Hello friends,
Please pardon my last minute notice! I have a concert on Friday and I'd love for you to attend! I'm on a short break from touring with Stevie (leaving next week for Japan!!), and am participating in this awesome concert for a worthy cause. Come support! : >
Music, She Wrote
A Concert Honoring Women Composers
A benefit concert for the Youth Programs at the Oakland Public Conservatory (OPC)
Friday, July 30, 2010
8pm
Piedmont Piano Company
1728 San Pablo Ave (at 18th
Oakland, CA 94612
featuring
India Cooke-violin
Karen Horner-bass
Branice McKenzie-vocal
Sandy Poindexter-violin
Jaz Sawyer-drums
Victoria Theodore-piano
Angela Wellman-trombone
Yehudit-violin
and
OPC's Frederick Douglass Youth Ensemble
Steven Turner-director
Tickets-$20
To purchase tickets, call: 510.836.4649
or purchase online
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Stevie Wonder Soul Traveling Tour 2010: London, England
We returned to England with nearly a full day's worth of sight-seeing and shopping time in a major city. Excited, I set forth with my erudite shopping companions into the fashion meccas of Oxford and Regent streets, determined to find irresistible bargains, inspirational once-in-a-lifetime finds, and can't pass it up sales!
We stopped at Harrod’s and imagined being celebrities who can actually afford to shop there (YIKES at the prices!). Top Shop was particularly wallet friendly, in an environment that was highly averse to the American Dollar. Even parsimonious me found a couple of items that I loved too much and were priced low enough that I couldn’t pass them up.
Yet, Hélas!! Shopping is my Kryptonite. I am no shopper. After about 90 minutes of shopping, my shopping companions agreed that the spark had gone from my eyes and I'd entered a state of overwhelm. Despite my desire to partake in this activity which so many women the world over indulge in, bond through, and spend endless hours joyfully rummaging the racks and tables of shops from couture to consignment discovering items which elicit surges of euphoria, I came to this sad conclusion: I hate shopping. Can't stand it. Never have enjoyed it. I keep thinking “if I try, maybe I’ll like it”. Nope. Oh well!
The architecture in London is gorgeous. I love walking along the avenues, taking in the variety within the structures that still manage to have unique features among the cohesive facades. The hustle and bustle is nostalgic and familiar for any big city dweller (I lived in Harlem for years – once a New Yorker, always a New Yorker), with the rush of the taxis, the crowds of people with their destination (and not necessarily your personal space) in mind, shops, eateries, the ever present cacophony signaling urbanity – in both senses of the word! I love it!
We stopped at Harrod’s and imagined being celebrities who can actually afford to shop there (YIKES at the prices!). Top Shop was particularly wallet friendly, in an environment that was highly averse to the American Dollar. Even parsimonious me found a couple of items that I loved too much and were priced low enough that I couldn’t pass them up.
Yet, Hélas!! Shopping is my Kryptonite. I am no shopper. After about 90 minutes of shopping, my shopping companions agreed that the spark had gone from my eyes and I'd entered a state of overwhelm. Despite my desire to partake in this activity which so many women the world over indulge in, bond through, and spend endless hours joyfully rummaging the racks and tables of shops from couture to consignment discovering items which elicit surges of euphoria, I came to this sad conclusion: I hate shopping. Can't stand it. Never have enjoyed it. I keep thinking “if I try, maybe I’ll like it”. Nope. Oh well!The architecture in London is gorgeous. I love walking along the avenues, taking in the variety within the structures that still manage to have unique features among the cohesive facades. The hustle and bustle is nostalgic and familiar for any big city dweller (I lived in Harlem for years – once a New Yorker, always a New Yorker), with the rush of the taxis, the crowds of people with their destination (and not necessarily your personal space) in mind, shops, eateries, the ever present cacophony signaling urbanity – in both senses of the word! I love it!
Later that night, a group of us went out to dinner and sit in on a jam session. What fun! The band was hot, the crowd enthusiastic, the food delicious. That’s my kind of party!
The next day, we had our performance at the Hard Rock Calling concert in Hyde Park. The venue was not far from our hotel, but I suppose for security purposes, we were required to ride the bus together to get there. Unfortunately, our bus driver didn’t know where he was going (or wasn’t given explicit instructions), and we ended up being on that bus for 90 minutes!!! We had all hoped to arrive early enough to hear other artists perform (especially Corinne Bailey-Rae for me, as I’m a big fan), but that wasn’t to be. By the time we got back stage, we barely had enough time to grab a to-go box from catering, throw on our makeup and cloths, and hit the stage. The crowd was estimated to be around 80,000. Lovely. Good times!
The next day, we had our performance at the Hard Rock Calling concert in Hyde Park. The venue was not far from our hotel, but I suppose for security purposes, we were required to ride the bus together to get there. Unfortunately, our bus driver didn’t know where he was going (or wasn’t given explicit instructions), and we ended up being on that bus for 90 minutes!!! We had all hoped to arrive early enough to hear other artists perform (especially Corinne Bailey-Rae for me, as I’m a big fan), but that wasn’t to be. By the time we got back stage, we barely had enough time to grab a to-go box from catering, throw on our makeup and cloths, and hit the stage. The crowd was estimated to be around 80,000. Lovely. Good times!
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