Biography – TheUrbanMusicScene.com | Music Reviews! https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com Thu, 27 Jan 2022 13:31:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/TUMS-Icon-150x150.jpg Biography – TheUrbanMusicScene.com | Music Reviews! https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com 32 32 Ricky Dillard | Choirmaster https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2020/04/ricky-dillard-choirmaster-album-review/ https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2020/04/ricky-dillard-choirmaster-album-review/#comments Tue, 28 Apr 2020 13:42:32 +0000 https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/?p=5442   Singer/Songwriter/Minister and Choirmaster Ricky Dillard along with New G re-lights the gospel choir flame with their latest CD for Motown Gospel   As one of contemporary gospel’s ambassadors, Ricky Dillard is a firm cheerleader for choir voices and how they continue to bless the masses in praise and worship. Born in one of gospel’s famed cities, Chicago, Illinois, the singer/songwriter Dillard was recently recognized by Rolling Stone and TIME as a pioneering choirmaster, a serious honor alongside respected choir directors such as Hezekiah Walker and JJ Hairston.]]> Singer/Songwriter/Minister and Choirmaster Ricky Dillard along with New G re-lights the gospel choir flame with their latest CD for Motown Gospel As one of contemporary gospel’s ambassadors, Ricky Dillard is a firm cheerleader for choir voices and how they continue to bless the masses in praise and worship. Born in one of gospel’s famed cities, Chicago, Illinois, the singer/

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]]> https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2020/04/ricky-dillard-choirmaster-album-review/feed/ 1 Musicologist A. Scott Galloway Reflects on the Last Concert He Experienced Before the COVID-19 Crisis Lockdown https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2020/04/herbie-hancock-reimagines-the-possibilities-of-his-civil-rights-era-compositions/ https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2020/04/herbie-hancock-reimagines-the-possibilities-of-his-civil-rights-era-compositions/#respond Sun, 12 Apr 2020 15:11:26 +0000 https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/?p=5422   Herbie Hancock Symphonically Reimagines the Possibilities of His Civil Rights Era Compositions “I Have a Dream” & “Ostinato” with Gustavo Dudamel and The Los Angeles Philharmonic   by A. Scott Galloway   On Thursday March 5th, a day I was not in the best of health, I dragged myself downtown to Disney Hall to see a Herbie Hancock concert.   Now, at 55 years old, I have had the good fortune to have seen Mr. Hancock plenty of times over the years all over southern California.]]> Herbie Hancock Symphonically Reimagines the Possibilities of His Civil Rights Era Compositions “I Have a Dream” & “Ostinato” with Gustavo Dudamel and The Los Angeles Philharmonic by A. Scott Galloway On Thursday March 5th, a day I was not in the best of health, I dragged myself downtown to Disney Hall to see a Herbie Hancock concert. Now, at 55 years old, I have had the good fortune to have…

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]]> https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2020/04/herbie-hancock-reimagines-the-possibilities-of-his-civil-rights-era-compositions/feed/ 0 Powerful Jazz Film “Bolden” Paints a Greater Socio-Political Story https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2019/05/bolden-movie-review/ https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2019/05/bolden-movie-review/#respond Sat, 04 May 2019 13:57:28 +0000 https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/?p=5299 Bolden Film Plants Seed of Real-Life Jazz Creator’s Mythology and Harvests a Stark Reflection of the Dark Side of America’s Soul by A. Scott Galloway   Jazz music is America’s greatest homegrown art contribution to the world. Like anything that comes out of this country, its inventor paid a dear price for having just enough so-called freedom to create it. Jazz’s creator is a cornet player out of New Orleans named Buddy Bolden. A new film by first time director Dan Pritzker entitled “Bolden” places the fiery musician front and center in what is not so much a biopic – since very little is known about the man – but a plunge into Reconstruction America of the 1890s time period in which he taught Gospel music to dance amidst the bitter realities of post-slavery America.   ]]> Bolden Film Plants Seed of Real-Life Jazz Creator’s Mythology and Harvests a Stark Reflection of the Dark Side of America’s Soul by A. Scott Galloway Jazz music is America’s greatest homegrown art contribution to the world. Like anything that comes out of this country, its inventor paid a dear price for having just enough so-called freedom to create it. Jazz’s creator is a cornet player out of…

