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Home , Avery Sharpe, Cinematic Titanic, Jasmine Guy, John Rubinstein, Keir Dullea

JASMINE GUY STARRING IN

FEATURING THE AVERY SHARPE TRIO

Inspired by the classic 1923 novel "Cane" by Jean Toomer and works by other artists of the Harlem Renaissance WITH AVERY SHARPE, DIANE MONROE AND KEVIN SHARPE WRITTEN AND CONCEIVED BY HARRY CLARK ADAPTATION BY JASMINE GUY MUSIC COMPOSED AND ARRANGED BY AVERY SHARPE Friday, October 17, 2014

BAYLIN ARTISTS MANAGEMENT i Support for this program is provided by:

Notional Endowment First Midwest Bank far Itw Aits BANK WITH MOMENTUM; /tMIDWESoT It was an exceptional time. It was our time. Raisin Cane Credits-Poems/Short Story Excerpts/Music 1920s. Harlem, , USA. POEMS/SHORT STORIES Gwendolyn Bennett To Usward (1924) In the American Black community, during the years leading up to the Harlem Renaissance, Gwendolyn Bennett Hatred (1926) there was a sense of building artistic expression. Outlets and avenues for its poets, mu- Countee Cullen Nothing Endures (1929) sicians, novelists, artists, and actors were few. But in 1918, as the first great World War Georgia Douglas I Want to Die While You Love Me (1928) concluded and thousands of African-American soldiers returned home victorious, this Langston Hughes Goodbye Christ (1932) Langston Hughes The Negro Speaks of Rivers, (1921) mountain of artistic expression was now ready to explode. Langston Hughes I, Too (1925) James Weldon Johnson 0 Southland (1922) The words and thoughts of Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Zora Neale Hurston, W.E.B. Claude McKay If We Must Die (1919) Dubois and many others, became the voice of a new generation of African-Americans Claude McKay The Tropics in New York (1920) Jean Toomer Kabnis, Cane, (1923) who were looking forward but still struggling with the past and present. These thoughts, Jean Toomer Georgia Dusk, Cane, (1923) songs, and images are woven into a panoramic experience that spans this extraordinary Jean Toomer Cotton Song, Cane, (1923) outpouring of artistic endeavor. Raisin' Cane is a window on this critical point in our history. LITERATURE EXCERPTS W.E.B. Dubois The Souls of Black Folk (1903) W.E.B. Dubois "Returning Soldiers," The Crisis, XVIII (May, 1919) W.E.B. Dubois Criteria of Negro Art (1926) No Intermission Langston Hughes The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain (1926) George Schuyler The New Daily News (Summer 1924) Booker T. Washington Speech at the Exposition Jasmine Guy (September 18,1895) Avery Sharpe DOUBLE BASS MUSIC Diane Monroe VIOLIN All music composed and arrangements by Avery Sharpe, with the exception of: Kevin Sharpe DRUMS/PERCUSSION "Here Comes My Daddy Now"- by Arthur Francis Collins (1917) AND VOCALS "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child"-traditional Negro Spiritual "The Mooche"- by Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (1928) •I'm Just Wild About Harry"-by Eubie Blake (1921) Written and conceived by Harry Clark "There'll Be A Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight"- by Theodore August Metz and Adaptation by Jasmine Guy Joe Hayden(1896) adapted by Bessie Smith Original Score by Avery Sharpe "Charleston"-by James Price Johnson (1923) Directed by Dan Guerrero DIRECTOR'S NOTES: Production design by Gregg Bellon Raisin' Cane was first brought to me by the playwright Harry Clark, an old friend from Tucson. The idea Projection design by R. Daniel Foster of a piece about the Harlem Renaissance intrigued me, although I sheepishly admit to knowing very little of that important time in our nation's history. I read it and I was hooked, Produced by Jade Enterprises, LLC But the path from page to stage is a tricky one and often littered with the corpses of broken shows and shattered dreams. This path however was blessed. I had all the right elements to make magic. The RAISIN' CANE LOGO DESIGN BY RIC WASHINGTON glorious Jasmine Guy brought the script to life as only an incandescent artist could, and the music from the Avery Sharpe Trio made it fly.

