Walter’s World: Tongues of Fire Choir

By Walter Rutledge On Saturday, April 27 the Apollo Theater presented Tongues of Fire Choir by poet, performer, and teacher Sekou Sundiata and composer/trombonist Craig Harris. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for our Newsletter *Constant Contact Use. Please leave this field blank.By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You…

Walter’s World: Honky Explores Exploitation And Racism

By Walter Rutledge A young black man is killed over a pair of expensive sneakers and his attacker, another teenager recites the sneaker commercial’s slogan as he commits the crime. This sounds like something out of the current news headline, but it is really the opening scene from Honky, a new play presented at Urban…

Feast of Giglio di Sant’Antonio in East Harlem

East Harlem, once the largest Italian community in NYC is a pleasant memory for countless former inhabitants. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for our Newsletter *Constant Contact Use. Please leave this field blank.By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any…

The Mother of Rucker Park Basketball

Over lunch at her home in the Bronx recently, Mary Rucker-Thomas spoke about the pride she felt for the enduring legacy of her husband, Holcombe Rucker. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for our Newsletter *Constant Contact Use. Please leave this field blank.By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You…

Harlem’s Duke Ellington, Photograph By Lee Tanner (video)

Duke Ellington When his drummer Sonny Greer was invited to join the Wilber Sweatman Orchestra in New York City, Ellington made the fateful decision to leave behind his successful career in Washington, D.C., and move to Harlem, becoming one of the figures of the Harlem Renaissance. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for our Newsletter *Constant…

Art Talk With Studio Museum’s Thelma Golden

Thelma Golden has been at the Studio Museum in Harlem since the turn of the millenium, first as the deputy director for exhibits and programs, and, since 2005, as the museum’s director and chief curator. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for our Newsletter *Constant Contact Use. Please leave this field blank.By submitting this form, you…

Walter’s World: Three Black Kings- An Ailey Classic

By Walter Rutledge Three Black Kings was the last dance and music collaboration between choreographer Alvin Ailey and composer/musician Duke Ellington. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for our Newsletter *Constant Contact Use. Please leave this field blank.By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to…

Jazz vs. Racism By Greg Thomas

In the brief time that I’ve been posting blog entries to Integral Post, rarely have I explicitly discussed the issue of race, which, it seems to me, is a blindspot of the Integral community. Yet I intend, more and more, to visit the theme of race and view it through an Integral lens. Become a…

John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie In Harlem (video)

John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie (pronounced /ɡɨˈlɛspi/; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for our Newsletter *Constant Contact Use. Please leave this field blank.By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your…

Minton’s closes, Great Night in Harlem

Minton’s Playhouse, the former jazz musicians’ mecca and a joy to any fan, was shut down last Wednesday. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for our Newsletter *Constant Contact Use. Please leave this field blank.By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at…

Larry Bene: Harlem stories

Larry Bene started his half-century in show business singing on vaudeville amateur night in Harlem, New York, when he was 10. Become a Harlem Insider! Sign-Up for our Newsletter *Constant Contact Use. Please leave this field blank.By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive…