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Jazz world mourns pioneering saxophonist Lou Donaldson and drummer Roy Haynes

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Two of jazz’s most enduring pioneers have died after incredibly prolific and influential careers. Acclaimed saxophonist Lou Donaldson died on Saturday, November 9 on the age of 98. Donaldson’s friend and one other jazz great, drummer Roy Haynes, died on Tuesday on the age of 99. No reason for death for any of the musicians was given.

Born in Badin, North Carolina in 1926, Donaldson attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and served in World War II before becoming a part of the post-war bebop scene within the late Forties and early Fifties. Inspired by Charlie Parker to desert the clarinet in favor of the alto saxophone, Donaldson became considered considered one of the best within the genre, although he also reportedly suffered from severe asthma. Over the course of his decades-long profession, he has performed and recorded with jazz icons Thelonious Monk, Milt Jackson, Art Blakey, Jimmy Smith, Horace Silver, George Benson and more. He also released dozens of albums because the band’s leader, including the favored LPs “Alligator Bogaloo,” “Lou Donaldson at His Best” and “Wailing With Lou.” His last release was 1992’s “Birdseed” on the Lou Donaldson Quintet.

According to “Jazz has to hit a certain point,” Donaldson explained in his autobiography New York Times. “There’s a rhythm you have to hit, and if you play enough music around musicians and play enough in front of people, you’ll figure out where that is.”

Donaldson’s “warm, fluid style,” as he describes Related presscombining elements of blues, pop and soul. His musical influences prolonged beyond the world of jazz, and his compositions and performances were sampled by hip-hop artists similar to Kanye West, Pete Rock, Nas and De La Soul. In 2022, the boulevard in his hometown of Badin was renamed after the saxophonist. Donaldson died in Daytona Beach, Florida; although he was known to have fathered two daughters, further details about his survivors was not immediately available.

In 2013 Donaldson has been named a “Jazz Master” by the National Endowment of the Artsand renowned drummer Roy Haynes was available to support and have fun one other jazz great. Just over a decade later, Haynes died just days after his friend on Tuesday in Long Island, New York, after a transient illness, his daughter, Leslie Haynes-Gilmore, confirmed to The Times and Washington Post..

Haynes, a first-generation Barbadian American born in Boston in 1925, reportedly began playing drums in local nightclubs as an adolescent. After moving to New York in 1945, Haynes’s style “was characterized by clarity and finesse,” becoming known by the nickname “Snap Crackle,” in accordance with Percussion Arts Society (PAS).

As he noticed USA todayHaynes’ distinctive style made him a sought-after drummer by such talents as Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughan, Max Roach, Charles Mingus and Lester Young, amongst others. Despite his common associations with the bebop sound, Haynes eschewed categorization, linking his work to other musical styles and told PAS in a 1998 interview: “I don’t always feel comfortable with these labels that people use. I’m just an old drummer who tries to play by feel.”

In his nearly seventy-year profession, Haynes has won two Grammy Awards; first prize within the category of Best Jazz Instrumental Performance by a Group in 1989 for the album “Blues for Coltrane – A Tribute to John Coltrane” and in 2000 within the category of Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual or Group for the album “Like Minds”. Like Donaldson, Haynes has had an in depth recording profession, releasing his last album, “Roy-Alty,” in 2011.

In addition to his daughter, Haynes is survived by sons, fellow drummer Craig Holiday Haynes and cornetist Graham Haynes, eight grandchildren, including drummer Marcus Gilmore, and seven great-grandchildren.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Fans are declaring that Katt Williams is now Tyler Perry’s “Nemesis” after the comedian purchased a former military base just like Perry once did for his studio

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Katt Williams is now, no less than partly, considered a Hollywood whistleblower, but he desires to be known for calling the shots.

According to reports, the Emmy-winning actor and comedian is doing just that after purchasing a property that will house his own film studio.

“I can’t reveal the amount or the exact location yet, but I can confirm that he purchased a former military base in Alabama,” Williams’ publicist Amy Sisoyev confirmed. AL.com.

