THIS IS FOR YOU!

Geto Boys – Mind Playin Tricks On Me

Geto Boys – Mind Of A Lunatic


Gnarls Barkley – Crazy

Seal – Crazy

seal—crazy
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Whitney Houston – Whatchulookinat

Ice Cube – Doing Dumb Shit

D12 and Enimem – Purple Hills

Funkadelic – If You Don’t Like The Effect, Don’t Produce The Cause

Funkadelic – Maggot Brain

Condoleezza Rice is no stranger to the whims of royalty. So when the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin, decided the two should get together to play a song or two for charity, it was decreed.

The former U.S. secretary of state and Franklin took the stage Tuesday evening at Philadelphia’s Mann Music Center in a rare duet for Rice, the classically trained pianist, and Franklin, the divalicious voice of a generation. Their aim was to raise money for inner-city youth of Philadelphia and Detroit and awareness for music and the arts.

Their three-hour concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra before an estimated crowd of 8,000 overflowed with Franklin’s hits, operatic arias and classical music.

Rice accompanied Franklin singing “I Say A Little Prayer.” Rice said she practiced furiously for her performance of Mozart’s piano concerto in D Minor with the orchestra.

Franklin’s repertoire included songs from her new album “A Woman Falling Out of Love,” out later this year.

When Franklin learned that Rice played classical music, she sent for one of Rice’s recordings “to hear what she sounded like.”

Franklin was surprised. “She really does play.”

HATE ON MUTHAF****AS!

Jill Scott – Hate On Me

Maino feat T.I., Plies, Jadakiss, Swizz Beatz – Hi Hater


B.o.B. – Haters Everywhere We Go

Nas feat Puffy – Hate Me Now

Ludacris feat Mystikal – Move Bitch (Get Out Da Way)

Ice Cube – The N*gga Ya Love To Hate

Ice Cube – Wrong N*gga to F**k Wit

Public Enemy – Fear Of A Black Planet

You’re really gonna love these….here are some young classical musicians that are definitely, as Donny Hathaway said, “Young, Gifted and Black”:

JoSunJari is a sibling string trio of classical musicians.

Joelle, age 17 years, began her study of music with her father at age 4 years on the piano. She was introduced to the violin at age 9 years, and studied briefly at the Harlem School of the Arts. Joelle subsequently was enrolled in a two-year Music Advancement Program at the Juilliard School of Music. In Spring 2009 Joelle graduated from Manhattan School of Music(MSM), where she studied applied violin, theory, ear training, and orchestra. Joelle will enroll at New York University in Fall 2009 as a student of music. In addition to her formal music studies, Joelle performed with the City Opera’s “Nutshell” orchestra for 4 years. Joelle enjoyed four years in the New York Inter School Orchestra (ISO), where she also served as a coach in two junior orchestras, and music tutor for two beginner violin students.

Sunnaj, 12 years, began his study of music at the piano when he was 5 years old. He is a student at MSM where he studies applied violin, along with theory, ear training, and orchestra. Sunnaj was honored to serve as the soloist for the Interschool Orchestra (ISO)’s Turtle Bay Orchestra at the 35th gala performance at Lincoln Center/Avery Music Hall in the 2006 performance season.

Sujari is an 8 year old student of the cello. Sujari began her study of the cello at age five, after three years with the violin, and one on piano at age 2 years. She is also enrolled at MSM conservatory where she studies applied cello, theory, ear training, and orchestra.

The Ebony Strings Quartet

The Ebony Strings Quartet is an all-female African-American string quartet comprised of Stephanie Matthews and Naira Underwood (violins), Adiza Sanchez-Rahim (viola), and Patrice Jackson (cello). Established at The Juilliard School, the group recently made their Lincoln Center debut in March 2006.

The Ebony Strings Quartet strives to achieve the highest level of musicianship and is dedicated to exploring primarily new works. String quartet works have already been commissioned by composers Cristina Spinei, Dr. Samuel Zyman, Nathan Bugh, Ulysses Owens, and Ricardo Romaneiro. The group has been invited to perform in several Juilliard Plays Juilliard concerts which highlight compositions written by Juilliard composers and are performed by Juilliard students. Members of this dynamic ensemble can be cited for working with a wide array of noteworthy artists across all genres of music, including the Juilliard String Quartet, Chiara String Quartet, Itzhak Perlman, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Pinchas Zukerman, Pamela Frank, Kanye West, Regina Carter, and Richard Smallwood.

Jordan Adams……..just unbelievable

He’s too incredible!

Jordan’s bio

Today’s featured classical musician is the phenomenal Awadagin Pratt.

Among his generation of concert artists, pianist Awadagin Pratt is acclaimed for his musical insight and intensely involving performances that receive tremendous audience response and press attention throughout the United States.

Born in Pittsburgh, Awadagin Pratt began studying piano at the age of six. Three years later, having moved to Normal, Illinois with his family, he also began studying violin. At the age of 16, he entered the University of Illinois where he studied piano, violin, and conducting. He subsequently enrolled at the Peabody Conservatory of Music where he became the first student in the school’s history to receive diplomas in three performance areas – piano, violin and conducting.

