven Ultralounge 700 Hennepin Ave., Mpls., 612-238-7777 or www.7mpls.com Sun., May 22, 5:30-9 pm: Timotha Lanae The RED Experience CD release concert Featuring […]

I’m about to celebrate a birthday at the end of the month. As I take this moment to reflect on my musical journey and this column, I can say that I think I’m a better person. No, I know that I’m a better person. I’ve grown and evolved in ways that I never imagined. And […]

Guthrie Theater Dowling Studio, 818 S. 2nd St., Mpls., 612-377-2224 or www.guthrietheater.org May 12 — Jun. 5: In the Red and Brown Water A high school track star hopes to use her speed as a ticket out of the Louisiana bayou, but her decision to defer an athletic scholarship to care for her ailing mother […]

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Award-winning filmmaker Phil Bertelsen’s Beyond the Steps: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater provides a rare glimpse into the fascinating world of modern dance by one of America’s oldest modern dance companies. Judith Jamison’s 2004 collaboration with Rennie Harris and Robert Battle entitled Love Stories, a three-part production featuring the music […]

Fine Line Music Cafe 318 First Ave. N., Mpls., 612-338-8100 or www.finelinemusic.com Fri., May 6, 8 pm: CunninLynguists, with Homeboy Sandman Tickets are $14. This is an ages-18+ event. Ordway Center for the Performing Arts 345 Washington St., St. Paul, 651-224-4222 or www.ordway.org Fri., May 6, 7:30 pm: TU Dance world premiere: “With Love” Tickets […]

By James L. Stroud, Jr. Contributing Writer Rachelle Ferrell returned to the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis in March for two performances. Ferrell is a singer, composer, writer, arranger, and musician who has a six-octave range. Ferrell sings without effort in the “whistle register,” just like the late Minnie Riperton. She studied voice, piano and […]

ARTS, NO CHASER By Dwight Hobbes At Park Square Theatre, the historic To Kill a Mockingbird is distilled from Harper Lee’s richly dramatic novel to Christopher Sergel’s social studies lesson-cum-serviceable play. Lee crafted a fluid, character-fueled, image-rich saga of one man’s courage against cowardly mob rule. In 1935 Alabama, it falls to attorney and atypically […]