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]]> https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2019/05/bolden-movie-review/feed/ 0 Amazing Grace: Aretha Brings The Mountaintop Down to South Central L.A. https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2019/04/aretha-franklin-amazing-grace-movie-review/ https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2019/04/aretha-franklin-amazing-grace-movie-review/#respond Tue, 09 Apr 2019 13:30:59 +0000 https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/?p=5288   Amazing Grace is Aretha Franklin’s Regally Rousing Cinematic Hallelujah   A Film Reflection by A. Scott Galloway   There’s something powerfully unique about seeing footage of music you’ve only been able to listen to for decades. The first example that comes to mind is the black and white video of Les McCann & Eddie Harris’ 1969 set at the Montreux Jazz Festival that, for years, was only heard as their Atlantic Records album Swiss Movement. ]]> Amazing Grace is Aretha Franklin’s Regally Rousing Cinematic Hallelujah A Film Reflection by A. Scott Galloway There’s something powerfully unique about seeing footage of music you’ve only been able to listen to for decades. The first example that comes to mind is the black and white video of Les McCann & Eddie Harris’ 1969 set at the Montreux Jazz Festival that, for years, was only heard as…

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]]> https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2019/04/aretha-franklin-amazing-grace-movie-review/feed/ 0 En Vogue | Electric Café https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2018/04/en-vogue-electric-cafe-album-review/ https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2018/04/en-vogue-electric-cafe-album-review/#respond Wed, 04 Apr 2018 13:38:53 +0000 https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/?p=5045   En Vogue | Electric Café eOne by Darnell Meyers-Johnson   Don't call it a comeback; it's more like a resurgence. Like other girl groups from their era (SWV, Xscape), En Vogue is back on our radar and back with their first studio album in 14 years. Was it worth the wait? We'll get to that.]]> En Vogue | Electric Café eOne by Darnell Meyers-Johnson Don’t call it a comeback; it’s more like a resurgence. Like other girl groups from their era (SWV, Xscape), En Vogue is back on our radar and back with their first studio album in 14 years. Was it worth the wait? We’ll get to that. First, a brief history for the post-millennials. En Vogue began as the creation of producers/

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]]> https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2018/04/en-vogue-electric-cafe-album-review/feed/ 0 Mysteries of The Elements Unlocked in Earth, Wind & Fire Leader Maurice White’s Posthumous Autobiography https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2016/09/maurice-white-my-life-with-earth-wind-fire-book-review/ https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2016/09/maurice-white-my-life-with-earth-wind-fire-book-review/#comments Mon, 19 Sep 2016 19:41:22 +0000 https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/?p=4651 mauricewhite-mylifewithewf-cover   The Sunday Morning Book Review by A. Scott Galloway Maurice White with Herb Powell – “My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire” (Amistad)   The mystique of Maurice White contributed greatly to the rise, the fall and the rebirth of the dynamic, inspirational and genre-bending band he dreamed up and brought to life as Earth, Wind & Fire. That vibration made him - as a superstar, a bandleader and a curious lead singer/sex symbol...]]> The Sunday Morning Book Review by A. Scott Galloway Maurice White with Herb Powell – “My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire” (Amistad) The mystique of Maurice White contributed greatly to the rise, the fall and the rebirth of the dynamic, inspirational and genre-bending band he dreamed up and brought to life as Earth, Wind & Fire. That vibration made him – as a superstar, a bandleader and a curious…

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]]> https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2016/09/maurice-white-my-life-with-earth-wind-fire-book-review/feed/ 1 A Peek Into Transcendence with Anoushka Shankar at The Grammy Museum https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2016/04/anoushka-shankar-at-the-grammy-museum/ https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2016/04/anoushka-shankar-at-the-grammy-museum/#respond Tue, 19 Apr 2016 15:30:52 +0000 https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/?p=4396 Anoushka Shankar Grammy Museum April 12, 2016 Special Event Reflections by A. Scott Galloway   As she glided to the stage of the Clive Davis Auditorium inside downtown Los Angeles’ Grammy Museum for a sweetly emotional mini-concert and chat commemorating the closing of a months-long museum exhibit focusing on the career of her legendary father, sitar master/composer Ravi Shankar - before she played a single note - the first thing I could not get over is how short Anoushka Shankar is... When photographed with the birthright sitar instrument she, too, now plays so beautifully, it appears to stretch her, not dwarf her…a trick of the eye into the mystical properties that her art and art form manifest. Indeed, her embrace of the sitar instantly, magically, makes her appear larger than mere mortal life.   ]]> Anoushka Shankar Grammy Museum April 12, 2016 Special Event Reflections by A. Scott Galloway As she glided to the stage of the Clive Davis Auditorium inside downtown Los Angeles’ Grammy Museum for a sweetly emotional mini-concert and chat commemorating the closing of a months-long museum exhibit focusing on the career of her legendary father, sitar master/composer Ravi Shankar – before she…