"A labor of love" is a much overused phrase in our business, but it suits "Raisin1 Cane" perfectly. There's lots of love in this performance, for the piece and between all the creative team. You'll get your share when the house lights dim and you travel back in time with Jasmine, Avery and the many names and faces of those pioneers that created what became known as the Harlem Renaissance. Enjoy! Jasmine Guy ir-director Jasmine NOTE FROM THE COMPOSER: The influence and impact musicians from the Harlem Renaissance had on the world Rjoyed a diverse still reverberates around the universe. American music would not have the extraordinary fevision, theater and sonorous qualities it possesses if not for the creative geniuses of this fruitful period. Composers gan her professional and musicians like Thomas "Fats" Waller, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington, James "Fletcher" fAlvin Alley American •Dance Theater in . Henderson, Eubie Blake, Louis Armstrong and many more were powerful figures during the 1920s. Jasmine starred on Broadway in the original productions of Beehive and Leader of the Pack, I am most fortunate to be a continuation of the powerful music known as jazz. I am even more fortunate to have been asked to give my interpretation of the music from that era. and reprised hit productions of Grease, and (as Velma Kelly). After years on The music I composed for Raisin' Cane is indicative of the 1920s. I also wrote Broadway and touring the globe, music which is more modern and beyond, because I felt the subject matter of the poems was Jasmine landed the role of Whitley timeless. The music is performed by a slightly different trio composed of violin, bass and drums/ Gilbert on spinoff . She won six consecutive NAACP Image Awards percussion. for her portrayal of the pretentious but funny southern belle. Her other television performances include: (with Heather Locklear); NYPD Blue People often think of the instrumentation for this period in Jazz as being piano, (with Jimmy Smits); Fresh Prince of Bel Air (with ) and (with Queen Latifah). trumpet, reeds and trombone. I chose violin because violin has a rich history in Jazz from its One of her favorite roles was that of Roxy, the grim reaper meter maid on Showtime's hit series beginning. Precursors to the modern violin can be found in ancient Africa. This might explain (with .) Her most recent role, recurring as Grams on the popular series why Africans were able to adapt to the instrument they were introduced to in America during Vampire Diaries, can be seen on the CW Network. plantation times. Violin was easily adopted into Jazz at its formation. Jasmine has also worked with these great performers and directors in the following films and mini- series: 's ; 's Harlem Nights; Alex Hailey's Queen and Debbie A vital ingredient which distinguishes Jazz from other forms of music in its early Allen's Stompin' at the Savoy. She received stellar reviews for her work on the film October Baby. stages was rhythm and improvisation. The rhythms Africans brought with them as slaves to this Jasmine has worked extensively in theater with , Susan Booth, Andrea Frye and Pearl country were incorporated into the music and instruments they adapted to. My brother, Kevin Cleage. She has starred in or directed many productions, including: for colored girls who have Sharpe, brings a rich understanding of the function of the drums and rhythms from the Harlem considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf; Miss Evers' Boys; Blues for an Alabama Sky; The Renaissance and beyond. Colored Museum; The Fourposter; The Nacirema Society; Broke-ology; Fool For Love, and most recently, God of Carnage at Atlanta's , where she also directed the world premiere of The bottom or "Bass" is essential to all music and I am a bass player. When Jazz was the opera I Dream, celebrating the life and journey of Martin Luther King, Jr. first played in its early formation, it was often performed by marching bands and small combos In 1991, she released her self-titled album on Warner Bros. Records, featuring the hit single Try of New Orleans. The bass was usually performed by sousaphone or tuba. When Jazz began Me. Try Me was produced by Full Force and features Xcape with Candy Burgess. The song shot up to move indoors and into more intimate urban settings, players began to switch from tuba to the R & B charts quickly to Gold status, and fueled the success of the album's second and third chart string or double bass. One such bassist who made this transition during the 1910s-1920s singles Another Like My Lover and I Just Wanna Hold You. was George Murphy "Pops" Foster. (You will note some of my slappin' on the bass during In 2004, Jasmine penned the biography Evolution of a Revolutionary (Atria Books), which chronicles the performance compliments of Mr. Foster from nearly 100 years ago, but modernized and the life and journey of -- Black Panther, activist and mother of slain rapper Tupac Shakur. advanced on by me). As a frequent motivational public speaker, Jasmine is called upon to share her story openly with those who may benefit from her trials and triumphs. Her ongoing desire to blend balance and The bass wouldn't move from a supportive role to a more front or dominant role until discipline with ambition and service continues to fuel her passion for the arts. the 1940s, thanks to bassist Jimmy Blanton with Duke Ellington and later Charles Mingus in the She has traveled throughout the U.S. and appeared at more than 100 speaking engagements, 1950s. addressing diverse audiences at colleges, universities, conventions, corporations, affinity groups, churches, high schools and countless charitable and fundraising events. -Musically yours, Avery Sharpe "I am grateful for my journey. It has been interesting, fun and exhilarating. I've learned a lot, but I am still growing, changing, exploring and learning. That's what makes life truly exciting." - Jasmine Guy Avery Sharpe

