When residents in the greater Atlanta area heard that the annual National Black Arts Festival (NBAF), a summer spectacular of music, lectures, African arts and crafts and films, had been scaled down from its normal 10-day stint to only five days (July 29 - August 2nd), many people wondered if the quality of the Festival would suffer.

 

And to make matters worse, word leaked out that Stephanie Hughley, founding artistic director of the NBAF in 1987 who after serving as vice president of programming for the New Jersey Performing Arts Center before returning to NBAF as its executive director in 1999, would be stepping down prior to the start of the Festival to pursue other opportunities. But with the leadership of the Festival's Board of Directors, a dedicated volunteer pool and a downsized but far from downtrodden staff, the Festival went on this year without a hitch. The Woodruff Arts Center would serve as the primary venue for the Festival's events this year, ending a tradition of having events scattered throughout the City. The rains held up, the weather was superb and many of the featured programs, like the concert that served as a tribute to the late Nina Simone, and the lecture by motivational guru Les Brown, sold out. It all goes to show that bigger does not necessarily mean better. Here are a few highlights from this year's festival including some outstanding photographs obtained through the generosity of Margaret Kargbo (public relations). It should be noted that Neil A. Barclay has been appointed as the new CEO and executive producer for the Festival, replacing the incomparable Hughley. Barclay has agreed to an interview with GBMNews later this year.

Music: Sounds that Soothe the Savage Beast It was like an old school block party as 15th Street was closed for Main Stage performances by artists that included Russell Gunn, Common Ground, Vinx, Gritz and Jelly Butter and Britain's own Julie Dexter while on the Center Stage, Rahsaan Patterson brought his unique musical talents along with newcomer Choklate. Julie Dexter has the pipes to perform alongside any of America's top female R&B singers and she proved it, pulling out a repertoire that included songs by The Beatles, Nancy Wilson, Marvin Gaye and even Beyonce. Dexter, who is both a singer and an accomplished pianist, has an almost haunting quality to her voice, which is both powerful and crystal clear. Her band is one of the best this writer has ever heard. GBMNews hopes to tell its readers more about this singing sensation later in the year when her schedule allows her to sit down and talk with us. In the meantime, look for her single, It Ain't Easy, an upbeat R&B tune that encourages people to keep going, even in the face of adversity. Dexter reminds this writer of Patrice Rushen who wrote, sang, played and produced her way into our hearts during the late 1970s and 1980s.

The other group that was a total surprise is Gritz and Jelly Butter, made up of four brothers who threw down on the stage with a variety of musical genres including neo-soul, jazz, hip-hop, R&B and some of their own original tunes. Even when a brief summer squall passed over the stage, not one person in the audience left their seat - a testament that Gritz and Jelly Butter has that rare quality of mesmerizing its audience. The group is currently playing in regular rotation at some of Atlanta's most popular venues including: Sambuca, Justin's and Vino Libro. They joined forces about 2½ years ago, assembling with the urgings of Wayne "Mister" James (bass) who used the support of Atlanta's poetry community and open mic masters to catapult the group into the spotlight. "Mister" is joined by David "Sho-Tyme" Holmes (drums/keys/MC), J. Winston (keyboards/vocals) and Chocolate Thaii (vocals/saxophone). What started in the spring of 2007 when the band played together for the first time at Mocha Match Coffee Bar, has morphed into a soulful collaboration of skilled artists whose potential has yet to be reached. What took this writer totally by surprise was the ease with which the band moves from one style of music to another. For example, after easing their way through the popular song "Joy and Pain," a Frankie Beverly & MAZE classic, Gritz suddenly shocked its audience with a riff from Jennifer Hudson's chart-topping Spotlight. It's this kind of improvisational skill combined with an almost seamless connection and an onstage blend among the four artists, that makes Gritz and Jelly Butter one of today's best unknown groups in the country. With them completing the tracks for a CD that will hit the streets soon and with a growing audience here in Atlanta, it's clear that Gritz is just tapping the surface. In the next issue of Centre Stage Magazine, we will run an exclusive interview with Chocolate Thaii who talks about his experiences as a performer at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch and we will share a conversation with all four members of Gritz and Jelly Butter who elaborate on the music they play and the goals that have set. And then there was Nina Simone: "The High Priestess of Soul."

Each year the Festival pays tribute through its Legends Celebration to one person who has dedicated their life and career to the arts, through writing, music or dance. Former legends honored at the Festival have included: the Neville Brothers, Maya Angelou, Sidney Poitier, Roberta Flack and last year, Gladys Knight. But this year all eyes were on Eunice Kathleen Waymon, better known as Nina Simone. The 15-time Grammy Award-nominated singer, songwriter, pianist and civil rights activist left us with an unforgettable assortment of music ranging from I Love You Porgy, I Put a Spell on You, Ne Me Quitte Pas, to the highly controversial and self-penned Mississippi Goddamn and what would become her signature piece, To Be Young, Gifted and Black. Simone's band including her longtime musical director Alvin Shackman, were on hand to provide the music with four top-notch vocalists, Dianne Reeves, Lizz Wright, Lisa Simone Kelley (Simone's daughter) and Joi Gilliam, each interpreting her music with their own vocal styles. Reeves is always light years ahead of the competition with her ability to scat, bend notes and stay on perfect pitch during an improvisational journey sans musical accompaniment. And Wright has the kind of stage presence and vocal mastership that makes you beg for more.