Katt Williams follows in the footsteps of Tyler Perry and buys a former military base to launch his production studio. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Vulture; Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Academy Museum of Motion Pictures)

Various media reports, equivalent to the outlet mentioned above, focused on Fort McClellan in Anniston, which was listed for sale for $1.5 million. The 3-million-square-foot property includes 10 barracks, several buildings and 90 acres of flat, undeveloped land.

Williams was reportedly a frequent visitor to the purchase. “This is a visionary endeavor and we look forward to the evolution of this historic site under his leadership,” said Connie Alexander, Luxe Group broker representing the seller.

The comedian first revealed his plans to grow to be a Tyler Perry-like mogul in a recent interview GQ published on November 20.

Regarding his plans for the studio, the Money Mike actor said: “It’s not fair that we’re putting this much pressure on Tyler Perry. There’s only a lot he can do.”

Earlier this 12 months, the billionaire entertainment mogul was amongst the celebrities named in Williams’ explosive “Club Shay Shay” discussion with host Shannon Sharpe.

Perry, a producer and director who also writes all of his projects, purchased most of the former Fort McPherson military base in 2015. The 330-acre installation positioned in southwest Atlanta is currently home to Perry’s state-of-the-art Tyler Studio.

The “Madea” star movies his shows and films on campus, which also rents out its quite a few sound stages to outside productions. Perry’s name got here up as Williams addressed a rift between him and fellow comedian Rickey Smiley over a decades-old film role.

The stand-up comedian told Sharpe: “I signed a contract saying I won’t work with Rickey Smiley again unless he’s in a dress. What was Rickey Smiley’s next movie? Was this the “first Sunday”? Was he wearing this dress? I bet you do; it’s in my contract. In this respect, he is a credible actor. He and Tyler Perry cannot play man to save lots of lives. They are played by good women and I imagine that the best actor should play the best role.

These demeaning words resurfaced as social media users reacted to news of the takeover. “The same guy who said that TP is now doing….nvm” – we read in certainly one of them tweet.

Second user he stated“Good for Katt. I’m glad they’re learning from Tyler Perry, the man in the dress. Tyler was first, he’s 50 now (it wasn’t a former military base, but you get the idea) and Katt. Continue to use your dress money to set an example for Tyler. “I can’t wait for Katt to introduce the community.”

50 Cent had the honor of getting his day in Shreveport, Louisiana after purchasing several properties, including G-Unit Film & TV Studios.

And the third individual he tweeted“Anti-tyl3r Perry and I feel that Katy will allow new, new BLACK talent to tell their stories here too, instead of being the only one making videos here.” But much more wrote messages congratulating Williams on his business enterprise.

At least one person saw the Emmy winner’s entry into the executive entertainment sphere as a likelihood to bring recent talent to the forefront.

“Please hire new writers and production staff. “This could be a really innovative move for Black filmmakers,” this person said he wrotethis sentiment was echoed by Loni Love after Perry’s “Black Divorce” premiered on Netflix.

“I love that Tyler is now paying black actors. “I wish he had hired black writers and directors with experience to help him with his films,” she wrote in X in July.

At this time, it is unclear when Katt Williams will begin to make progress in transforming military land. In the meantime, fans can expect to see him on the road again starting in January with his “Heaven on Earth” tour.


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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Widow of Stephen ‘tWitch’ boss Allison Holker slammed for dating a white boy after years of naive comments about raising children in white communities

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Allison Holker, widow of Stephen “tWitch” Boss, is clearly living her best life along with her recent man, but some fans aren’t too completely happy along with her.

On November 20, Holker posted a photo of her and her boyfriend Adam Edmunds embracing in what appears to be a street. She wore a dark dress with matching heels while her lover kept it casual in light pants and a dark shirt.

Stephen “tWitch” Boss’s widow, Allison Holker, is being slammed for finding love again two years after losing her husband. (Photo: @sir_twitch_alot/Instagram)

She wrote: “Thankful and happy! @adam.edmunds” in the caption.