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]]> https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2016/04/anoushka-shankar-at-the-grammy-museum/feed/ 0 Regina Belle | The Day Life Began https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2016/01/regina-belle-the-day-life-began/ https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2016/01/regina-belle-the-day-life-began/#comments Mon, 18 Jan 2016 13:35:44 +0000 https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/?p=4281 Regina Belle - The Day Life Began   Regina Belle | The Day Life Began Shanachie Records by Peggy Oliver   If there were an artist who is living out their life purpose on and off the stage, Regina Belle has experienced a great deal with style and grace. Though she has balanced her role as a wife, mother and grandmother, recently majored in Africana studies and survived brain surgery just a few years ago, she has managed an impressive recording career of several top 50 R&B albums and earning a Grammy for her stirring duet with Peabo Bryson, “A Whole New World” from Disney’s Aladdin.]]> Regina Belle | The Day Life Began Shanachie Records by Peggy Oliver If there were an artist who is living out their life purpose on and off the stage, Regina Belle has experienced a great deal with style and grace. Though she has balanced her role as a wife, mother and grandmother, recently majored in Africana studies and survived brain surgery just a few years ago, she has managed an…

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]]> https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2016/01/regina-belle-the-day-life-began/feed/ 1 Maya Angelou | Caged Bird Songs https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2015/01/maya-angelou-caged-bird-songs/ https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2015/01/maya-angelou-caged-bird-songs/#respond Mon, 05 Jan 2015 11:43:12 +0000 https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/?p=3647 Caged Bird Songs   Maya Angelou | Caged Bird Songs by Peggy Oliver   Unquestionably, Maya Angelou stands as one of the most influential poets for the human race. Graced with an extraordinary touch that could gently sway one minute and fiercely attack the next, Angelou (who passed in late May of 2014) championed for urban social injustices and other pressing issues with her mighty pen.]]> Maya Angelou | Caged Bird Songs by Peggy Oliver Unquestionably, Maya Angelou stands as one of the most influential poets for the human race. Graced with an extraordinary touch that could gently sway one minute and fiercely attack the next, Angelou (who passed in late May of 2014) championed for urban social injustices and other pressing issues with her mighty pen. Her autobiography…

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]]> https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2015/01/maya-angelou-caged-bird-songs/feed/ 0 An Inside Appreciation of Martial Arts Master Jim Kelly https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2013/07/an-inside-appreciation-of-martial-arts-master-jim-kelly/ https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2013/07/an-inside-appreciation-of-martial-arts-master-jim-kelly/#comments Wed, 03 Jul 2013 14:22:20 +0000 https://musicreviews.theurbanmusicscene.com/2013/07/an-inside-appreciation-of-martial-arts-master-jim-kelly/ Reflections of Jim Kelly within a Black Belt Prism Circa `74
by Kweli Pitt-Bey
In the summer of 1974, I moved to Los Angeles from Roanoke, Virginia with my mother Judith and my little sister Lori.  At age 11, I was quite upset that I'd be missing my close friends and family.  One thing that helped me to cope was that I'd be moving to the fabled Golden State: sunny Southern California with its legendary swimming pools, palm trees and movie stars.  Deeper still, my mother promised she would look into getting me into Jim Kelly's renowned and respected Black Belt Jones Karate Studio on Crenshaw Blvd.  That was something I could really sink my hope’s teeth into. 
Jim Kelly PHOTO 1]]> Reflections of Jim Kelly within a Black Belt Prism Circa `74 by Kweli Pitt-Bey In the summer of 1974, I moved to Los Angeles from Roanoke, Virginia with my mother Judith and my little sister Lori. At age 11, I was quite upset that I’d be missing my close friends and family. One thing that helped me to cope was that I’d be moving to the fabled Golden State: sunny Southern California…

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