7/31/17 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Mills Brothers – Caravan

The Mills Brothers recorded the Juan Tizol and Duke Ellington exotic jazz composition Caravan a cappella making the instruments’ sounds with their voices. The Mills Brothers honored Duke Ellington with this swing version of his Caravan.

Mills Brothers – Caravan

The Mills Brothers, sometimes billed The Four Mills Brothers, and originally known as The Four Kings of Harmony, were an African-American jazz and pop vocal quartet who made more than 2,000 recordings that sold more than 50 million copies and garnered at least three dozen gold records. The Mills Brothers were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.

9/5/17 O&A NYC DANCE AND MUSIC: FOLI (there is no movement without rhythm) original version by Thomas Roebers and Floris Leeuwenberg

 FOLI, the word for rhythm used by the Malinke tribes of Baro, Guinee Afrika, encompasses so much more than drumming, dancing or sound. It’s found in every part of daily life. Continue reading

(Repost) 7/22/17 O&A NYC ITS SATURDAY- ANYTHING GOES : The L.A. Complex – The Complete Kal and Tariq Story

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The L.A. Complex, The Complete Kal and Tariq Story centers around Kaldrick King (Andra Fuller) a successful but troubled and bad-tempered rapper dealing with the secret of being a closeted homosexual.
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(Repost) 7/21/17 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE: John Bubbles- Cabin In The Sky

Cabin in the Sky is a 1940 American musical with music by Vernon Duke, Lyrics by John La Touche, and a musical book by Lynn Root. The musical premiered on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 25, 1940. It closed on March 8, 1941 after a total of 156 performances. It was directed by Albert Lewis and staged by George Balanchine. The Broadway production starred Ethel Waters as Petunia Jackson, Dooley Wilson as Little Joe Jackson, Katherine Dunham as Georgia Brown, Rex Ingram as Lucifer Junior, and Todd Duncan as The Lawd’s General. Continue reading

3/1/23 O&A NYC WILDIN OUT WEDNESDAY WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: Moms Mabley- Comedienne, Social Activist, LBGTQ Icon

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Moms Mabley performing a comedy act (1948) one of her lines “Cab Calloway once call me a dog. I would like to be a dog if Cab Calloway would be my tree.” Continue reading

7/17/17 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: The Mack


The Mack (1973), follows the rise and fall of Goldie, an Oakland pimp. The  film directed by California native Michael Campus, and starred Max Julien and Richard Pryor with Oscar-nominee Juanita Moore, and Tony nominated actor Dick Anthony Williams. The movie was filmed in Oakland, California. 

After returning home from a 5-year prison sentence, he returns home to find his brother involved in Black nationalism. Goldie decides to take an alternative path, striving to become the city’s biggest pimp

The Mack- Pimpins Big Business
 

All pimps need some time to get together and flaunt their hoes and spoils of the game. And what better place to do it than at the Player’s Ball.

The Players Ball

7/10/17 O&A NYC OUT AND ABOUT: PICKS OF THE WEEK- What’s Happening This Week July 10- July 17, 2017

Summer is here and the city is abounding with activity “24- 7- 365”. We have art celebrating popular culture in Brooklyn. Dance honoring dancers downtown. Blockbuster and Indie film share the silver screen, music blends with movement to reflect on Asian culture at Carnegie Hall, and the swashbuckling continues in Harlem. Here are a few of the many events happening in the city that never sleeps guaranteed to keep you Out and About. Continue reading

7/5/17 O&A NYC WILDIN OUT WEDNESDAY: Little Black Sambo (1935)

Little Black Sambo, produced in 1935 by UB Iworks Studio, is a controversial book and cartoon containing racist stereotypes typical of the time. Due to its racist overtones the short film shows up on many banned cartoons and racist cartoons lists. Continue reading

7/3/17 O&A NYC- OUT AND ABOUT- PICKS OF THE WEEK: Art, Dance, Film, Music, Theater and the Fourth of July! – What’s Happening This Week 7/3- 7/9

Happy July 4th! Many are going to take the week off for a “Staycation” (an in-the-city vacation). Hanging out in NYC is an incredible summer Staycation. We have fine art  in Meatpacking and Bowery, dance from Lincoln Center to Prospect Park, Blockbuster and Indie film, music in the park and theatre, complete with sword fights, in Harlem. Here are a few of the many events happening in the city that never sleeps guaranteed to keep you Out and About..  Continue reading

6/19/17 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY PRIDE MONTH: Moonlight- Chiron and Kevin’s First Kiss

Ashton Sanders and Jharrel Jerome as teens Chiron and Kevin in the Barry Jenkins-directed coming of age film Moonlight. Continue reading