V V prity. Dignity. These are i to mind when you listen Avery is equally adept at songs and longer compositional forms. In 1989, he wrote and conducted bassist-composer Avery the soundtrack for the movie An Unremarkable Life, starring Shelly Winters and Patricia Neal. A 3. In an age of ephemeral pop stars decade later, his six-movement piece America's Promise debuted in a concert-hall performance > flavor-of-the-month trends, Sharpe is that featured Sharpe's quintet and a gospel choir backed by the Springfield (Mass.) Symphony i reminder of the lasting value of steadfast Orchestra. dication and personal integrity. As the In 2006 Avery was commissioned by the Springfield Symphony Orchestra to write a Jazz Concerto of one of his tunes asserts, "Always for Jazz Trio and Orchestra. The performance premiered in 2007. The trio featured "Jay Leno's pect the Best of Yourself." Tonight Show" musical director -acoustic guitar, Marvin "Smitty" Smith-drums and Sharpe was born in Valdosta, Georgia Avery on Acoustic Bass. and his first instrument was the piano. "I started playing when I was eight years old," he recalls. "My mother was a piano player in the Church of God in Christ, and she gave lessons to everybody in the family—I'm the sixth of eight children—but it didn't stick until it got to me." Diane Monroe He moved on to accordion and then switched to electric bass in high school. Avery teamed with Classical cellist and writer Harry Clark to compose the music for Raisin' Cane. Avery and Harry first worked together in the 1990's when Sharpe was commissioned by Chamber Music Plus of Hartford.CT to write 3 extended works for Clark's Classical group Fideleo. Diane Monroe, former Sharpe's credits also include sideman stints with many other jazz greats, from Dizzy first violinist of the Max Gillespie to Pat Metheny, as well as leading his own groups. His first recording as a leader Roach Double Quartet and was the 1988 album "Unspoken Words" on Sunnyside Records, which was praised by critic a Curtis Institute of Music Jim Roberts as "a diverse, challenging record that rewards repeated listening." In 1994, he graduate, now enjoys a recorded "Extended Family," the first musical life performing CD of a trilogy that includes "Extended Family II: Thoughts of My Ancestors" (1995) and in and composing for her "Extended Family III: Family Values" (2001). His recording "Dragon Fly" on JKNM Records, jazz sextet and quartet, was released 2005, and features Winard Harper and Onaje Allan Gumbs, with special guest violin/vibraphone duo Jeri Brown and Chico Freeman. "Legends and Mentors"-the music of McCoy Tyner.Archie with Tony Miceli, and Shepp and Yusef Lateef, released in 2008, features: John Blake, , Winard Harper other collaborative and ; and Onaje Allan Gumbs. It was followed by a 2009 trio recording, "Autumn Moonlight." "Avery educational projects. Sharpe Trio Live" released in April 2010, features Avery's Trio with Winard Harper and Onaje She has also recently performed with saxophonists Steve Wilson and Bobby Zankel, pianists Bruce Allan Gumbs and "Running Man", released April 2011 featuring Onaje Alan Gumbs, Yoron Barth, Renee Rosnes, Tom Lawton, guitarist Monette Sudler, bassists Tony Marino, Lee Smith, Avery Isreal, Craig Handy, Duane Eubanks and Maya Sharpe. Sharpe and Gerald Veasley, and drummer/percussionists Rogerio Boccato and Arturo Stable. Ms. All of these recordings were released on Sharpe's own label, JKNM Records. His latest Monroe's quartet appeared at the 2012 Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz festival at the Kennedy recording is "Sojourner Truth-Ain't I a Woman" with Onaje Alan Gumbs, Yoron Isreal, Craig Center. She led the Steve Wilson's String ensemble at the 2012 Dupont Clifford Brown and Handy, Duane Eubanks and Jeri Brown. All of Sharpe's recordings feature his distinctive Jazz festivals. Monroe has just completed music to "The Self Evident Poem" from the book Quilting original compositions, which draw from the full range of his musical background. "The most the Black Eyed Pea by poetess/activist Nikki Giovanni that was premiered at Virginia Tech University. important thing is depth," he says. "You have to seek out what was happening before and try to understand it. In my music, I do things that are a little older as well as things that are contemporary. If I try to do just one type of music, that limits me. But the more bases I cover— the more experience I have in my life—the further I can go." Kevin Sharpe i ~ Harry Clark Iti-instrumer^Kst/vocalist Kevin Sharpe began his Harry Clark's career as both cellist and playwright is a rare combination. He started playing the musical career at the age of seven singing gospel in cello at the age of 10. Years later, his performance in Carnegie Hall was described by the New his church choir. By age eleven he was playing drums York Times as, "A first rate cellist, the sort who can make his instrument interesting for anybody." for that same choir and eventually became one of the Clark and his partner-wife, Sanda Schuldmann, have appeared as a duo on every important primary drummers for the Church of god in Cist in the musical stage in America and abroad, having premiered and recorded some five dozen works by region. this country's most prominent composers. Later in college he studied classical percussion, In 1980 Harry & Sanda, living in , co-founded Chamber Music PLUS. Thirty arranging and choral conducting. The Springfield, years later much of their dream has been realized with state, regional and national awards for native also studied voice with Dr. Horace distinguished performance and programming. They have maintained this tradition with their Clarence Boyer and improvisation with Yusef Lateef. move back to Harry's hometown, Tucson, and now present series in Scottsdale, Chandler and Since graduating with degrees in Music Education and the Old Pueblo. Jazz Performance he has performed with jazz artists With this desire for distinctive programming, Harry began his first efforts writing portraits of Archie Shepp, Charles Greenlee, Avery Sharpe and composers, this body of work nearing forty scripts, is now entitled RHYTHMS OF LIFE - fusions Steve Turre. He's*done ~^ of theater and music. RHYTHMS OF LIFE have become the signature programming of Chamber Music PLUS, and over the past decade audiences from coast-to-coast have taken to it with recording with John Blake, Fellowship, soul diva Betty Harris and others. He was the conductor enthusiasm. of the orchestral work "A Celebration of Family, Community and the Life of Primus Mason" for the Harry's had the great fortune and pleasure to work with a who's who of film, television and Springfield Arts Festival, and guest conductor of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra's Holiday Pops stage actors in RHYTHMS OF LIFE. The roster includes Jill Clayburgh, Theodore Bikel, Edward concert. He's toured Europe as a vocalist and instrumentalist. He's been a choral director for Hermann, Barbara Feldman, Mason Adams, Keir Dullea, Phillip Bosco, Haley Mills, Harvey Dartmouth and Smith Colleges and he has also worked for several years as a writer, music director Fierstein, Caroline Kava, Rosemary Prinz, Sandy Duncan, Tovah Feldshuh, Jessica