In 1992 Mr. Pratt won the Naumburg International Piano Competition and two years later was awarded a 1994 Avery Fisher Career Grant. He has played numerous recitals throughout the U.S. including performances in New York at Lincoln Center, Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center, Los Angeles at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and Chicago at Orchestra Hall. His many orchestral performances include appearances with the New York Philharmonic, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Minnesota Orchestra and the Pittsburgh, St. Louis, National, Detroit and New Jersey symphonies. Major summer festival engagements include Ravinia, Blossom, Wolftrap, Caramoor and Aspen, the Hollywood Bowl and the Mostly Mozart Festival in Tokyo. Mr. Pratt is also the Artistic Director of the Next Generation Festival, a two-week chamber music festival in Lancaster, PA., tours with the Dedalus String Quartet and appears with cellist Zuill Bailey in duo recitals throughout the US.

More on Adawagin Pratt

Concert pianist Awadagin Pratt performs J.S. Bachs Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 at the White House Evening of Classical Music on November 4, 2009.

About The Pratt Music Foundation

This week’s theme takes a cue from my niece (all of 8 years old) who informed me on Thursday that she was going to attend Julliard. Now, at 8, I’m pretty sure I had no clue what a “Julliard” was, but I did have a dream of being a classical pianist…for real. I was fortunate enough to be able to take piano lessons starting at 5 and up thru my freshmen year of college….where I discovered I had neither the discipline nor real desire to pursue that dream.

True story – second semester, freshman year – I decided to take beginner’s piano for an easy “A” because my course load was so heavy. First day of class, the Professor asks if anyone has any experience playing – a guy raised his hand, so I figured “ok” and raised mine. She asked him to play something. He played a piece by Bach that was pretty advanced. Not to be outdone, my ego kicks in when she asks me. I get up and go to town on Prelude in C# minor (my senior year recital piece). The Professor leaves the room. I’m getting my accolades from my classmates, when the Professor walks back in and asks both the guy who played, and me to come with her. She marched us down to the Music department’s head office, and told him to “sign here” and switched him over to the Advanced class. Me? I was put in Individual Instruction – with the head of the Piano Peformance Dept – one on one class.

IT. WAS. HELL.

Y’all know how hard I had to work for that F#$%*ing “B”?!?!? Plus she took her damn clippers and cut my fingernails down to the nub.

Anyway, enough of my ranting (though I still have nightmares over the final exam).

Classical music is rich with contributions by African-americans and individuals of African descent. The one thing my piano teacher made sure her students understood once we graduated to the “big books” (no more simple “three blind mice” or “twinkle twinkle little star”!) was that this music was as much a part of our heritage as the blues.

Ludwig Van Beethoven……..was a black man. Yes indeed.  His mother was a Moor, that group of Muslim Africans who conquered parts of Europe–making Spain their capital–for some 800 years.

Beethoven: Revealing His True Identity

So yeah boys and girls, the individual considered perhaps the greatest classical composer EVER, was a black man. “Historians” just lightened up his picture, sharpened his nose, and straightened his hair……kinda like how they did Jesus. Still, there are pictures  which have surfaced over the years which certainly show a man of  “color”:

Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” (and my 8th grade recital piece)

Yeahhhhhh, tonight’s awards are being hosted by none other than Queen Latifah. Here’s a throwback to get you hype for her majesty:

Can you believe its been a year? However, they say legends never die, and Michael Jackson was truly a legend. His music is simply timeless.

Billie Jean

Lady In My Life


Smooth Criminal

Remember the Time

Thriller

PYT

Scream

From ‘The Wiz’ – You Can’t Win

The Jackson Five

Enjoy Yourself

I Want You Back

Can You Feel It

Believe it or not, I was never crazy about the “Purple Rain” soundtrack…with the exception of ” When Doves Cry”….I’m a Prince fan from when dude was naked on a unicorn for an album cover. Nasty, filthy Prince LOL!

Oh, and he was totally robbed of an Oscar for the Batman soundtrack – IT WAS THE SHIZNIT!

So what’s your favorite Prince composition? Here are mine (or at least my favorite amongst the ones I could find on youtube)

Wanna Be Your Lover


International Lover

Head (THIS MY JAM!)

Soft and Wet (OK THIS MY JAM TOO!)

Uptown

Controversy

Lady Cab Driver (OHHHHHHH….THIS MY JAM!)

Scandalous

Batdance

PartyMan

The Greatest Romance Ever Sold (THIS IS ONE HELLUVA SEXY SONG)

What’s your favorite Anita song?

Angel


Sweet Love

Caught Up In The Rapture

Soul Inspiration

I Apologize

Talk To Me

Fairy Tales

Good Love (aka the single woman’s anthem…LOL)

You’re My Everything

Tamia – You Put A Move On My Heart


Tevin Campbell – Tomorrow

Al B. Sure – Oooh, This Love Is So

James Ingram – Just Once

Patti Austin – Razzamatazz

Lesley Gore – Its My Party

Bernard Ighner – Everything Must Change

Bonus Track
James Ingram & Patti Austin – Baby Come To Me