(from l-r)
Courtney Bryan, piano; Josh David, bass; Greg "The Junkyard Drummer" Stewart, drums; Maurice Turner, trumpet; Beverly Botsford, percussion; and Carlton Turner, vocals.
BIG THANKS to our Brooklyn Family!
For two nights in October M.U.G.A.B.E.E. was in rare form for a return trip to the Irondale Center. We would like to thank Terry Griess and all of our friends in the Irondale Ensemble. They are working hard to provide a beautiful space and beautiful art to the Fort Greene neighborhood. If you are in the area please go and check them out.
Even more love goes out to our family of musicians that came out to support us. Courtney, Josh, Greg, Beverly, Leah, and Maritri. We look forward to our next visit to the big apple.
M.U.G.A.B.E.E. in the White House
In May, Carlton Turner was a guest, not once, but twice at the White House. Carlton, along with 15 other leaders in the field of community-based arts met with the White House staff on issues of cultural policy. This meeting was organized by Maria De Leon of National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC).
Five days later, Carlton participated in a second engagement at the White House along with around 60 other artists and arts organizaitons from around the country in a historic meeting with the Obama administration. This was a unique opportunity to have access into the process of policy making and to gain the respect of the new administration. This engagement was organized by Caron Atlas, Claudine Brown, Arlene Goldbard, and Billy Wimsatt.
Carlton Turner wrote a special piece of poetry to commemorate the second visit. To see a video of this work click here.
Thousand Kites
In April, Carlton spent a week in Virginia at the EmcArts Innovation Lab working with members of the Thousand Kites team on the development of a new online strategy for the award winning prison advocacy campaign. Carlton met with Nick Szuberla, Julia Taylor, Rend Smith, Mark Kidd, and others during this retreat. This initiative is funded by the Doris Duke Foundation. M.U.G.A.B.E.E. has been working with Thousand Kites for several years now, producing music and writing on the need for reform of the Prison Industrial Complex.
M.U.G.A.B.E.E. was recently awarded a grant from the Southern Arts Federation to conduct a residency in prisons in southeastern Kentucky as a continuation of the work with Thousand Kites.
Race Peace
M.U.G.A.B.E.E. is working on a multi-year project with friends and collaborators Mondo Bizarro, Junebug Productions, and Roadside Theater on RACE PEACE. This project attempts to provide an opportunity for people to celebrate and explore common bonds, debate thier differences, and lay the civic foundation to pursue solutions to their problems. This project aims to create a space where communities can safely and aggressively challenge the realities and myths of race in America, in addition to considering how art can engage people into noteworthy dialogue about challenging social issues.
Members of this collaboration recently spent a week in the Minneapolis/St. Paul community presenting workshops, conducting interviews, and learning about the history of this part of the US. Maurice Turner, Melisa Cardona, and Carlton Turner were hosted by Pangea World Theater and Main Street Project during this week of residency. (pictured above l-r: front, Dipankar Mukherjee, Meena Natarajan, Katie Herron, Amalia Donely, Melisa Cardona; back, Carlton Turner, Cochise Anderson, Maurice Turner, David Emery)
This new work will be presented as a work-in-progress showing at the 33rd Annual Meeting of Alternate ROOTS.
Mississippi Leadership Development Retreat
In May, M.U.G.A.B.E.E., along with over a dozen community-based organizations in Mississippi, brought together more than 60 youth for a three-day retreat at the FFA Center in Raymond, MS. This retreat is part of an 18-month plan to develop a long-term strategy for the development of local leadership in communities of color in the state of Mississippi. This work is focused on ending the schoolhouse to jailhouse pipeline.
There are two more retreats scheduled for 2009 the next of which will be July 31 - August 1.
Mississippi Youth Hip Hop Festival
In conjunction with the Mississippi Leadership Development Retreat, M.U.G.A.B.E.E. has been working with the Mississippi ACLU over the couse of the last 4 years to develop the Mississippi Youth Hip Hop Festival. This festival is a day full of workshops, performances, and discussions to use hip hop to raise the awareness of Mississippi youth.
This year Millicent Johnnie, Skipp Coon, Pyinfamous, Truth, and many other joined forces with youth from around the state of offer this event. It was highly successful and we look forward to the opportunity to do it again next year. Big thanks to Sarah Young and the foks at the ACLU for making this a great event. (picture above: Millicent Johnnie in her movement workshop with Mississipi Youth)
Duck Hill Residency
On July 8th & 9th, M.U.G.A.B.E.E. participated as artists in residence with Action Communication and Education Reform (ACER) as part of the 7th Annual Duck Hill Blues Festival in Duck Hill, MS. For two days M.U.G.A.B.E.E., including Jonathan Turner, worked with teenage youth in Duck Hill to talk about the legacy of Mississippi music. Using the Delta Blues as the foundation, the workshop made connections with all forms of popular music, including R&B, soul, funk, rock & roll, hip hop and spoken word.
To wrap up the residency, M.U.G.A.B.E.E. performed at the Duck Hill Blues Festival with an accompaniment of live musicians. (pictured from l-r: Jonathan Turner, Hollis Watkins, Maurice Turner)