Walter, and vocalist in the contemporary gospel group "Fellowship". Michael Learned, , Sharon Gless, Jean Marsh, Elke Sommer, Kathleen Chalfant, A 2007 winner of New England Urban Music award, Kevin is currently leader of the modern Katherine Helmond, Stephanie and Efrem Zimbalist, Jasmine Guy, Talia Shire, Jenny Sterlin, Gospel ensemble "The Kevin Sharpe Group"; drummer/percussionist and arranger in the "K. Sharpe John Rubinstein, Margot Kidder, Robert Picardo, Armin Shimerman, Shirley Knight, Lou Gossett, Project", a jazz based instrumental group; bassist with the Unorthodox Groove Band; workshop Jr., Bob Clendenin, John Schuck, and Lynn Redgrave. leader for and producer and engineer at SwingHigh Productions. Mr. Sharpe uses Noble & Cooley drums, Vic Firth sticks and La Bella strings. R. Daniel Foster Gregg Bellon R. Daniel Foster has served as director, shooter and editor for a variety of domestic and Gregg Bellon is a performer, director, writer, designer and production manager. Recent international productions. His projection design has been featured by the LA Opera, Center Theatre Off-Broadway credits: Stuffed & Unstrung (Prod. Mgr, Union Square Th; Henson alternative/ Group, the Theatre Center, Renberg Theatre, Walker Art Center, Dupont Theatre, Westbeth ent.); American Hwangap (Prod. Mgr., Wild Project, Play CO./Ma-Yi TC); Wild thing Cornerstone Theater and PBS. Foster's short film "Airborn" was awarded "Best Experimental Film" (Director, Theater at PCC, New Acting Co.) Soul Samurai (Prod. Mgr. HERE Arts, MaYi/Vampire by the International Festival of Cinema and Technology. Cowboys TC); Spiegelworld (Prod.Mgr. Spiegel LP); Stripped (Prod. Mgr. US Nat'l His extensive work in SE Asia includes Balinese and Thai travel shows and the feature documentary, Tour, Westbeth Entertainment); Frankenstien: A New Musical (Prod. Mgr./Tech Dir., 37 Arts, USS Cooper: Return to Ormoc Bay, which received a "Best Documentary" nomination from the Asia Goehring Evans Prod., Dir Bill Fennelly); Margaret Cho's Sensuous Woman (Prod. Mgr. Zipper First Film Festival in Singapore. He has also created films for Novica, in association with National Theater, Westbeth Ent., Dir. Randall Rapstine). National Tours: Cinematic Titanic (Prod. Mgr, Geographic, in Africa and SE Asia. US, 2009); Eddie Izzard Stripped (Prod. Mgr, US/UK, 08-present); Billy Connolly's Too Old to Die He is also a writer, publishing in the Los Angeles Times, Details, Esquire, the Harvard Business Young (Tour/Prod. Mgr. North America 06-present); Jasmine Guy's Raisin' Cane featuring the Review, on National Public Radio and other outlets. He has taught writing at UCLA extension, Avery Sharpe Trio (Lighting Design/Por, Mgr. US, 2008-present). Festival Technical Supervisor; Santa Monica College and University Long Beach and Northridge. the New York International Fringe Festival. Artistic Director, Hudson Exploited Theater . Founder and Director of Production Consolidated; a full-service production company dedicated to a holistic approach to theater production; for more info, check out www.Productionconsolidated .com. As always, for Nick. Major Support for Raisin' Cane provided by: % First Midwest Bank BANK WITH MOMENTUM ^- First Midwest Bank is a major sponsor of tonight's performance "RAISIN1 CANE"

Additional Support for Raisin' Cane provided by:

This presentation is supported by the Arts Midwest Touring Fund, a program of Arts Midwest that is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with rts additional contributions from Arts Council and General Mills Foundation. MIDWEST

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