The Apollo Theater’s Salon Series TK Presents:
Burnt Sugar Freaks The JB Songbook, An Opera In Progress
October 8 & 9, 2010
7:30pm
Apollo Theater Soundstage
Tickets $15.00
In person at the Apollo Theater Box Office
By phone call Ticketmaster 1-800-745-3000
Online at Ticketmaster.com
Burnt Sugar will re-orchestrate several medleys taken from James Brown’s three “Live At The Apollo” albums, and re-imagine them in the styles of Brown contemporaries such as Miles Davis, Sun Ra, John Coltrane, Nina Simone, Jimi Hendrix and Chaka Khan.
The unique program for these performances have been subtitled JB’S FUNKY DIVAS VS THE REVOLUTION OF THE MIND as it will not only feature music made famous by Mr. Brown himself but the productions and compositions he developed for his premiere female vocalists as well–notably Vicki Anderson, Lyn Collins and Marva Whitney.
Featuring The Burnt Sugar Arkestra
Special Guests Imani Uzuri, Brandon Victor Dixon, Shelley Nicole, Luqman Brown, V. Jeffrey Smith and Tarrah Reynolds
October 8 & 9, 2010
7:30pm
www.apollotheater.org
www.burntsugarindex.com
Produced By: Greg Tate and Jared Michael Nickerson
Directed By: Patricia McGregor
Written By: Patricia McGregor, Greg Tate & Nicole A Watson
Projection Designer: Molly Murphy
Videographer: Cauleen Smith
Apollo Theater Foundation Executive Producer : Laura Greer
Apollo Theater Foundation Director of Production: Steven R. Jones
Act 1: Mind Power
(a/k/a JB’s Original Funky Divas Vs. The Revolution Of The Mind)
Narration: Brandon Victor Dixon
Conduction Greg Tate and Mikel Banks
Electric Bass Jared Michael Nickerson
Drums Chris Eddleton – Swiss Chris
Acoustic Bass Jason Di Matteo
Trumpet Lewis “Flip” Barnes Jr.
Alto Saxophone & Bass Clarinet Avrem Fefer
Tenor Saxophone V. Jeffrey Smith
Alto Saxophone Micah Gaugh
Baritone Saxophone “Moist” Paula Henderson
Freak-a-Phone Mikel Banks
Guitar Andre Lassalle
Guitar Asim Barnes
Keyboards & Percussion Bruce Mack
Keyboards W. Myles Reilly
Violin Tarrah Reynolds
Cello Will Martina
Tambourine, Percussion & Go-Go Dancer Shelley Nicole
Live Dub Efx Latasha N. Nevada Diggs
Featured Vocalists
Lisala Beatty
Karma Mayet Johnson
Imani Uzuri
Shelley Nicole
Bruce Mack
Lewis “Flip”Barnes
Mikel Banks
Latasha N. Nevada Diggs
V. Jeffrey Smith
Luqman Brown
Derrin Maxwell
Featured Actor: Christopher Randolph – Auctioneer
Dancers: Eddie Brown, and Shantrelle P. Lewis
Songs ‘Please Please Please’, ‘Give It Up Or Turn it Loose’, ‘Its A Mans Mans World’, ‘Cold Sweat’ , ‘There Was A Time’, ‘Licking Stick’, ‘Say It Loud ( I’m Black And I’m Proud)’, ‘Down And Out In New York City’, ‘Escape-ism’, ‘Get Up Get’ Into It Get Involved’. ‘Make It Funky’ ‘Hot Pants’, ‘You’re Welcome/Stop On By’, ‘Think’, ‘Put It On The Line’, ‘Land Of Milk And Honey’, ‘If You Don’t Work You Don’t Eat’, ‘Message From A Soul Sister’, ‘Mama Feel Good’, ‘I Don’t Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing’ , ‘Rock Me Again’, ‘The Big Payback’, ‘Living In America’.
About the Salon Series
Since 2006, the Salon Series has brought edgy, downtown artists uptown to the Apollo, providing them a space to stretch their creative boundaries and present works-in-progress in/on the Theater’s Soundstage. The Salon Series is the traditional “Apollo Experience” taken to the next level, providing both emerging and established artists with the space, resources, and feedback to aid in the creation of new work. This groundbreaking series spotlights the Apollo’s continued dedication to its performing arts programming and its support of artistic experimentation and dialogue in contemporary culture. The series grows out of the Apollo’s ongoing role as an incubator for new and innovative forms of artistic expression, and its 75-year history of nurturing up-and-coming talent. As with all Apollo Theater programming, the Salon Series recognizes the critical role of the audience in artistic development, and offers artists the opportunity to share new ideas in an intimate setting; with audience members seated no more than ten feet from the performers.
Past Salon Series events have included works from creator-composer Fred Ho, DJ Spooky, poet Jessica Care Moore, jazz musician Russell Gunn, Craig Harris’ God’s Trombones, and a new theatrical staging of Melvin Van Peebles’ 1971 film Sweet Sweetback’s Badasssss Song.
About the Apollo
Having celebrated its 75th anniversary season, the Apollo Theater is one of Harlem’s, New York City’s, and America’s most iconic and enduring cultural institutions. The Apollo was one of the first theaters in New York, and the country, to fully integrate, welcoming traditionally African-American, Hispanic, and local immigrant populations in the audience, as well as headlining uniquely talented entertainers who found it difficult to gain entrance to other venues of similar size and resources. Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo Theater has played a major role in cultivating artists and in the emergence of innovative musical genres including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul, and hip-hop. Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Sammy Davis, Jr., James Brown, Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, and countless others began their road to stardom on the Apollo’s stage.