Before dating Edmunds, Holker was on target to succeed in 10 years of marriage to “So You Think You Can Dance” star Stephen “TWitch” Boss. The couple met in 2006, but only made their relationship public in 2012. They married a yr later, in 2013.

However, Boss tragically committed suicide in December 2022, leaving Holker with two children and a stepdaughter with Holker.

Since her soft begin to her relationship with Edmunds, Holker has faced criticism about her leaving the Boss too quickly.

One person commented on this topic post“I frolicked in her shoes. My husband committed suicide a month after Twitch, which was almost 2 years ago, and I can not even imagine being in a relationship with someone that quickly. I even have two daughters who lost their dad and that is what I’m focused on without delay.”

Another one that responded in a different way said, “Can I just remind everyone who says ‘she moved on quickly’ that the marriage vows are ’till death do us part’ and NOT ’till death do us part’ you then will likely be sad for 10 years.” I can move on! Be completely happy for her. She has someone who will love her again and people beautiful girls of hers. If you possibly can’t be completely happy for her then possibly don’t comment…. I’m just saying…”

But another person felt concern for Holker’s two mixed-race children, Maddox, 8, and her 5-year-old daughter Zaia, whom she had with Boss.

The commenter, who is seemingly also a white woman with mixed children, said: “Why do so many WW have black children and then choose WM? I hope you teach your children about their culture and the reason…jmo.”

This is a topic that Holker considered. She and Boss were interviewed on “Entertainment Tonight” in 2020, when the Black Lives Matter movement was at its peak. Two parents expressed it their younger children were too young to grasp, regardless that Holker’s oldest daughter, Weslie Fowler, 16, asked questions and talked to her adolescent friends.

Holker even admitted to being “naive” about the subject at times because he grew up in a “very white community.”

But she said, “It’s time for us to tear down these walls. We have to open our eyes (to the fact) that this is really happening,” Holker said. “Just saying you’re not racist is not enough. We need to join in and help, because we are all in this fight. This is our world. This is the human race and we all need to be together and united.”

Later, the creator, entrepreneur and Boss said they might discuss the subject with their children after they become old. Holker continued: “We have mixed children and we would like to share this recommendation, this role and this education with them. “I think we’re not just educating our kids, but we really just want to educate others.”


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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Lil Wayne, GloRilla and more will headline the Atlanta college football concert series

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Lil Wayne, GloRilla, Lil Wayne and GloRilla, Lil Wayne GloRilla AT&T Playoff Playlist Live!, Lil Wayne Glorilla State Farm Arena, AT&T Playoff Playlist Live!, college football concert series, Lil Wayne Glorilla college football concert, theGrio.com

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lil Wayne, GloRilla AND Camila Cabello are preparing to make their presence felt during the holiday concert series leading as much as the college football national championship game.

On Thursday, it was announced that the hit makers will headline the AT&T Playoff Live! will begin on January 18 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The two-day series will happen before National College Football Playoff Championship January 20, the same day as the presidential inauguration and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

“The incredible line-up for this year’s AT&T Playoff Live playlist! will deliver an unforgettable experience in Atlanta where sports and music thrive together,” said Mark Wright, vice chairman of media services and sponsorships at AT&T. “It’s a great way to kick off the championship weekend and keep fans excited, regardless of which team they support.”

Hip-hop stars Lil Wayne and GloRilla will take the stage on January 18. Singers Camila Cabello, Myles Smith and Knox are expected to perform on January 19.

Along with a series of live shows, country music artists Kane Brown and Ashley Cooke will perform in the Allstate Championship Tailgate, which will kick off the game day festivities. The tailgate performance will happen in front of Mercedes-Benz Stadium at Georgia International Plaza and The Home Depot Backyard.

Championship game ticket holders will have access to the tailgate concert.

Playoff Playlist Tickets Live! the series will go on sale on November 25 at 10:00 a.m. EST.

Previous performers in the concert series include Lenny Kravitz, Jack Harlow, Latto, Saweetie, Pitbull, Doja Cat, Usher, Meghan Trainor and Sting.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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