But with all respect to Reeves, Wright and Gilliam, the evening belonged to Simone's little girl, who has now evolved into one heck of singer.

Her stage name is Simone and she clearly carries the spirit of her mother in her song. In her performance of I Hold No Grudge, she worked the scale like a master carpenter, modulating effortlessly and closing the song by teasing us with her lower range and a resolved chord that was reminiscent of the classic Nina Simone style.

Words to Inspire and Enlighten Actor, filmmaker and producer Robert Townsend was the headliner during the Festival's opening night at the always-popular Creatively Speaking series. During his comments and before the viewing of one of his many films, Townsend spoke about what is most dear to his heart - inspiring our youth, particularly those from the inner city, to follow their dreams. Townsend has been a longtime supporter of the United Negro College Fund and continues to make positive films that force one to laugh, cry, think and believe. Other speakers who were part of the Creatively Speaking series included filmmaker and author Nelson George, artist Fahamu Pecou, jazz trumpeter Russell Gunn who was joined by Emory professor, Dr. Dwight Andrews, in a lively chat about the influences of jazz today and the always-inspiring Les Brown. Brown, is back on the circuit with his motivational lectures, after surviving life-threatening prostate cancer. He was joined by several of his children who have been trained by their father and now work as motivational speakers in the US and around the world. "Someone's opinion of us does not have to be our reality," Brown said. "You don't get out of life what you want but what you are. So you have to program yourself for success." Brown spoke with this reporter after the lecture sharing much more about his mission, his newest endeavors and sharing a few of his priceless words of inspiration. The interview will be shared with our readers in an issue of Centre Stage Magazine later this fall.

The Magic of the Stage and Unforgettable Films Five plays were presented during the Festival this year but two stood out with brilliant performances by their casts. The first, for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf, Ntozake Shange's legendary choreopoem, was presented by True Colors Theatre Company and directed by Jasmine Guy. Guy has recently returned to her former home of Atlanta and wasted no time in making her presence known. Her performances earlier this year in two True Colors productions, Miss Evers' Boys and Blues for an Alabama Sky, prove that Guy has studied under the best and mastered her craft. She is a natural for live theater. In her directorial debut at this year's Festival, Guy worked with a stellar cast including Nicole Ari Parker, Crystal Fox and Robin Givens adding special nuances to Shange's classic piece. The other onstage gem was Thomas W. Jones II's A Cool Drink of Water. (The full scoop on this play can be seen in a feature article included in this issue). It's a refreshing look at what might have happened to Mama Lee and the rest of the clan - the family that was featured in Lorraine Hansberry's award-winning play, A Raisin in the Sun. And for those who prefer an evening with the silver screen, there was a plethora of outstanding movies, once again presented under the auspices of the Pan African Film Festival that offered provocative films created by filmmakers of color throughout Africa and the African Diaspora. As always, this year's films was a showcase of work that helped to reinforce positive images while facilitating the destruction of negative stereotypes, fostered open communication between peoples of diverse cultures and led audiences to begin dialogue on some of the more important issues of our time. Perhaps the greatest challenge this writer faced was getting to all of the films, which began early in the day and ran until close to midnight. While this list is in no inclusive of the best at the Festival, they are, in this reporter's humble opinion, films that you should look for and by all means go out and see.

Put It in a Book (short series), US, directed by Rodrigo Garcia  Tight Jeans (short series), UK, directed by Destiny Ekaragha  Jump the Broom (short series), US, directed by Kena Tangi Dorsey  Dockweiler (short series), US, directed by Nick J. Palmer  Another Love Story (feature), Brazil, directed by Lucia Murat  Fabulous (short series), US, directed by Fred Thomas Jr.  Nobody Smiling (feature), US, directed by Jamal Dedeaux  Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre 1968 (documentary), directed by Judy Richardson & Bestor Cram  Nubian Spirit: The African Legacy of the Nile Valley (documentary), US, directed by Louis Buckley  Gospel Hill (feature), US, directed by Giancarlo Esposito  Jerusalema (feature), South Africa, directed by Ralph Ziman  The End of Poverty? (documentary), US, directed by Philippe Diaz  Skin (feature), South Africa, directed by Anthony Fabian  Close Enemies (feature), Nigeria/US, directed by Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen

Look for other stories that will appear in subsequent issues of Centre Stage Magazine - stories that were inspired by conversations, concerts and cinematic wonders presented at this year's festival.