On this day, 8 April, in 1871, Clarence Hudson White was born in small-town Ohio in the United States. White was a teacher and self-taught photographer, but within a few years of his beginning in the art form at age 22, he’d achieved some measure of international fame. His photos were emotional pieces that reflected…
1. Savion Glover: Rhythm (Did you make it all the way through?) 2. Gregory Hines: Flair (Crappy picture quality – just listen to the riddim.) 3. Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr.: Homage 4. Sammy & the Will Maston Trio: Freedom (There was no one better than Sammy, except …) 5. Savion “Mr. Bojangles: Good stories…
Alfred Eisenstaedt was a German-born Jewish photographer who reached fame for his street shots and work for Life Magazine. (See our series on the History of Street Photography, Part 5, for more on “Eisie” and his work.) Although he was a German World War 1 wounded veteran, by 1933, Shitler’s Nazis had risen to power,…
“We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,– This debt we pay to human guile; With torn and bleeding hearts we smile, And mouth with myriad subtleties. Why should the world be overwise, In counting all our tears and…
One of the things that pains Maria and me is the number of people who are enamored with a single shot by Henri Cartier-Bresson (“Behind the Gare Saint Lazare“). You know the one, the “Defining Moment” shot. But here’s the thing: it’s a shitty photo. It’s underexposed, details are lost because of the lack of…
On this day, 12 March, in 1857, Giuseppe Verdi’s opera, “Simon Boccanegra” opened in Venice, Italy. One hundred thirty years later, on 12 March 1987, “Les Miserables” opened on Broadway in New York for its first of over 4000 performances. Only another 100 years or so will judge which is the greater work. As for…
I cannot dizzle upon mah Toes by Emily Cold-Ass Dickinson and Gizzoogle.net I cannot dizzle upon mah Toes– No Man instructed mah crazy ass– But oftentimes, among mah mind, A Glee possesseth me, That had I Ballet knowledge– Would put itself abroad In Pirouette ta blanch a Troupe– Or lay a Prima, mad, And though…
Today’s Musical Minute: Did you know that “All I Do,” written and popularized by Stevie Wonder was originally recorded by the late, great Tammi Terrell? In 1966, then-sixteen year old Stevie helped write the song, and Tammi recorded it. Berry Gordy wanted Diana Ross and the Supremes to record the song, but Stevie wanted Tammi.…
The Artists' Sanctum 