Tropicalfete Musical tribute to late Ruth Ginsburg
calfete’s St. Lucian-born president
and founder, told Caribbean
Life.
“The second Daria started
singing the comment box
lighted up with comments
like ‘lady can sing’; ‘nice
voice’; ‘lovely, beautiful voice’;
‘always loves her voice’; and
much more,” he said.
Aimable said some of
the crowd favorites Primus
belched out were “Killing Me
Softly”; “I am not Afraid”;
“One Drop”; “Cool it Down”;
“Redemption Song”; “Funky
Business”; “We Wanna Have
Fun”; “Dear Promoter”; “What
You Like”; and “Social Distancing.”
Primus had sung “Social
Distancing” to win the
NYC Beatz Coronavirus Song
Contest among six finalists.
“The ‘Social Distancing’
extempo was to send a message
to the audience, through
song, to practice social distancing,
wear your mask and
practice good hygiene,” Aimable
said.
The partial lyrics to “Social
Distancing” are: “This coronavirus
Caribbean L 18 ife, JANUARY 1-7, 2021
is a serious thing/
left, right and center it just
hitting/I never see a pandemic
so/not even yuh (your) money
could help yuh/yet we getting
on schupidee (silly)/like
we cyar (can’t) stay off ah (of)
the streets/wash yuh (your)
hands properly/and help stop
the spread of COVID-19.”
In addition to solo performances,
Primus said she has
performed with bands, doing a
variety of genres as a vocalist.
She said her powerful rendition
of “Try Sleeping with a
Broken Heart” has been heard
“all around the world.”
ing to CTMD.
It said the report pointed
out that more than during any
previous era, however, immigrants
have become pivotal
to the success of the arts in
New York.
The number of immigrant
artists has grown 69 percent
since 1990, compared to a 30
percent increase in US-born
artists, CTMD said.
“New York City’s traditional
and folk artists have been particularly
impacted by both the
pandemic and the anti-immigrant
political climate in our
country,” said Peter Rushefsky,
CTMD executive director.
“Amid the pandemic, many
of these artists have structural
impediments including
the digital divide and language
barriers to access federal relief
funds or private sources of
funding,” he added. “Now more
than ever, we need to support
these artists, who have suffered
losses because of canceled
concerts, performances,
exhibitions, and other events.
“It is imperative that we
come together as a city to support
and celebrate our immigrant
communities,” Rushefsky
continued.
Andrew Colwell, Ph. D,
project director and staff ethnomusicologist
at CTMD, said
Beat of the Boroughs: NYC
Online will showcase the
“immense talents of our artists
and further the public’s
understanding and appreciation
of their work during these
trying times.
“This new grant will allow
us to connect with and support
more immigrant artists
in our city when they need our
help most,” he said. “This pandemic
and its effects are far
from over.
“So, we are incredibly
grateful to the Howard Gilman
Foundation for providing
us — and them — with
the opportunity to share their
stories, their music, and their
passion,” Colwell added. “Their
voices — whether through
music, movement, or the spoken
word—serve as a powerful
platform for continued advocacy
for traditional arts in our
city of immigrants.”
To date, CTMD said the
series has included up-close
profiles of the life and work of
leading artists.
Performances slated for
KONGO, a Haitian roots music group from Brooklyn. Oneza Lafontant
January include: Klezmer
music originating from the
Yiddish-speaking Jews of Eastern
Europe performed by Jake
Shulman-Ment of Brooklyn
(Jan. 4); traditional Mexican
Mariachi by Mariachi Real De
México of Queens (Jan. 6);
Colombian salsa/cumbia/Latin
music composer and pianist
Pablo Mayor of the Bronx (Jan.
8); performance and in-depth
conversation with Eleonore
Weill of Brooklyn about her
work as an integral part of the
klezmer world (Jan. 13); and
Gambian jali/griot, kora player
and singer Alhalj Papa Susso
of the Bronx (Jan. 29).
Organizers hope the series
will build more support for
immigrant artists, who have
been disproportionately affected
by the pandemic, and for
CTMD, particularly as the nonprofit
continues to highlight
the artistic diversity within
New York City, where millions
of Americans can trace their
immigrant ancestors.
CTMD encourages donations
at https://ctmd.org/
donate/.
Since the start of the series
in November, CTMD has highlighted
three artists or ensembles
each week, on Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays.
Audiences can continue to
tune in on those days at 5:00
pm to CTMD’s YouTube channel,
https://www.youtube.com/
user/CTMDProgramsConcerts
or Facebook page https://www.
facebook.com/CTMDnyc.
Continued from Page 17
Tropicalfete’s Voices, from
left: Ashley Norbert, Gabby
Thomas, Jelissa ‘”Juju” Williams,
Gayrleen Orange and
Daria Primus. Tropicalfete, Inc.
Continued from Page 17
It said Ginsburg also loved
music.
“So, Biegel, a world-renowned
concert pianist and
composer who teaches in the
School of Visual, Media and
Performing Arts, found the
most fitting way to honor
the woman whom he deeply
admired,” BC News said.
It said “Reflection of Justice:
An Ode to Ruth Bader
Ginsburg” is a solo piano composition
and homage Biegel
composed over several days in
October to immortalize the
legendary Supreme Court Justice
who did so much for so
many.
“I deeply reflected after she
passed, thinking that Ruth
Bader Ginsburg deserved her
own ‘Lincoln Portrait,’ Aaron
Copland’s narrated orchestral
work,” Biegel told BC News.
“I wanted to do something
that reflects her life through
music.”
But it said struggling
with how to translate such a
remarkable life onto the black
and white keys of a piano was a
struggle, at first.
BC News said Biegel finally
decided to use the letters of her
name and her famous “RBG”
initials as notes, as well as her
nickname, “Kiki.”
He added a quote from “The
Star Spangled Banner” and
other nods through notes to
Ginsburg, BC News said, adding
that “the result is a powerful
piece that takes a few twists
and turns, probably like the life
he honored.”
BC News said Biegel received
approval from the Ginsburg
family and government officials
to get this project off the
ground.
“It was important to receive
the family’s blessing and permission
to create musical
projects based on the life of
Justice Ginsburg,” Biegel said.
“They had lost so much already.
Having them on board is truly
endearing and very special.”
BC News said Biegel first
performed the piece at Vermont’s
Sonata Piano Camp,
an international piano camp
for adults in Bennington, now
being held in a virtual setting.
“He was slightly nervous
how it would be received, but
fellow noted artists, including
musician and composer David
Foster and singer-songwriter
Melissa Manchester, were in
the audience and gave it two
thumbs-up,” BC News said.
That performance is available
on Biegel’s Instagram page.
BC News said other celebrated
musicians and artists have
lent their support to the project
as well.
“Jeffrey Biegel has created
an experience worthy of a legacy
that will endure the ages,”
said Author David Topel.
Continued from Page 17
NYC Online
The late U.S. Supreme Court
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst, fi le
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